Is there such a thing as the perfect day?
Maybe, and it certainly doesn’t involve doing any laundry, vacuuming or cooking!
What I really want to talk about is the illusion of the perfect day…and your expectations.
I’ve been talking with a lot of moms lately and I noticed something.
I noticed that moms don’t have perfect days!
Not only that, but it seems like most days are just the opposite.
I was having FOMO (fear of missing out) big time, one day….watching the high light reels of other peoples lives and thinking “am I the only one who has MOST days that don’t go as planned, as smooth, as calm or as cheerful?”
Then one day, as I was on Zoom with a whole bunch of other moms – kids and family members in the background – I saw it!
I saw that I wasn’t the only one whose days aren’t perfect! Yay! It’s not just me!
In fact, I realized for most of the moms, MOST DAYS were NOT perfect…most days!
The perfect day is an illusion. Well, at least a day where everything goes exactly the way I think they should go- that’s an illusion!
But still, I thought, things could be better. Less arguing, more smiles.
I had to change my expectations – of myself, of other people, of our situation.
By the way, changing expectations doesn’t mean lowering your standards..it means focusing on what is truly important (relationships, loving other people, loving yourself.)
These days aren’t normal and you can’t apply the the usual rules.
Some examples of how I changed my expectations to make my life less stressful, happier and more productive are:
- Realizing that life isn’t perfect 100% of the time, or even much of the time.
- Comparing anything to ” social media life” is not smart (I knew that, but I did get caught up)
- Changing my idea of a “good” snack or meal is.
- Bedtime and wake up time can be more relaxed, even though it’s not summer.
- Being okay with eating snacks in the living room (kids leave so many crumbs!)
- Being okay with NOT getting as much work done – our kids can only give us so much uninterrupted time.
- Realizing that even though people look like they are doing okay, they might not be and I need to be remember that.
Adopting new expectations has seriously made me happier!
Where can you change your expectations that will help you feel happier, less stressed and more productive (and therefore, healthier?)