I AM Enough

I am enough as I prepare breakfast. I am enough when I walk down the street as my toddler pedals her tricycle. I am enough when I cannot finish my exercise video because my child woke up early from her nap, crying…

I am enough as I prepare lunch. I am enough as I do the cleaning.

I am enough when I read to my child a book or two or more or less… or play with her on the playground.

I am enough as I prepare dinner, put my child to bed and struggle to fit in a day of friendship with my husband in a few hours before we fall asleep, ready to repeat another day.

I am enough. In between the routine and priceless moments of my day, I carve out time for my dreams, minutes at a time, sometimes, if I’m lucky, an hour.

I AM Enough. I will not settle for less, if possible, will settle only for more. I am priceless just because I AM an expression of God, worthy of love and admiration.

Everything I do, I do with a spirit of excellence, and then I release the outcome.

I don’t need to struggle to prove to anyone how fabulous I am, that I am a great mother.

I am perfect in my child’s eyes, because I love her with all of my heart. I promise to try each day, for her, to be the mother she believes I am.

I am beautiful. I don’t need to prove that to my husband. I am lovable, for my hands have touched every corner of my house and his life with affection, respect and admiration. I don’t need to be someone else as I open up, vulnerable, ready to give and receive and learn together.

WE are enough.

I don’t need to prove to my father or mother or sister or brother, neither friend nor foe or anyone in between, that I am worthy. I have no shame in sharing my essence for I am human, but I move closer and closer each day to Godliness because I accept myself and others for who they truly are: worthy and lovable, naturally and powerfully.

I don’t need to perform each day to fit in. I’d rather belong.

I’d rather belong to someone or a group that will accept me for who I am. I don’t need to hide.

I am healed in the truth of love and acceptance, as I give love and acceptance to others.

Every mama out there, you are already a queen, a warrior…

I look at all the women and think, “ Where did we miss the mark? Where and why did we forget about who we truly are? Why are we withholding love from ourselves?”

By withholding love from ourselves, we cannot help but withhold love from others.

Love will set us free. Love will redeem us, heal us and set us apart and up above.

So I chose to LOVE myself and YOU, because I AM Enough.

I do this easily because I don’t have to compete, hide or hurt because I am different.

I celebrate myself and in this way, I can celebrate YOU!

Everything we do, let’s do it well. Don’t compare yourself to others. Leave the outcome to God.

Surrender yourself to peace.

WE are ENOUGH.

 

~Olga Pyshnyak-Lawrence

An Everyday Mama Who Found a Passionate Life

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What does fitness really look like?

A colleague of mine recently shared an article she wrote entitled, Fitness isn’t Image. It really got me thinking about the daily struggle of convincing women that strength is not about “bulky muscles” and “slim waistlines.” Inevitably when speaking with women I have heard phrases such as: “I don’t like to lift heavy weights because I don’t want big muscles.” Or: “Lifting weights isn’t my goal, I need to lose weight, so I need to do more cardio.”

Y’all, seriously…

Let’s back up a minute and redefine some of this nonsense. First, diet plays an IMPORTANT role in your body composition, which typically is what yields an effect on appearance. Second, building muscle facilitates weight loss more efficiently. Because no one wants to rapidly lose weight and end up with the jiggles, right? Although, a little wiggle in your juggle is COMPLETELY NORMAL.

Yup, I went there. Fat is normal. You need it for that beautiful brain of yours to function. You need it to maintain a normal hormonal cycle. Fat is good. However, ‘everything in moderation’ is a great motto to hold to for literally everything in life.

Fitness is NOT about image. It is about capability. To be fit, you must embrace being strong and stable and mobile. That will come in many different sizes and shapes. There is no one size fits all. We are humans and we are meant to move. If you cannot move effectively and efficiently in your day to day life…that is the problem. Love your body, ladies, help it become as capable as it can be.

 

Jessica Groves-Chapman

~ Superwoman-in-training