I am the Decisive Element

The last week or so I've been trying to put together a structured schedule so Chloe and I can get into a good routine. I remember when I decided to stop working, I thought life would magically become so much easier! Without 8 hours of work in a day, I imagined having everything completely under control. Oh my, was I wrong. I feel like I'm running a circus most of the time. I just barely get the necessities done, and hardly ever do any extras. Oh, and by the way, I think of making dinner for my family as an extra. Pathetic, huh! Lately I've been feeling bad about this and have a notebook where I've been trying to make my list of to-do's fit into a weekly schedule.

Today when I was at the doctor's office, I pulled out my notebook. I started feeling overwhelmed, and going through my mental list of excuses of why it's hard for me to get everything done, so I decided to just bag the idea and continue my current routine of 'just getting by.' I put the notebook away in defeat.

Then I was just sitting there waiting for the doctor to come in, when I saw a quote hanging on the wall in front of me. I felt like whoever wrote the quote, wrote it for me on this day, in this moment, for my exact situation and excuse mentality. Here it is:

I am the Decisive Element

I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make a life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a person humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people only as they are, we are of no real value to them. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.

This quote inspired me incredibly, and it was a concept I could apply to all aspects of my life.... the importance of taking full responsibility for my actions/reactions and results. It also reminded me of something I learned from Sheri Dew at Women's Conference this year. She taught that the status quo is uninspiring. Our spirits yearn to progress, and that is why we are more motivated to do something difficult than something mediocre. I have learned that motherhood is the greatest potential in life. It is also the most challenging. I am anxious to embrace this challenge, and rise above mediocrity. This was a lesson I've learned before, but I'm grateful for the reminder!