What Season Are You In?

Episode Transcript

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The Mom Training Podcast with Diana Ballard

 

Diana:      Hey ladies, welcome to The Mom Training Podcast, today. What season are you in? Now, I’m not just talking about winter, spring, summer, fall. But what season are you in with your kids, where you're living, your financial state? What season, are you in?

 

  So, let's kind of dive into that a little bit here. I recently was talking to somebody about expectations. And this wasn't even our topic that I was interviewing them for. It was, it just suddenly came up like, what kind of expectations should a mom, during this time, have?

 

  And she said, just knowing what season you're in is one of the most important things for you to focus on. Because it is so easy for us to compare ourselves to other people. I mean I just recently caught myself doing it, with a couple friends of mine that I'm like, “Man, they last year, tore it up.” They got all these things done. Wow this is… They hit all of these markers. Like they’re just excelling like crazy.

 

  And as I was talking to my husband like, “Man, do I have a problem? Is there something wrong with me? Why is it that I am not able to hit these same markers as them?” And he said, “Well, Diana, what season are you in?” It was kind of cool because like this kind of came up in like two conversations which is usually like, “Okay, I need to listen to this, right?”

 

  What season, are you in?

 

  These people that I was comparing myself to have very different seasons that they're living in. They have older kids. They're not in the baby making stage with like little tiny little kids. They're not homeschooling their kids. I mean, there's different things that are going on in their life and their season that they're in, that's not the same as mine.

 

  And so, to be able to think about that and be like, “Okay, I'm in a different season than them, they're in a different season then me and our lives are not even similar.” It's completely different. So, these things that these people are hitting, over here, are not really attainable for me at the moment. So, me having those expectations of myself to have the same results, to have the same numbers to count, or just anything like that, comparing myself at all is really dumb. It’s really dumb to try to compare my own life, to anyone else's.

 

  Now, I'm usually pretty good at not comparing, but there was one thing that I was like, “What?! How? Like, what is wrong with me?” And again, there's nothing wrong with me, it's that I'm in a different season. That my amount of time that I have to do things is a little bit different than someone else's.

 

  As we go throughout life, one, what are the expectations, we're having on ourselves during the current season that we're in. And two, are those expectations making it, so it pulls us away from the joy of the season that we're in?

 

  So, where are you at in your journey? Do you have young little kids that take up a lot of time and energy? Do you have a teenager, that you have to work out a lot of running around to different sports events, or having conversations about things that you never thought you would? I mean, what season are you in?

 

  And I'm not saying that you put down your dreams. I'm not saying that you stop working towards things. But realize that maybe some goals that you're working on, might take a little bit longer because of what season that you're in. And that's okay. Because the last thing we want to do is literally plough through a season mad, or having expectations and feeling like a failure on the other end. Or just hoping for the next season, which will hit challenges in every season that we're in... They're just going to change.

 

  So, what expectations should we be having in the season that we're in? How can we love our life more, that we're living today? Whether that be living in an apartment, or a little house, or a big house, living paycheck to paycheck, having a bunch of savings, or being completely financially free? Like, where are you on the spectrum?...

 

  And realizing I am in a journey. I am in a one day at a time, one step at a time, journey. And it is the most amazing feeling to find joy in where we're at. And sometimes, it just takes a reminder. Sometimes, it takes someone being like, “Dude what season are you in?... Why are you expecting yourself to perform in a certain way, when you're like up all night with a baby? “Or you're working a bunch and then still trying to take care of a family but you're trying to also build a business on the side. Like what expectations are you putting on yourself, that's pulling you away from the joy of the day to day, which is where we really need to be focusing that joy. Because if we're not enjoying the journey, if we're not enjoying the season, I promise you, the next season, we're not going to enjoy very much either.

 

  That's one thing that I've learned very strongly in goal setting, in reaching for dreams, is you got to love the process. You got to love that day to day, because you'll hit that goal, you'll get that dream, but it's going to be empty, because you did not build little bricks of joy along the way, fulfillment along the way. Being proud of yourself, and enjoying the learning process of becoming, along the way.

 

  So, it's really important for us to focus on being in the moment, enjoying the season that we're in, and let this be the reminder for you. It's okay exactly where you're at. So, love your life, love the season that you're in. And let's stop comparing ourselves to people who are in different seasons, who have a different lifestyle, different opportunities and different problems. They all have their own problems too. No matter what you may think looks so good for them. Everybody's got their problems. So, let's be in our moment, in our season and truly enjoy it. And have expectations of growth, of moving to the next level, but not hating where we're at the process.

 

  You're good mom. You got this. And we'll see you next Tuesday on The Mom Training Podcast.

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