Imagine taking that leap and trying something new that you’ve always wanted to do. Whether it be a career change, a new hairstyle, starting a family, or a changing your lifestyle. The possibilities are endless. For the first time in many years, I have decided to take the leap and try something new.
For the past 15 years my life has revolved around my children. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t have had it any other way! But now that they are getting older and require less of my attention, I thought it was a great time to take the leap and jump into a new adventure. It’s important as a parent to remember to focus on yourself. They say that you can’t take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself first. On my quest to figure out what I wanted to try next, I came across a Facebook post for new writer submissions at BurlingtonVT Moms Blog. It clicked. Why not share my experiences as a mom with other moms? I may not have many other experiences to offer but I’ve been doing this parenting thing for a while now and believe I have some insights that others might want to hear. After all, I have 3 kids and am currently raising 2 teens.
As soon as I considered applying to be a BVTMB writer, instantly, I thought: there cannot possibly be anyone that wants to hear what I have to say. I have never been a writer and certainly never had my thoughts on display for the public to read. I applied anyway.
I took a chance and tried something new. My submission piece was, you guessed it, about how my children take up the majority of my time on a daily basis. It’s now time for me to try something new and do something for myself. Predicting the outcome of trying a new experience is hard. There is always a chance that you’ll fail. But there is also a chance that you’ll succeed and imagine how great that would feel. I firmly believe that without taking chances and putting yourself out there, you will be stuck in the same place all the time. And a small failure, after being a parent for 15 years, isn’t that remarkable. I have much bigger failures to worry about, to tell the truth. And successes. Typically, though, I am a creature of habit. I love my schedules and checklists, but I’m also aware that life would get pretty boring repeating itself everyday!
I have always encouraged my children to try something new each year at school.
It can be a sport, club, reaching out to a new student; anything just get out there and try! For the first year of middle school, my daughter refused to try any of these things and it resulted in a pretty tough sixth grade experience. Seventh grade really changed for her. Maybe the pressure of the middle school transition wore off, I don’t know. But she joined a sport and became excited and happy about going to school. She made new friends, made healthier choices, and in general was happier! As we all know, it’s rare to see a happy face on a teen. I am so proud of her for taking the leap and trying new things.
As I sit in Barnes and Noble with my coffee in hand, I have already learned a few things about myself as I write my second blog post.
- I fear failure
- I need more quiet time
- My brain is always multitasking
- I could never write a book. That takes a special talent that I don’t have.
But what I can do is take the leap and try something new and set an example for my children that sometimes you just have to put yourself out there. My first step to growing as a person after years of being a mom was to leap into the blogging world. I have already met some other great mothers that have the same mindset as me. These ladies offer different experiences and friendships.
