Hi friends! We are just a few days away from Christmas and I’m really looking forward to spending this week with my family. We celebrated Christmas with my in-laws this weekend and had just the best time. Little A also had her first dance recital! If you follow me on Instagram you saw the photo of my little mouse. She did amazing and we were so, so proud of her.
2015 was a year of definite change for me. As the year comes to a close, I’ve been spending the few quiet moments that I have in reflection, and thinking about all the things I learned this year. About my businesses, my career choices, my child, my passion, and of course just myself and my own happiness. When I really sit back to think about all that I’ve learned, it comes down to 3 major life lessons for me.
3 Lessons I Learned in 2015.
Do what makes you happy. For so many years I worked in corporate America and was extremely unhappy and sometimes downright miserable. Of course it wasn’t all bad, but I always wondered what it was all for. I wasn’t passionate about airplanes, or IT or even coffee for that matter (now if it were wine I’d probably still be working). So why was I continuing to bang my head against a wall day after day, only to go home feeling unfulfilled? I was stuck in the rat race because I felt like I had to be. But thanks to my hubby, I was able to finally leave the corporate world to do what I’d wanted to do for 4 years: be home with my daughter.
Being a stay at home mom is not glamorous, and it’s not even remotely pretty most of the time. It has been the hardest job I’ve ever had and there are days that I wonder if I made the right decision, but I love waking up to Little A each morning and the extra cuddles we get. I am so glad I’m the one who gets to take her to dance class and preschool. And I’m so thankful that I get to be the one raising her and instilling our values on her life. We’re raising the next generation of teachers, parents, leaders and more. I can only hope I do half as good of a job raising my kiddos as my own stay at home mom did raising me.
I also now have time to focus on my other passions: this space and my essential oils business. These two things make me so much happier than corporate America ever could.
If you’ve ever felt stuck, or like you can’t get out because of money, fear of failure or whatever, just remember that it’s okay to follow your dreams. It’s usually the dreamers that make the biggest difference in the world. Life’s too short to spend most of your days doing something that doesn’t bring you joy.
Don’t forget to take care of yourself. This is something I’ve just recently felt strongly about, mostly because I’m with Little A 24/7 with very few breaks each day. No quiet time, no alone time, no time just to stop and think about my needs and what I need to do to take care of myself. And it’s really taken a toll on me emotionally and physically. I shared about trying to find my inspiration again after feeling so lost when I started staying home full time. I attribute part of that loss of inspiration to not taking care of me. This can be really challenging, especially for stay at home moms. But it is vital to not just our health and happiness, but to our family’s happiness. A happy, relaxed mom is much better than a strung out, overwhelmed, under appreciated one.
Even if it’s just an hour or two to yourself a few times a month, remember to take time to step away from work, social media, kids, whatever. Just do it. Take a nice long bath. Grab a cup of coffee and go for a nice walk. Get a massage. Just make sure you take time for YOU.
Self-reflection is a powerful tool. Like I said at the beginning of this post, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on my life these last few weeks. And really I spent a good amount of time in self-reflection throughout the year. A lot of the personal development books I read this year really made me think about my life. Without even knowing it, they inspired me to take a good hard look at how I was living my life and make changes for the better. I guess that’s what being inspired is all about right? Becoming better, making changes to better our lives and ourselves. And self-reflection is a key part of that.
I’ve previously shared that I journal a lot (there is a full post on journaling coming soon!). Part of journaling, for me, is the process of thinking about what I want to write. And a lot of what I think about in turn provides me with opportunities for self reflection. It’s amazing what taking a few minutes out of your day to reflect on what went on can do for you and your mindset.
[Tweet “Life’s too short to spend most of your days doing something that doesn’t bring you joy.”]
As hard as 2015 was at times, it was also a really great year for us. I’m super excited for 2016 and all the excitement that it has in store for us, but I’m taking the time to really think about 2015 and use some lessons I learned 2016 an even better year.
Any life lessons or takeaways you have from 2015?
Very big and profound lessons learned in 2015!! So happy to hear that you are doing what makes you happy now!! xo, Biana –BlovedBoston
Yes! Take care of yourself! SO important, especially when it comes to health!
You have had such a big year, Tiffany! I’m so happy that you get to stay home with Little A now. 🙂 And I’m so glad that you’ve learned these great lessons. Have a great week, friend!
This has been a HUGE year for you. It’s kind of funny what can change in a year, right? SO MUCH. Thanks for sharing these thoughts with us. I’m trying to take better care of myself, so it’s nice to see that other people are on the same journey.
I’m excited for you guys and all the fun you’ll have in 2016. I’m so glad that you’ll get to be at home with both of your little’s. xoxo
Oh do I know the SAHM struggle of caring for yourself! As I’ve mentioned, days can go by and I don’t shower or put on makeup. That is SO not like me! I used to be into curling my hair everyday and makeup and after I started staying home I just didn’t have time for that. I started to get much better about it but now with a newborn, it’s my biggest fear – that I’ll have absolutely zero time for me and I’ll look like a hot mess nonstop. Right when I get my groove back, I decide to have another baby, right?! Go figure.
such great things to learn! I was going to post 12 things I learned this year tomorrow since there are 12 months in a year, but I kind of pooped out at 10!
I forgot to take care of myself a lot this year and paid for the past two months.
liz @ sundays with sophie
Very important lessons to keep in mind, especially about taking care of yourself…it’s so easy to let that slip by but it’s harder to help others when you are stretching yourself too thin.
Tiffany, I so love this post. Everything here is what everyone should be concentrating on. Such a joy to read. I love how you recognized what your emotional, physical and mental health needed to be the best you. Merry Christmas!
Thank you so much Michelle! I think sometimes it’s hard for us to step back and assess what we really need. We get so caught up in the day to day. But it has helped me tremendously to really spend time reflecting on my own needs and wants. It makes me a better mommy too. 🙂
These are great life lessons! Cheers to 2016 bringing even more!
This is such a great post! And I agree with all of those things! It is so important to take care of yourself and do what you love. And if you don’t take time to reflect on how yo uare doing, what is the point? You won’t ever grow! Thanks for sharing! And here’s to 2016!
These are some great life lessons and I think it is good to reflect. I know that the year went by so fast that I couldn’t keep track of everything. I need to do more of taking care of myself.
Reflecting has really given me a new perspective. And yes, taking care of ourselves is so important. Us women don’t always do a good job at that. 🙂