2020!!!

Happy New Year!!! I hope that the new decade has been good for all of you! I feel like since December I have been in a constant state of motion. Thus, the delayed blog.

So, for my latest news, I have been reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I have wanted to read it for a long time, but, I guess I wasn't effective enough to get to it! Just like most self-help type books, there are great insights and thoughts, new methods and perspectives, and encouragement to dig into what one's mission statement is. When I was 18, I pretty much knew what I wanted to do, I was dead set on being a singer. I wanted to move to New York City and study musical theater. Fortunately, I was able to make some decent chunks of money modeling and I moved myself there, from Wisconsin, just after my 20th birthday.

Well, after getting married and having a family, missions change, or, actually, get lost in the busy-ness of daily life. There are survival jobs to be had, lunches to be made, practices to be done, lesson plans to create, songs to finish, people to pick up, sporting events to attend, dogs to walk, dishes to put away, clothes to wash....this list could go on for a very long time...

So, when I got to the section of the 7 habits book about having a personal mission statement, I totally skipped over it. I told myself I would come back to it. However, I have realized that the rest of the steps refer back to the mission statement, so, I will need to create one. The idea overwhelms me, but, I am also excited. I am looking forward to discovering and recovering my mission statement. One thing that has been visiting my thoughts is the word value. Value means something different to everyone. What do I find valuable and worth spending precious time on? Do I judge people for placing value on different things? Learning to accept what other people value is a powerful tool for developing mutual respect in a relationship. Here is a simple example, my husband likes video games, I can't stand them, when he plays them, I think it is a total waste of time. Well, when I step outside of that, I can see beyond that. He works really hard, that bit of playing makes him happy, he bonds with our kids while playing with them, and he connects with other people who play the same games. I still don't like them, but, I can respect the fact that he finds value playing them.

Building my mission statement might take me all year, it might only take me an afternoon, I am not sure. I will keep you all posted though!!!!

Here is a throwback photo taken in Italy about a month before I headed to NYC. It feels like it was a lifetime ago!!!!! I guess it was.