Yesterday you probably had a chance to read Today’s The Day .

To be honest I was actually really surprised by how many people read it! Stupid right? Who starts a blog and then is surprised by how many people read it? It was so encouraging  to read all the love and support from family and friends and even from people I’d never even met! Shout out to Malaysia!

For soooo long I hadn’t pursued my dream of creating a blog because I had irrational fears of what others might think.

What if I fail?

What if others thought it was stupid?

What if I get swallowed up in a hole and die?

Okay the last one is a stretch but I seriously felt that way though!!!

I started to wonder how many people were out there doing the exact same thing? I realized that as woman and ESPECIALLY as a Mom I often I had these mindsets of fear and rejection. Maybe it’s just me, but I started to think about what I was thinking about and I realized that I more often than not, I was assuming that I was not as great as the woman next to me. I was silently diminishing my own value and for no good reason. WHY!? Had they done something to make me feel this way? Certainly not. Did I do something wrong to make myself feel this way? Definitely not. How many woman are out there constantly carrying the weight of not being good enough? Not a good enough wife. Not a good enough mother. Heck even not a good enough employee!

ENOUGH! You are good enough. You are seriously good enough. We’re all just doing the very best we can. All you can do is the best you can do. AND THAT’S OKAY. It’s okay to be tired because you were up with a baby last night. It’s okay feed your kids McDonald’s because you don’t have the energy to cook tonight. It’s okay to forget about the load of laundry that’s been sitting in the washer for who knows how long ( don’t even try to deny it), and its okay to call in sick because your sick! What would happen if we all just realized that we were okay? If we looked at other woman with eyes of compassion and we stopped assuming that they had it all together and started to realize that they, just like us, are struggling with feelings of inadequacy.

Chasing my dreams obviously didn’t erase all of that for me. Years of wrong thinking won’t change overnight. Today I still have those thoughts, but they are slowly being pushed aside by feelings of excitement and accomplishment. Your encouragement is  pushing me to keep going and I’m proud of myself for tackling a project and for doing something I’ve always wanted to do. My eyes opened just a tiny bit to the lies we tell ourselves. And I am going to run with it.

Today, like me, THINK about what you’re thinking about! What are you holding back from yourself for fear of being rejected? Maybe there’s  a new Moms group in town you’ve always wanted to try? Maybe there’s someone you’ve been thinking about reaching out to but haven’t? Maybe you have a great idea  for the office? Whatever it is be encouraged! You are strong and you are good enough! What would happen if today we all looked differently at the woman we encounter? If we remembered to lift them up and to encourage them. To cheer them on from the sidelines and to hopefully instill a little bit of strength their step?

This is just the beginning for me. I’m sure there will be bumps along the road and  it definitely won’t be easy but I’m glad to have a community that surrounds and uplifts me and you should be glad too. I am reminded of Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Today be encouraged wherever you are and know that you are good enough.

Laila