Tag: motivationalmonday

Advice/Tips, Family

Mama Motivation

cloepottorff

Life as a parent comes with joy, humor, excitement and love; but it also comes with frustration, exhaustion, stress and sadness.

In those low moments as a parent, finding a silver lining can make a world of difference to your outlook on life and family.

Being a mom of three is crazy; being a mom of three and two have special needs – insane! However, I always find a positive outlook to all the negative that comes with disabilities.

Just this past week, I had an early IEP (Individualized Education Program), scheduled a 3 day EEG and scheduled an audiology appointment (daughter might need a hearing aid). To top it all off, I took my daughter to the ER for a severely infected ingrown toenail, which they had to scalpel open. This is not including our regular schedule of therapy and preschool.

When I tell anyone about all this craziness, they always have some of the same questions for me. How do you do it all? Doesn’t this stress you out? Don’t you get worn out? Honestly, motivation is all that keeps me going.

My motivation is my children. I have to push past my stress of all I need to do, push past my sadness for what my children are going to have to endure; and give them reassurance that everything is under control and they will be okay with anything that comes our way. I show them that just because something bad happens, it doesn’t mean I give up or break down. That doesn’t mean I don’t take small moments to deal with my emotions but I get my feelings out and then get back to work.

The silver linings I found in the possibility that my daughter might be partially deaf in one ear – she can still hear with her right ear and once we get a hearing aid for her, her speech with improve as well!

The silver lining in going to the ER today – I was forced to make all my calls and schedule appointments since there was nothing else to do. Plus, some focused time on how my daughter felt while my son spent some quality time with grandma.

In all that happens in our life, we can learn from the struggles and help others in the same situation. Be thankful for what you have and realize that there is so much more to be thankful for than we give credit.

Hope this gave you a more positive outlook and some ideas for your own motivation in life!

Advice/Tips, Opinion

Motivation Monday #2 – Turn a Negative into a Positive

cloepottorff

Everyone has had a bad day before. Whether the cause was someone else’s or our own, we have all had something happen that makes us mad, sad, frustrated or defeated. That’s ok, we are all human and that’s part of a human experience. However, it’s not ok to stop and settle into that feeling or mood. There is always a positive that can come from a negative, always. 


Most situations that put us in a bad mood can easily be deflected if we just change our mindset. They way we think really does affect our daily lives. Positive thinking and acting attracts other positive behaviors and actions. 


I made a short list of some things to incorporate into your daily life to gain more positivity. 

  1. Express gratitude-showing gratitude increases the value of what you do have
  2. Be optimistic-optimism grows endless opportunities
  3. Avoid social comparison-everyone is different, everyone has different strengths. Focus on you, what you think of yourself is all that matters
  4. Learn to forgive-It will set you free from resentment and you can move forward
  5. Practice kindness-Being selfless creates such a strong feel good feeling and makes you happy to have made a difference
  6. Enjoy the small things-You can’t truly enjoy life unless you take time to relish in the small things. Sunsets, stars, laughter, snow falling. 
  7. Take care of your body-When you feel your best, you become the best version of you. 


Now, here are some of my own personal experiences that started out as negatives but I turned them into positives. 

  1. A family members death-I can comfort others in similar situations.  Also, I now strive to make a difference and make the deceased proud of me. 
  2. Parents divorce-I can relate and help others going through parents divorce. I learned what not to do in a marriage. 
  3. Struggle financially-I learned that not all outing and adventures need to be bought(i.e. Disneyland, movies)
  4. Assaulted-Learned to stand up for myself and that abuse is not deserved. I can relate and help others in similar situations as well. 
  5. Anxiety-Learned what makes me happy and I do more things like journaling, painting and reading to de-stress

I hope that now when you are having just one of those days, you take a minute to be grateful for what you have and to change that negative into a positive! 😉

If you have any comments or questions, feel free to comment below and I will respond 😊👍

Family, Opinion

Motivation Monday #1 – One of a Kind

cloepottorff

It seems like every way I turn, I hear or see people trying to be like a Kardashian or Ariana Grande or Justin Beiber. What ever happened to being ourselves and being unique? People think we all need to strive to be ‘perfect’ but in reality, nobody is perfect. What classifies someone or something as perfect? Everything is in perspective. I think people need to recognize what makes them different and really enjoy doing what makes them happy. People need to stop trying to be an imitation of someone else and be their own unique, one-of-a-kind person. 

I am by no means perfect but I am happy being me and being different. Everyone has something special and unique about them but we just need to acknowledge it and use it. Even the things in our lives that seem like a negative can be turned around and made into a positive. I can list a few things about myself that I feel makes me who I am. 

  • I come from a broken and mixed family but I love that we are all different but still connected. 
  • I am proud of my ethnicity. I am 25% Cherokee Indian, 25% Japanese, and the rest is a mix of German, French and Irish.
  • I am still a child at heart and love cartoons and art n’ crafts. 
  • I had my gallbladder removed 😁
  • I laugh at my own jokes. 
  • I’ve been through some hard events that have made me stronger. 
  • I have a love for all things country: music, dance, attire. 
  • I have vitiligo and psoriasis
  • I had a tumor that was removed. 
  •  I love the rain. 
  • I’m weird and love it 😜

What I’m trying to get at is, stop trying to be something you’re not and be happy with what you have been given. We were all made different for a reason, life would be boring if we were all the same so embrace your irreplaceable self! Be your own one-of-a-kind!