Do you ever get the feeling you’re doing something the wrong way? Let me re-phrase that… Do you ever get the feeling you’re doing something the right way? Is there a right or wrong way? Is there even a way?
Our lives are constantly bombarded with rules, top tips, and guidelines to make sure we do things right. There are pages and pages of people online showing their ‘new found way’ of doing something that works so well. They end up with thousands of followers of people trying to replicate their methods.
While there is some good in all of the above (and I find myself ‘repinning’, sharing and following these people myself) it can sometimes feel disheartening. Feel that you are not doing a good enough job and what you are doing… is somehow wrong. Whether it’s to do with work, how you dress, the way you decorate your home, cleaning or being a parent. There are so many ways of doing things that mean you don’t need to copy and replicate what you see. Just find the parts of what you see that work for you, use a range of them with your own ways and see what happens. There are always going to be things that don’t work out as you’d wished and other things that go so much smoother. You’ll most likely find it isn’t big changes that make a difference but the little things that help things run smoothly.
Do you ever find yourself telling someone about the way you do something or something that you’ve started doing and immediately their response is, ‘oh well I do it like this…’ . Unfortunately it’s in a lots of people’s nature (mine included) that we automatically respond to conversation by trying to improve things. Trying to give suggestions and tips to help. I’ve recently (and yes I may be a little slow to the game) realised that actually we probably need to become better listeners. Instead of immediately responding with our own story or suggestions, it might be more beneficial and self-building to the other person if we simply listened, acknowledged and offered praise, support or sympathy instead of a bombardment of our own intentions. Knowing that someone is really listening to you and not trying to change what you are saying to their own agenda, can build confidence in yourself that you are doing a good job and doing what’s right for you. Unless of course someone is asking for advice, then go ahead. But for now lets become better listeners and let both ourselves and others know that there isn’t always a right way or wrong way but many ways to do things and doing something in a way that works for you. It’s your life – do it your way (with a few hints and tips from others thrown in like sprinkles on your favourite cake).
Being Mum, Being Me 