Start Today!
Nikki Lamberg has a phrase for the year, one that evokes second chances and the grace of God.
A couple of years ago I saw someone post a question on social media, asking what their “phrase” or “word” was going to be in the new year. I remember thinking long and hard about that idea. It was not something I had heard of doing before, let alone done myself. Admittedly, I thought it was a little silly at first. But when I swished it around in my head for a little while, it made complete sense.
So often we think, “new year, new me.” We come up with a whole list of new year resolutions we are going to put ourselves through. New diets, workout plans, finally writing that book, whatever your “new year, new me” thing is going to be—they are all great thoughts in theory, and for some, they work, and they stick. But for most everyone else, they don’t. Now, a phrase or a quote? That seems a little easier, more realistic maybe.
Last year I decided my word was going to be “grace.” Grace to get through this pandemic. Grace to try and stop sweating the small stuff, because in 5 years will it really matter? Grace—because I am in a season of raising three small kiddos, and it’s a rare occasion to sleep through an entire night.
This year, I didn’t have to think about it at all. It’s been a thought for some time now and out of bad habit, I waited until January 1, 2022. This year, my quote is “start today.” Have a bad day at work? Start today. Didn’t allow enough grace for your child because you were tired? Start today. Lost touch with a friend? Start today. Feel like you have failed every other entrepreneur attempt so far? START TODAY! You get the drift, right?
Perhaps what I love most about “start today” is that you can literally use it any time, any day of the year. You can “start today,” start anew, literally any day of the year. By the grace of God, every morning we wake up, we are given the opportunity to try again. God is all about second chances, so we should do that not only for others, but for ourselves too. So, start today! Be the friend you wish you had. Fail forward and get back up—it’s ok to make mistakes!
One step in front of the other: start today. Day in and day out of speaking positivity and confidence to yourself. Soon it will become a habit, and before you know it, you will find yourself starting to believe it. How often do we find ourselves speaking negatively to ourselves? We are our very own worst critic, but we don’t have to be. Instead of trying to think of all the things you DON’T want to be, focus on the things you DO!
It’s easy for me to slip into the mom guilt, wishing I would have done something different, or said something better. I know I am a good mom, but I am far from perfect. Some days it feels as if my children push me to the brink. There are days when I don’t feel like I am doing this parenting thing well at all, especially with a red-headed toddler and a red-headed preschooler, who have the will and determination of a bull.
But they always seem to reel me back in to reality with kind words like, “Mommy, will you be my best friend?” Or hey, doing what I ask them to do without disgruntlement is always a win! They remind me day in and day out that God made me their mom on purpose. They are my children because God strategically made them that way. They fill my life with so much love that can only be explained if you are a parent yourself. In their beautiful way, they teach me more about grace and forgiveness than I could ever imagine.
So, this year, I am going to build on the last, and I am going to start today while giving myself the grace to make mistakes, and I hope that you find the inspiration to do the same. Because you, my Catholic Mom friend, are a beautiful daughter of God, and YOU are so worth it too!
Copyright 2022 Nikki Lamberg