From Surviving to Living: Redefining What Success Looks Like for Moms
Me Time 4 Mom
There was a time when I measured my success as a mom by how much I could get done in a day. The completed checklist ruled my life. If I went to work, the kids were fed, the house looked halfway decent, and I didn’t forget anything major, I told myself I was winning. But to be honest, I wasn’t really winning. I was just surviving.
I used to say things like, “I just need to get through this week.” Maybe you’ve said that too. The truth is, I said it so often it became my default way of thinking. And then one day, I stopped and noticed my thoughts and said to myself: How many weeks have I just been “getting through”? How many years?
The Nostalgia That Hit Me
Not long ago, I stumbled across an old photo of my kids at the pumpkin patch. Their hair was wild from running around, cheeks red from the cooler weather, and they were all smiles. As I looked at the photo, I was reminded that I was so glad I was the one taking the picture. The day seemed to go from one stressful moment to the next, and I remember being tired and frazzled.
But my kids looked at the same photo and they remembered the moment fondly. My son asked “wait, we haven’t been there in awhile, why haven’t we been back?” My daughter chimed in and said she wanted to go again too.
That picture stopped me in my tracks. My kids weren’t remembering the things that worried me about that day - the kitchen was messy, the laundry was piled high, and I still needed to make dinner. They were remembering the moment. But me? I was missing it.
That’s when it hit me: survival mode had been stealing my precious memories.
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Redefining Success
To the mom who feels like she’s barely hanging on: I see you. I’ve been you. And here’s the truth I wish someone had whispered into my ear when I was drowning in schedules and a sink full of dishes:
✨ Success isn’t survival
It isn’t crossing off every to-do or holding everything together without falling apart.
✨ Success is living
The unorganized kind, where you have breakfast for dinner, but everyone laughed around the table.
The imperfect kind, where the laundry pile waits another day because you needed a break.
The beautiful kind, where you chose presence over perfection.
Living the Story You Want & Want Them to Remember
Our kids don’t need a mom who “checks everything off the list.” They need a mom who lives with them. Who notices the silly dance in the kitchen. Who sits down and colors outside the lines. Who lets herself laugh, rest, and be in the moment.
One day, when they look back, I don’t want their story to be, “Mom got through it.” I want it to be, “Mom enjoyed time with us.”
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Final Thoughts
So maybe it’s time we all ask a different set of questions. Instead of: Did I get everything from my checklist done?
Instead say to yourself:
Did I laugh today?
Did I stop and give myself permission to be in the moment?
Did I give myself permission to just be?
Because those moments, the lived ones, are the real markers of success.
Do I still get lost in my personal checklist some days? Absolutely! But, I’ve begun to notice and try to shift to be in the moment.
So, mama, if you’ve been measuring yourself by how well you survive, it’s time to shift. Redefine your success as living. And I promise, you’ll start to feel the difference.
Until next time, enjoy the journey!
Copyright Me Time 4 Mom, LLC
