Terrific Tuesday: Living with Intention..why you shouldn't be ignoring stress

Is life stressing you out?

I don't think you can go one day without seeing a post on Facebook telling you to enjoy EVERY single second of parenting and live in the moment.  If you haven't already read it, Glennon from Momastery wrote an awesome article a few years ago called Don't Carpe Diem(click on the link to read!)  In this post, she freely admits that "as much as she loves her children, her favorite part of the day is when they are asleep and she cuddles in her husbands arms".  I think it's safe to say that the whole world took a deep breath when they read that and thought, "Ahhh....maybe it's OK that I don't like parenting all the time.  Maybe I'm not ruining my child's life because I get frustrated."  I love that she brings us back to reality and tells us that it's OK to not enjoy every minute of being a parent.  But all this talk about living in the present got me thinking....how often should we live in the present? Could living in the present actually be hurting us?

While living in the present is great advice,
we need to be careful about what we're ignoring.  
I want to talk about the dangers of living in the present and not thinking about the future.  How many of us excuse harmful behaviors (toward ourselves or others) because "we only live once" or "there may not be a tomorrow!'  How many of us are ignoring our child's continuous defiant behavior instead of making a change as parents?  How many of us are ignoring a family member instead of confronting them about something that bothered us?  How many of us say that we're going to go on a diet tomorrow and just throw on stretchier pants today?  How many of us are going through the Starbucks drive through instead of paying back our debts? 

When we're feeling stressed, guilty, or worried about something...it's usually for a reason and ignoring it isn't going to solve the problem.

What I'm trying to say is this....do something today that you will thank yourself for tomorrow.  LIVE INTENTIONALLY! Don't ignore your stress or guilt.  If you're feeling guilty about how you've hurt someone, pick up the phone and talk to them.  SAY SORRY which will allow you to let it go. If you're feeling stressed about money, make a plan to create a more abundant life.  If you're stressed about your health, try a new plan and surround yourself with people who share the same values as you.  
Stop looking at gossip and pictures on Facebook and start making things happen!  
Stop making excuses and live the life that you were meant to live.  

Instead of living in the moment, live with intention.

Want to know more about living with intention?

Watch my video about gumption below!