Middle Aged Crazy » Interview and giveaway: Mindset for Moms

Interview and giveaway: Mindset for Moms

This giveaway is now closed.

I‘m speaking at Blissdom this weekend, so I thought it’d be fun today to publish a little interview I did this week with my friend (and editor of Simple Homeschool!) Jamie Martin. She’s the voice of Steady Days, advocate of Love146, and all around cool cat. (You should see her dance moves! I have.)

Me: Mindset for Moms is all about changing our thinking, not changing our circumstances. Why is this so important for moms?

Jamie: I think Martha Washington put it best when she said, “I am still determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may be. For I have learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.”

The workload of most moms, especially those with young children at home, can be grueling at times, and we can’t always change the actual circumstances we find ourselves in. It’s a tragedy for us to wish away these precious, once-in-a-lifetime days, yet I know I’m not the only one who has wasted time with thoughts like, “If only my kids were older, if only I could sleep through the night, if only we had a better home or more money.” When we fall into negative thought patterns like these, we run the risk of living life through “someday” lenses. We push our happiness and joy away.

But when we realize that much of our life experience depends on our perspective, we begin to learn that we can make our lives what we want them to be, we can want what we already have, we can live our dream life NOW, not putting our hopes on a shelf for another time. As I share in the book, this epiphany led me to learn more about mindset, which ended up transforming my own, and eventually made me so excited about this message that I felt I had to share it with others. The amazing part of all of this is that often when we work on changing our thinking, we find that our circumstances end up changing as well. I believe God loves to give us the worthwhile desires of our heart; we collaborate with Him when we keep our minds focused on gratitude instead of grumbling.

Me: So give me an example of when changing your own mindset changed your attitude.

Jamie: Positive thinking has seen me through many ups and downs of life: a move cross-country with two babies, the dream I had since a child to be a writer, the desire for a new home that would better suit our needs, and the roller coaster of emotions that arose from our attempt to add a fourth child to our family. I share all these stories and more in the book.

But the importance of a positive attitude is also present in less dramatic situations each and every day. Take today, for example. My husband is out of the country on a work trip for the second time this month, I’m handling the kids solo for several days, and I didn’t get enough sleep last night. My current lesson in life is that happiness is in the right now…this moment.

So often we mistakenly outsource our joy to another place or time. But I’ve learned, “No, it’s this life. This life I chose. This life God blessed me with. This moment right here—with silly kids, and toilets to scrub, and laundry to fold—this is the good stuff.” That really resonates with me now, and even in the midst of the daily grind I see the wonders of what it means to live my soul purpose. That is the place of transformation. And that’s also the message I hope readers of my book take with them.

Me: What was the book writing experience like? How long did it take you to write it; what was your daily routine, etc.?

Jamie: The inspired idea for this e-book came as I was in the bath at the end of a long day last summer. My husband Steve looked a bit bewildered as I grabbed my journal and started jotting down the thoughts that buzzed around my head. (Yes, I put clothes on first!)

It took about six months to write. I worked on it here, there, and everywhere: every Tuesday evening, in the early mornings, during the kids’ rest times, and while they watched videos. I also put it away whenever I felt stressed about it, determined to practice the message in it. I trusted that it would be finished when it was finished, and that the timing would be perfect. It has been.

Giveaway!

Jamie wants to give TEN Simple Mom readers a copy of Mindset for Moms! To enter, leave a comment telling me why you—or someone you love—could use this book. (If you’re reading this via email, you must click over to the post to comment.)

This giveaway will end Saturday night, February 25. I’ll announce the winner soon after!

CURRENT SPONSORS:

Plan to Eat – meal planning made simple.
The Justice Conference – Justice hangs by a thread.
Lil’ Soak – Sewing hope with handmade goods.
Treed – A simple, flexible, effective project planning tool.

Interview and giveaway: Mindset for Moms is a post from Simple Mom

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