For those of you that have been following me for awhile, you’ve probably noticed that I use the hashtag #MakeYourMomentsCount in every post related to me living my life. I get asked all the time where that came from.
Four years ago, my Mom passed away suddenly. She passed away just 3 months before her 60th birthday and 5 months before our wedding, and never got to see me walk down the aisle. My mom lived such a full a vibrant life. She lived her life to the fullest, every moment she could.
After she passed away, life changed for me in a big way. My days weren’t as bright, and I was angry. I had a hard time understanding how she could leave me. I needed her. I needed her to be there for my wedding. I needed her to be there for my bad days. I needed her to be there when we bought our first house. I needed her to be there when we found out we were pregnant. I needed her to buy our family those ridiculous matching PJs every Christmas. I needed her to girl talk and drink margaritas. I needed her to be there for the birth of my son. I really just needed her, and this just felt so unfair.
I found found myself feeling resentful and angry in everything I did. I had a hard time finding joy and just couldn’t find it in me to be truly happy.
This went on for quite sometime. It took a long time, a lot of reflection and a whole lotta wine to finally realize that this wasn’t the life I wanted to live. I needed to start finding joy in the things that I did. And I needed to realize that even though my mom wasn’t physically with me, she was always there. I knew that my mom wouldn’t want me to feel this way. She would want me to live for the present and future, and not sit in the past. My mom wanted me to live my life, in the way she wanted to live hers. There wasn’t a party, happy hour or adventure my mom said no to. She was full of life, and life of the party in everything she did.
So with some very intentional time and reflection, I knew that I needed to give myself a reminder to live my life, like my mom lived hers. I needed a reminder that in everything I do, I needed to make it count. I needed to remind myself that life is beautiful, and it blesses us with so many moments that are filled with joy. I needed to start making each and every moment count.
Insert, #MakeYourMomentsCount. This was my way of sharing all the beautiful moments that life gives us. And to share those moments with the world. Big or small. Whether it be a delicious meal, a vacation, a day at the park, a promotion, a new car, a good book or a new smoothie recipe that makes me smile. I needed to make all these moments count.
Now, this isn’t to say that everyday is all rainbows and butterflies. Because that couldn’t be further from the truth. But I started to find joy in all the things. Big or small, good or bad. I needed to find joy. My life now, is one that I am proud of. I find myself smiling over the smallest things. I find so much gratitude, and much less resentment and anger.
If you find yourself having a hard time finding joy, use #MakeYourMomentsCount to remind yourself in all the beauty that life gives us. And make sure to tag me, because knowing that this simple thing could help someone else, gives me the BIGGEST joy! It’s sometimes the smallest thing, that has the biggest impact.
So go ahead, start making All your moments count!
Much Love,
Shan
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