Merry Christmas to Me!

One of the biggest things that has surprised me about Motherhood is how draining simple things like diapering, feeding and rocking can be.  None of them requires much brainpower, but the energy expended in caring for a little life is way more depleting then I ever would have imagined.  I think it’s the weight of knowing that this itty bitty person depends entirely on you for their well-being.

I’ve noticed that if I’m not careful, I can completely forget to take care of myself.  And when that happens I become worn down and my level of care for Nia becomes compromised as well.  It’s that whole Oxygen Mask theory.

I need to sleep.  I need to eat.  And I most definitely need to still pursue the passions that I had before I was a Mom.

That’s why I decided I deserved a Christmas present to myself.  Not just any old Christmas present, but a pee-your-pants-exciting kind of present.

The thing I chose was something that I dismissed as impossible at first but when it showed up a second time I couldn’t help but pause and say, “What if…?”

So what is it, you ask?  It’s none other than a week long Leadership retreat in California led by my Coaching School, The Coaches Training Institute.  I’ve known for years that I’d eventually take this program, which consists of 4 one week retreats over the course of the year.  With our crazy lifestyle though, I knew it’d be a matter of time before we were in the US long enough that I could commit to the entire program.

That is…..until they decided to offer the first of the four retreats as a stand-alone one (with the rest to be taken later at the time of your choosing).  I knew this would provide just the spark I needed to carry me until I could take the remaining 3 retreats.  And as if the program curriculum wasn’t enough in itself, the kicker was that the retreat was being led by Henry and Karen Kimsey-House, the founders of The Coaches Training Institute (just to give you some perspective, Henry and Karen are like coaching royalty, they literally helped invent coaching).

Once I decided I had to be there, it was just a matter of figuring out the logistics (like what to do with Nia).  Thankfully, my family are enamored with her and are crazy enough to take her for an entire week (FYI: I will be handing her off on the layover from DC to San Fran!).  And so off I go in mid-January for a life-changing experience where I get to step into my full potential and get really clear on the impact I’m meant to make in this world!

The cherry on top of all this is that I inadvertently hired my Coach today as well.  I hadn’t even started interviewing anyone for 2012 yet and met up for a coffee date with a MN coach I’d heard a lot about.  It didn’t take me long to realize that this individual was meant to guide me over the next year.  And so, as I’m prone to do lately, I abandoned my rational plan of interviewing several individuals over the course of the next month and hired Grif Sadow on the spot!  I was rewarded with an immediate wave of calm rushing over me – love it when my body affirms my decision in that way!

And so I head into 2012 knowing that not only am I taking care of Nia’s needs, but my own as well.  Have you thought about what you’ll give yourself for Christmas this year?  I’d sure love it if you’d share!

Photo Credit: Kari Shea via Unsplash