I know asking you to practice motherhood now may sound masochistic, but humor me for a moment.
If you begin to tap into what it feels like to be a mom, you will begin aligning with the future you are envisioning for yourself. So what do you think about when you imagine the qualities of a mother?
Kind, soft, caring, unconditionally loving, intuitive, warm, inviting, understanding, wise, prepared, powerful, and probably many others, right? When was the last time you tapped into these qualities?
As young women trying to succeed in a very accomplishment oriented culture, we get rewarded for developing our intellect and strength. Our success depends on our ability to compete, sometimes even more aggressively than men, for new opportunities. Most of us are pretty powerful. We’ve learned how to be resourceful and strong. Unfortunately, our soft, intuitive, feminine side hasn’t been rewarded so it’s probably not something you even know how to cultivate.
When I was climbing the corporate ladder, I had this really powerful female boss. One day I was upset and in her office asking her how she does it, how she keeps up and competes in the corporate world. She didn’t say anything, she simply wrote these words on a piece of paper and handed it to me, “No Emotion.”
So we’ve learned how to put our needs aside and go for the prize. We’ve become fighters and winners. But what have we lost in that process?
Many of us have never fully developed these incredibly powerful feminine qualities. We’ve never tapped into our powerful intuitive knowing and we tend to hold back these natural instincts because we’ve been subtly reminded that it’s not what counts. As a result, we ignore our own inner wisdom in favor of what’s practical or what we “should” be doing (hint: don’t “should” on yourself).
To begin to step into your feminine qualities, start acting as if you were already a mother. Only instead of doting on your new baby, you’re going to dote on yourself. Take time to do what makes you feel love. Ask your partner for support and practice being receptive to that support. Take a nap. Love yourself. Honor your body with good food and exercise that makes you smile. Gentle, loving, fun exercise.
When the baby comes, you will have to make adjustments to your schedule to care for him/her. Start making those adjustments now and give yourself the love that you are waiting to give your child.
So go stand in front of a mirror, look into your eyes, and extend love to that amazing, resourceful, brilliant beautiful lady that is on her way to becoming a mom.
Blessings and love,
Paula
