Margin — a word I’ve been contemplating again and again recently. It’s something I really don’t have much of in this phase of motherhood.

I listened to a great podcast while driving home from the beach last weekend that profiled the lives of people who realized their mistakes and then course corrected, and it got me thinking. I want to be someone who doesn’t just watch their life go by in the same patterns and do nothing about it. I want margin! For myself and for my children. That extra padding of time to be spent on the unforeseen needs, extra cuddle time, alone time for mama, or slow unhurried mornings.

I totally don’t have that right now, but I want it, and I’m going to do my best to create it.

I️ need extra space in my brain to even get the margin to create margin.

So I’ve decided to take a week long fast from all non essential tasks on my phone- email, using more than 1 hour of social media each day (setting my screen time limit to 1 hour) and texting included. So please excuse me if I don’t get back to your messages as quickly this week!

I’m embarking on a little self discovery. Creating space so that I can course-correct from being overwhelmed and frazzled by my stage of life, to being a diligent user of my time and a keeper of the margin. ⠀

I’ll be working on my personal mission statement and values I want to make sure are present in both my personal and public life.

I also listened to some really inspiring women recently when I attended Let’s Conference. My particular favorite was Enid Hwang. She’s a #bossbabe badass and the first female hire at Pinterest. So she’s no stranger to being overworked and having huge goals floating around her brain at all times.

Some things that really struck me were her thoughts on goal setting and on creating.

She highly recommended creating a personal mission statement. It is the anchor to what you hold most valuable and the place you can always return in the ebbs and flow of the waters of life. I have often thought of creating a personal mission statement. I have probably drafted 100’s of them in my mind over the years, however I have never actually put pen to paper and written it down. Perhaps I have been a bit afraid to make that commitment. However, now is the time. I need this anchor now more that ever before in the ever changing tides of this social media world and my own life as a mother and entrepreneur. So, here are her top tips for creating a personal mission statement.

1. What are your values, what are the skills you bring to the world?
2. Who do you want to benefit?
3. What is the outcome you’d like to achieve? Your dream career outcome ( be it in the home or out )
4. What are the top 5 values you really want to be known by?

Use all of these journaling prompts to put together your personal mission statement. I am currently journaling and praying through mine. I will update it here as an example once I have completed it.

I think that having this personal mission statement will allow me to come back to my center and my goals more easily when I start to feel like my margin is disappearing and I don’t have the time for the things I love. I am a “yes” woman and I tend to say yes to most opportunities that come my way. It can certainly be a good thing, and in some seasons can even be the best thing. However, for me in this stage of young motherhood — I often find myself stressed and overworked instead of fueled up and ready to create. Thus, I am on this search for margin. Both for myself and for my family. That there can be an ease to our days. A little more of a Sunday cruise than a pedal to the metal drive. I am by no means at this point, but it is something I am working towards. Learning boundaries and priorities that will enable me to create this elusive margin. This is but a season, and I truly am trying to embrace and appreciate it for all the glorious preciousness that it holds. I know that these are the “good ole days” and I certainly don’t want to rush it by with overfilled days and “less than my best” yes.

Will you join me?

xo,

Katherine