*Things Aren't Always As They Seem*

#KeepingItReal

Take time each day to reflect on your goals and dreams

So the past few days this is something that has been on my heart and mind and I wanted to share my thoughts with you all. Maybe it's something that's been on your heart too, or maybe it's something you've been struggling with. So I wanted to have a heart to heart with you about it. People often compare themselves to others. You see on social media how "perfect" someone elses life looks and wish that your life could be that easy and you then beat yourself up over it wondering why do YOU have it so damn hard...You look at someone else and you see the nice clothes they have, the nice house they live in, the fancy job or car, or maybe you see that they're kids behave so perfectly and wish your children "just once" would listen to you. BUT do you remember that saying "the grass isn't always greener on the other side"? Yup....that is something that we all need to remember. Things might appear to look one way...but that's an evil trick that is often played on us. You might see how amazing someone looks, and how they've lost all this weight and wonder why you have been struggling and just can't seem to lose that stubborn 10 pounds...but the sneaky thing is...it wasn't "so easy" for that person either. See the thing is, you didn't see the blood, sweat, tears, and inner struggles they faced those last 7 months that they worked hard every day getting up early in the morning before the sun to go for a run or do their workout. You didn't see the inner struggle they faced to turn away that piece of pizza for a salad, or the soda for a class of lemon water. You didn't see the frustrating mornings they got on the scale or took their measurements and didn't lose a single pound or inch. You see, you miss all that. You miss seeing all those struggles because you're not living their life. You can't see inside their heart and mind to know what they are personally dealing with. 

When you grow on the inside, you can see what's beyond your eyes.

Lately my two boys have truly been giving my husband and I a run for our money. They've been stubborn, argumentative, demanding, and sometimes straight up rude. My husband and I have been truly pushed to our limits and feeling defeated. He has said, "why can't they just listen or behave? Why are they always fighting and arguing?" In these moments you compare your children to those of others and wonder, why do my friend's children listen, but mine don't? The thing is, we don't see the struggles the other parents have at home when they too fight with their children. We don't see when the other children are throwing a complete temper tantrum over having a chocolate fudgeicle before dinner when the parent says no. We don't see our friend's children fighting with one another, hitting each other with pillows, or screaming about who's turn it is to play the PS3. See, we have to remember that our lives are just like everyone elses. We need to remember that they too fight the same battles and struggles, we just don't always see it because it's not our life, it's theirs.

The times that we often compare ourselves to others come because we are frustrated with our own battles. We get tired, run down, stressed, over worked, and frustrated and wish that sometimes things would just be easier. However, we often forget in those moments that everyone faces their own battles and struggles. That everyone deals with those ups and downs just like us. We'll see others that are successful and think "Man do they have it easy", however what we don't see is the mornings they wake up at 4:30 am to do work before they send their children off to school, or the late nights that they work until 1 am because they spend time with their children after school and than want to read them stories before bed. They then still have work to do after they put their children to bed so they than sit down and pull the laptop out until all hours. You don't see the sacrifices that they give to work their way to being successful.You think they have it so easy, but what you don't see is all the work that goes into that success behind the scenes when you're not around. We all do it. We all want success, weight loss, and family to "just be easier" but the thing is, nothing worth having isn't worth fighting for. You see, through life God teaches us lessons. He teaches us that what we are given is earned. He teaches us that having success in life is something that we need to appreciate and if it's just given to us it's not worth having. To appreciate the beauties of life you have to go through struggles, ups and downs, and hard work to appreciate it. Isn't that what we tell our children? You see everything in life has a journey and that journey is going to be a struggle until you reach the top, but once you get their, it's full of beauty and wonder. Think of all the work that a tiny seed has to go through to become a beautiful flower. Or how a caterpillar goes through those amazing transformations to become a beautiful butterfly. We all have a journey we have to go through. We have ups and downs and doors slammed in our faces, however one day those doors will open and on the other side you'll have risen to the top and you'll look down and see the most amazing sight. 

As parents we have one of the most difficult and tiring jobs their is, but it's definitely one of the most rewarding isn't it?  We always want to set the best example for our children and show them how to make the right choices in life. We have to show them how to work through the struggles in life and not give up. We have to show them how to persevere through the tough times. You may not always realize it, but they're always watching. So when times get tough and things get frustrating in your journey, you always want to look beside you and see who's watching. You don't want to give up in that moment when they might just be thinking how they want to be "just like you." 

Much Love <3 
xoxo