Editor’s Note from April Perry: Kathryn Thompson wrote a viral blog post called “Drops of Awesome” a few years ago that struck a chord with moms all over the world with ideas like this:
You’re volunteering at the school? Woopty freakin’ doo! You know you picked the easiest assignment this year because you’re too concerned with your own personal projects to spend time helping your kids.
Wow. So you cleaned the kitchen today. Want a cookie? That dirty rag has been on the counter for a week and those dishes you so righteously cleaned are from breakfast three days ago. You are embarrassing.
That was really nice of you to offer to babysit while your neighbor had surgery. Remember last week when you knew your friend was depressed and you walked right by with a wave because you didn’t want to get sucked into the drama? You don’t really care about people. Not all the time.
How harmful are these kinds of thoughts?
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My imperfections weren’t going anywhere, but the internal flogging had to stop. I needed to send my negative voice packing and replace it with something, and fast, before it took over completely.That’s when it hit me: Drops of Awesome! Every time you do something good, something kind, something productive, it’s a Drop in your Bucket of Awesome. You don’t lose Drops for every misstep. You can only build. You can only fill.
Now while the full original post was written with a more religious focus, this new Drops of Awesome journal is geared toward ALL moms, and here’s a great review by Andrea Davis. Enjoy!
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Drops of Awesome: The You’re-More-Awesome-Than-You-Think Journal, is a recently-published book by Kathryn Thompson, complete with motivating pep talks sprinkled throughout its pages.
As you read the quote included at the top of this post, could you relate to the author’s feelings of inadequacy and self depreciating thoughts? Perhaps you were like me and you thought, “Yes, I think that way sometimes, but it’s really not an issue for me.” That’s truly what I thought, until I dug a little deeper and read more of what she had to say.
Here’s a sample page from the journal: see the little “drops of awesome” along the side?
Reading Drops of Awesome challenged me to have some moments of self-reflection as I went about my day. I discovered that I, too, experienced plenty of negative thoughts. I had thoughts about what didn’t get done or what got done half-way, and what I should be doing instead of what I was doing. Thoughts telling me I should be better in every way.
After reading the author’s advice I recognized the problem with what I was doing. I realized that I wasn’t doing myself any favors by constantly criticizing my inner self. This is where the journal portion comes in handy. You can shout out your own personal “Drops of Awesome” in a quiet place, where you can revisit them and be reminded of the good you are doing. Along with room to write, there are pep talks cheering you on like this:
- “Talk to yourself like you would talk to your dearest friend.”
- “Write a statement of who you are and who you desire to be. Read it through each morning as part of your wake-up routine.”
- “You can’t do it all. You can’t even do most of it. You can do something. Do it now!”
The author leaves powerful reminders of why we need to record our “Drops of Awesome.” By recording what we’ve done well, we gather strength to keep going and to do it again. She says, “Choose your inner dialogue for the day. Create a new chant.”
This concept has been revolutionary for me. I really thought I was a positive person, until I started really listening to the things I was telling myself. Each day we can steer our thoughts in the right direction and create our own personal chant for the day. What will yours be?
Drops of Awesome will remind you of the good you are doing as a mother. You will consciously throw out the negativity and choose to focus on what you are doing well. The result will be a happy mom who can celebrate the successes, however small they may be, that put smiles on the faces of those you love.
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Featured image from How Does She?
Buy the Drops of Awesome Journal from Familius Publishing
I ordered my Drops of Awesome journal right after I read the post the author wrote on dropping awesomeness in your bucket all day. I love it! I love the concept of celebrating even the most mundane things that we do as moms. I spent an entire weekend writing down all the little, unnoticed acts of service that i do for my family: Everything from cleaning off kitchen counters to picking up dog poop. It really lifted my spirits and made me feel…awesome.
Cleaning off the kitchen counters…I’ll have to add that to my list! Thanks for sharing, Sally! It’s nice to know we are not all alone on this motherhood journey.