When I (April) start to feel pulled in too many directions, I do my best to remember that these four children are a HUGE part of my deeper yes.
When we feel like we’re spreading ourselves too thin, that’s a clear indication that it’s time to step back and think about our “Deeper Yes.”
But how do we do that? What if we feel like we’re letting people down? What if we really think we should be able to do everything at once?
Join April and Saren in this week’s radio show as they discuss their own strategies for discovering and living by their deeper yes–plus you’ll hear lots of great advice from members of our Power of Moms Community.
We’re here to help each other live well.
Show Notes
In this radio show, these additional resources were referenced:
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
How to Be All Things to All People by April Perry
Why I Stopped Reading Mommy Blogs by Allyson Reynolds
Music from Creations by Michael R. Hicks.
Loved this! I was jotting down notes throughout of things I wanted to remember to write in a comment, but then I lost my sticky note. Darn. So here are the few things that come to mind as I write this comment a few days after listening to the radio show:
First of all, I love what Saren mentioned about allowing other people to respond to their personal “yes.” I am realizing more and more that what fills me up isn’t what fills other people up, and that’s okay! I used to think that moms who did crafts or spent lots of time decorating their homes were silly and were just doing it to show off on their blogs–but then a dear friend of mine whom I greatly respect told me that she LOVES to do her crafts–it truly replenishes her. That was an “ah hah!” moment for me that I shouldn’t judge others just because their deeper yes is different than mine.
Also, you mentioned in the podcast that we shouldn’t automatically say “no” to everything that is challenging or draining, and I agree. I am learning to say “yes” to those things, but to limit the extent of my yes. For example, “Yes, I will take on this difficult responsibility at church, but I am going to spend ____ hours on it every week, and then I am going to be done. I am not going to be a perfectionist or make it more complicated than it has to be, and I am not going to feel guilty that I can’t devote more time to it because I will be responding to other deeper yeses in my life.”
Thanks for all of your hard work, April and Saren! April, you and your mom will be in my prayers!
Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Rachel. You are such a wonderful support, and I can’t wait to meet you someday!!
I’m coming to the retreat in Park City, so I will meet you there! 🙂
Ahhhhhhhhh! Can’t wait! I am so, so excited!
Thank you that at a time that you were feeling really stretched, that you did this – I really appreciate that God has used you in this way, an answer to my prayers! Letting it all sink in further to really take in this key message.
I always jump in and comment so late on these podcasts, just because I often listen to them days after they are posted. Thanks so much for this one! For years I have been following my instincts to shed the layers and layers of “shoulds” and to strip my family life down to the most essential and needful things (my deeper yes). It is not always easy and I still sometimes take on things I wish I hadn’t, but the effort to focus on what really matters to me and my family is totally worth it.
Jeanette, we love hearing your comments whenever you get a chance to post them. Thank you for sharing these thoughts. And good for you for focusing on that deeper yes. You’re right–it’s not always easy. I work at it every single day. But we’re here to help each other, right? xo
IMHO you’ve got the right answer!