Todd Herman, a highly-acclaimed “mental game” coach to Olympians, Fortune 100 CEOs, and mothers, has put together some excellent resources to help each of us to develop a consistently positive mindset.
But how do you apply that as a mother? Join April and Saren as they discuss their own “fails” and concrete suggestions to help each of us move away from the negative self-talk that leads to the negative “oww” cycle and adopt the beautiful and positive attitudes and actions that lead to the exciting “wow” cycle of thought and action.
It’s so easy to focus on the places where we don’t measure up, think about all the things we haven’t done that we meant to do, and get sucked into the “compare snare” that happens when we see all the awesome things other moms are doing, thanks to Instagram and Pinterest and Facebook and blogs. And as we feel bad about ourselves, we don’t exactly feel empowered to be our best selves.
Here’s a diagram of the “OWW” brain from Todd’s free video series (available for a limited time here):
What we need instead is a “WOW” mentality – one where we’re looking for the places where we’ve made improvements and celebrating our progress–which makes us feel great about ourselves and empowered to make even more progress.
Ready to talk specifics? Enjoy the podcast?
Show Notes
Here are the free tools from Todd and Power of Moms that Saren and April talked about in the podcast:
Todd Herman’s Free Video Series (images above and whole “Oww to Wow” concept comes from Todd’s great stuff)
Limited-Time Facebook Group (join this group to participate in great conversations around the concepts presented in this episode)
Family Life Audio Series (free podcast series with ideas to help you take baby steps towards a more organized and peaceful family life)
How to Make Big Projects Feel Easy (free webinar that helps you move forward with the projects that really matter to you)
Clutter Buster Kit (free set of resources to help you create an environment you feel better about)
How to Journal as a Busy Mom (great post to help you journal so you can see how you are progressing)
Audio Editing by Emily Peterson
Music provided by Michael R. Hicks
Power of Moms is an affiliate of the 90-Day Year program with Todd Herman
Dear April and Saren, this podcast is a meaningful addition to the video series. As I was listening to each of you list examples of the “OWW” brain, I realized that I feel EVERY SINGLE ONE of them!! This is not where I thought I would be at this point in my life, and I SO want to change it! When you spoke of thinking of our successes or how we have improved at something, I couldn’t think of a thing. Seriously. I forced myself, though, and then realized that “OK, this is SO tiny, but I’ve gone on a vigorous walk 3 out of the last 4 days, something I haven’t done in years.” So, thank you for your encouragement and support. I am SO blessed to have found Power of Moms!
So happy to hear that, Elena! The fact that you are here, and watching the videos, and thinking about these things is HUGE. Don’t discount that! We’re thrilled to have you with us!
This is, hands down, one of my favorite podcasts! Thank you, April and Saren, for uplifting my spirits today! ? Also, I appreciate hearing your take on Todd Herman’s videos because it really translates it so that I can easily relate.
I can’t access this podcast with my tablet- and I’ve never had a problem with your other ones- anyone else having this issue?
I’m having the same problem.
Me too.
I’ve been working on changing my mindset for a few months now. I had a aha moment last fall when it hit me that those very negative voices in my head are not actually me. Those thoughts are placed in my head, and have been for years which I’ve allowed to become habitual, I believe by Satan. If I would never say those types of things to my children or anyone else, why would I say them to myself? He started planting those thoughts and thought patterns in my head as a child and I’ve let them run and been impacted by them for years. I told him last fall that I was done listening to him and to just go away. I’ve had to say that occasionally since then but since I’ve recognized the origin of those thoughts, it’s so much easier to dismiss them. If he can make us believe those negative things about ourselves he can halt our growth and prevent us from reaching our potential, which is limitless. (This all comes from my LDS point of view and beliefs, I hope it’s not offensive to anyone, but wanted to share my enlightenment)
I have enjoyed the videos and they have given me much to mull over as well as has this podcast. Thank you!
I love, love, LOVE what you said about “Mom Mode.” This is definitely something I need to think about in my own life, because I’m always changing contexts, and it leaves both me AND my kids spinning. Just yesterday morning I woke up and realized it was my day to post on a shared blog and I knew what I wanted to post, so I snuck into my office to sit down and write it really quickly. But it was inevitable- my 6-year-old was starting a new chore this week and she came in because she was ready for me to start teaching her how to do it, but I wanted to finish my post first. She ended up just hovering in the doorway for so long I finally realized it just wasn’t the right time for me to be writing- at least not until I got her taken care of- and so I stopped, but I think we both felt frustrated.
The idea of “mom mode” vs. all my other modes makes me think that for me it might work to have some outward reminders. I once read a book in which the author talked about the importance of daily rituals, and how for her, even cleaning was a daily ritual- she actually had a pretty apron she’d put on when it was time for her to clean, and it helped her get into the mindset for cleaning. I’m thinking I need to put my laptop somewhere where it isn’t easily accessible when I’m in “mom mode”, just to ensure I stay in that mode and stay focused, and maybe keep it somewhere where I can close the door and have privacy when I need to be in “writing mode” or “planning mode.”
I also loved what Saren said about how as moms we’re kind of already plugged into this context-switching mindset. We’re so used to flitting from one thing to the next- why shouldn’t our downtime be just as haphazard and unplanned?
One more thought about the ow & wow- there was a podcast awhile back with the lady (whose name I can’t remember, sorry!) who said that when we have those negative thoughts we need to put them on trial. When that voice in our head says, “You’re such a bad mom,” you need to challenge it. You need to say, “Oh yeah? Prove it.” Then go ahead and think of all the reasons you’re a bad mom- but then play defense and come back with all the reasons you’re a good mom. Chances are that the good will outweigh the bad and you will be able to outsmart those negative thoughts.
Thanks again for another fantastic podcast.