I have young children. Four of them to be exact since I counted them only this morning as I shuffled them into the car for school drop off. There are a lot of things I do for my kids, most of which I enjoy, some of which I don't but I do anyway. But apart from the many things I do for my children, I know my greatest responsibility is to be a wonderful role model for them. To do that means living my life in such a way that enables me to feel truly great about myself and in what I am doing with the talents I was blessed with. It means fulfilling the one true mission that we all have in life -- to do the best we can with what we have been given.

You see, ahead of everything we do for our children, what will most affect their ability to live truly successful and happy lives themselves, is who we are for them as not only mothers, but as women.  From that perspective, I believe we can be far more powerful as mothers in supporting our children to fulfilling their own unique potential to rise to the challenge of pursuing their dreams in life, if we rise to the challenge of fulfilling our own and, in doing so, exude the love of life that comes from living it fully.

By working toward goals that inspire us, whether in a professional career or another field of endeavor, we are not selling out on our parental responsibilities nor diminishing our love for our children. Sure, any mom who decides to pursue goals outside the family faces the additional challenge of juggling multiple balls at once. However, to combine career and motherhood successfully, while still finding time to really enjoy the journey, is not a "mission impossible."  To achieve this, we need to first look hard at how much of our very precious time and just as precious energy is expended on things that don't really add any joy to our lives nor reflect our deepest values. Upon reflection it may be necessary to re-channel it into those things that do.

Only you can know what it is that you are called to be doing in your life. Accordingly, you alone are responsible for the choices you make to be true to yourself. But if you're driven by who you think you should be or by what others think you should be doing, then your children are not benefiting from experiencing all that you could be. We are all totally unique individuals, and so what provides fulfillment and passion for one does not necessarily for another. Some women feel very fulfilled in their roles as mothers while other women are not called to be mothers at all. There is absolutely no right or wrong here and judging other women's choices generally says a lot more about how we feel about our own choices than anything else. If the life we are living allows us to express ourselves fully and is aligned with our own personal truth, it radiates from our presence.

If you are being true to who you are in the world, you are giving your children the ultimate gift.  By "letting our light shine" we are an example for how our children can shine theirs. Sure we have a laundry basket full of excuses about why it isn't possible to be living a life excited about what each day, week and year holds in store. And another basket full of reasons why we can't be as great as we sense that we could be. I mean, hey, get real, we're moms. We've got shirts to iron, towels to fold, meals to cook, errands to run, balls to juggle and kids to raise!  At the end of the day though, the quality of our lives is determined by the quality of our excuses.

Too often we stand in the space of all the reasons why not and won't even entertain the reasons why so. Staying in your comfort zone is so much easier even at the expense of living a life that leaves you uninspired. The truth is that noone has ever gained a life rich in joy, passion and fulfillment without finding the courage to venture beyond the life they are familiar with and take on new challenges that really inspire them. Courage, after all, is not an absence of fear or self-doubt but action in the face of it. You possess a lot more than you give yourself credit for. You just haven't felt compelled up to call on it ... until now!

So I invite you to just invest a couple of minutes in your busy day to ask yourself who it is you would love to be for your kids. Then ask yourself what else in your life could bring you a new level of fulfillment and purpose and allow you to be a mother who, through your actions, teaches your children what it is to follow their dreams.

• Do I exude a love of life for my children and others?
• Will my children learn how to follow their dreams by watching me?
• Do I feel completely fufilled by what I am doing, knowing that I am using my talents and skills to their full potential, or do I sense something is missing from my life?
• How much of what I do each day is motivated at least in part by:
  - doing what I and others think I should be doing?
  - avoiding feeling guilty?
  - impressing those around me about what a great mom I am?
• Do my kids see me getting moody because I am simply uninspired about the direction my life is heading?
• What else could I be doing that would really excite and inspire me about the future?

Imagine how richly rewarding it would feel to know that your children think of you, their beloved mom, as a woman who is using her unique talents to leave her mark on the world. Just imagine the impact on their lives of having such a pivitol role model to be a person who has the courage to live her life boldly, passionately, fully!  Your life is waiting for you to step into it more fully, to embrace a sense of adventure and to take on new challenges that bring a whole new sense of purpose to your day and allow you to become the extra ordinary woman you can be. I dare you to connect with whatever dream touches your heart and ignites your spirit. Before this day is through begin taking action, however small, toward it. There is no greater gift you can give your children, the world, or most of all, yourself.

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