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Dear Diary,

 

For the first year of my daughter’s life, I put my dreams on hold.  I paused pursuing my wants and desires and focused solely on my child.  I told myself I was too busy to finish pre-pregnancy projects and didn’t have the time or the energy to run towards my goals.  I yearned to sleep, not dream.  But my dreams didn’t disappear.  In fact, they grew bigger.  I realized my daughter wasn’t a dream deferrer.  She’s a dream fulfiller.  She is my inspiration to achieve everything I hoped for before and after becoming a mom.  Here are five things I’m doing to make my dreams come true.

 

1. Ban the phrase “I’m too busy” from my vocabulary.

We can all make time for the things we truly treasure.  Push your dream to the top of your priority list by setting aside at least thirty minutes a day to work.  If you dream of becoming an author, write one page of your bestselling book each day.  A sentence leads to a page.  A page turns into a chapter.  And chapters create a book.  If you want to became an artist, pick up a paintbrush.  Several strokes soon transform into a masterpiece.

 

2.  Don’t Compare Yourself to Others

Sometimes I fall into the trap of comparing myself to other writers or bloggers.  They have twice as many  Facebook fans, three times as many Twitter followers and ten times as much content on their site.  But they didn’t reach the masses overnight.  They worked hard, sacrificed and invested time and money into their dream.  Don’t envy the competition.  Mimic them.  What can you learn from their success?

 

3.  Fail Forward 

Don’t give up just because you fail the first time around.  Learn from your mistakes and push yourself to the next level.  You wouldn’t encourage your child to give up if he/she couldn’t ride a bike, tie a shoe or use the potty on the first try.

 

4. Don’t Set a Deadline

Not all deadlines area beneficial.   Perhaps it will take you six months, not three, to train for a marathon.  Or two years not one, to lose your baby weight.  Make sure your timeline is flexible and achievable.

 

Hey DFTM family—Did you put your dream on hold when become a mom (or dad)? What are you doing to make sure your dream comes true?

 

 

About The Author

Vlog Mom/DFTM Creator

Not long ago, Heather Hopson hosted a television show in the Cayman Islands. Today, she's back home writing a different kind of story as a new mom. In her 15 years working as a professional journalist, this by far is her best assignment! Growing up, she dreamed of becoming Oprah Winfrey. She was the features editor for her school’s newspaper and a teen talk show host for her city’s most popular radio station. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Michigan State University. After graduation, she worked as a television producer and reporter at CBS, NBC and Fox affiliates throughout the U.S. Instead of heading to Chicago to join Ms. Winfrey on her set, she bought a plane ticket to the Cayman Islands instead. She arrived five days before a category five hurricane! She lived in paradise for seven years, hosted an award-winning television show and traveled the globe with a government delegation. She also served on the board of directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters and spearheaded a Send a Kid to Camp campaign. Then, she relocated to Washington, D.C. to obtain a teaching certification and instruct 8th grade reading at a high needs middle school. She later returned to her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA to raise her daughter Caitlynn, now 4-years-old. During her 10-month-stint as a stay-at-home mom, Caitlynn inspired her to create this blog, and Diary of a First Time Mom was born on Mother’s Day 2012. Two years later, she expanded the family to include 20+ writers. Currently, Heather serves as the communications director at Allies for Children. In addition, she is the owner of Motor Mouth Multimedia, which ranked #49 in Startup Nation’s Home-Based 100 Competition sponsored by Discover Card and Sam’s Club. Recently, The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments selected Heather to receive an Emerging Black Artist award to develop Diary of a First Time Mom.

5 Responses

  1. Natalie

    Thanks!!! This is EXACTLY what I needed to read this week! I’m a FTM who didn’t really accomplish what I wanted to before having a baby. Sometimes I get discouraged about having to give up my own life/dreams now that I’m a mom and (gasp!) am in my 30’s. I often feel like I’ve run out of time, so to speak, so thanks for reminding me that that isn’t true unless I decide it is.

    Reply
  2. Natalie

    By the way, your daughter is adorable and I’m totally jealous that you live in the Caymans! I was on vacation there exactly a year ago…right before I got pregnant! Lol how funny is that.

    Reply
  3. newmom0608

    Thanks Natalie! Btw, Natalie was on our short list for names. LOVE! I am planning to take my daughter to Cayman, haven’t been back in about 2 or 3 years. It’s such a beautiful and peaceful place.

    Glad the article was helpful! We are too hard on ourselves at times. We have to remember that life doesn’t stop when our baby’s life begins. We can still strive toward our goals. Run out of time in your 30s?!?!? You will look back at that statement years from now and laugh. Continue to dream big & work hard! Don’t set unrealistic timelines. Heck, I started to write a book ten years ago!

    Reply
  4. MELISASource

    I totally love ALL of these!!! It wasn’t until my firstborn graduated from high school that I realized how much I had put my personal dreams on hold for the sake of my children. I only recently began to make changes for myself! Awesome post!

    Reply
    • newmom0608

      Melisa, what changes have you made? Would love to hear how your dreams are coming true or how you are dreaming new dreams!

      Reply

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