Here's to the New Year and having a positive impact on others.

As 2015 comes to an end, I've decided to move forward with a positive mindset. We always read these lists of "resolutions" that mostly seem like a terrible list of things we don't like about ourselves. Most of us look back through the list a few months into the New Year and feel like we failed ourselves. I feel like we should focus on the things that we did right in 2015 and enter the New Year with a huge smile on our faces. We are all good Moms who give our absolute best every day. We make sure our family has clean clothes even though that means we leave the house in sweat pants because our clothes aren't dry yet. We make sure everyone has a lunch and sometimes forget ours. We have all arrived at work in an unintentional bun because we had to redo our daughter’s hair more times than we want to remember just so she was happy. We put everyone else first because we love our family so much and really that's a big part of our job as a Mom. The problem is, you constantly feel like you are failing. Even when all the pieces are falling into place, you see it differently. We spend most of our time in the car driving from one practice to another. We make it home just in time to make dinner before the kids head off to bed. We are doing laundry while the noodles boil. We are checking homework as we watch the evening news. As if being a Mom wasn't hard enough, we are always going and going. This keeps us in a constant state of exhaustion, making it hard to see ourselves in a positive light.

We are our worst critics. It's not until you can say "Hey I'm doing a great job" that you will find peace. As you will find, this is very hard to do. I'm here to tell you, you're doing fantastic. When you look in the mirror be sure to remind yourself of this. Being a Mom is one of the hardest jobs in the world. Yes, it's incredibly rewarding but it's also really hard.

Next time you see another Mom in the store struggling with her children as they are throwing a fit, stop her and say something kind. Maybe share a quick story with her about when your child did the same thing or just give her a big smile to let her know that it's going to be okay. We have all been there and you know you feel judged. You feel like the only person on the planet who is dealing with that exact thing at that time. It would be so nice to look up and see an understanding face smiling at you.

This year I am giving all you Moms a “High Five” to start 2016. You did a great job last year and 2016 is going to be even better.