I recently received a life changing compliment from a dear friend of mine. The last month has been a difficult one for me. I haven’t felt particularly good about anything in my life and as usual have been a little hard on myself as of late. For no reason at all this sweet friend of mine came up to me after class and said, “Sarah, I know this is kind of out of the blue, but I just wanted you to know that you are everything that I aspire to be.” It was all I could do to keep the tears from flowing. I was so touched at this beautiful compliment. I have never considered myself someone to aspire to be, if anything the tables should be turned. This girl is an overachiever in every sense of the word. She works hard and is incredibly loving and sweet to everyone she comes into contact with, yet she was inspired by me. What a humbling experience.
So often as single mothers we are overly critical of ourselves. We set high expectations, and when we fall short of the unachievable we feel as if we have failed as mothers. This couldn’t be further from the truth, but somehow we convince ourselves of it anyway.
If we could take only a moment to see ourselves through the eyes of those around us, I think we would be amazed at what we’d find. There are so many people that are constantly looking up to you. They see how hard you are trying and they see your successes, even when you fail to recognize them. As a single mother you are doing something admirable. You are single handedly raising the children of a rising generation. So the next time you start feeling a little down on yourself, take a moment to remember those around you, who are looking up to you for the incredible job you are doing. Take a moment to see yourself through other’s eyes. You might be surprised at what you find.