“Success means we go to sleep at night knowing that our talents and abilities were used in a way that served others.” – Marianne Williamson

Every new year brings hopes for things to be different, even better than the year before.  We want to feel joy and ease, and experience success.  Our success as parents can be measured in the way we love unconditionally, connect deeply with our children, acknowledge the contributions that we and others make.  All of these actions serve our families and communities.

Many parents, however, feel unsuccessful.  They are disappointed by their results and doubt their abilities.  They are worried about their situation in life and this worry can take a toll on their relationships with their children.  I have noticed that parents experience many successes throughout the day, but as they frantically move from one situation to the next, they miss the chance to celebrate their wins.  Some successes are even judged as trivial and minimized.  Parents might even look at their “to do” list and ignore the nine things they did and get hung up on the one thing that they did not do.

Instead of discounting your success, start acknowledging them daily.  Acknowledge how you share your gifts and talents and how you actively make your home and community a better place.  Acknowledge your ability to set an intention and follow through, even if that intention is as humble as taking a shower.  A win is a win.  Everything counts!

As you build the habit of acknowledging your successes, be gentle with yourself and focus on what you do accomplish.  Raising kids is no small task, so give yourself some credit!  Direct your attention to your successes by starting a daily success journal.  Every night before you go to bed, write down at least five successes you had that day.  They could be anything from staying calm with your screaming toddler to winning a multi-million dollar contract.  You will naturally feel more successful as you track your successes.

It has been said that success breeds success, and you cannot truly be successful unless you feel successful.  In fact, feeling successful is what attracts more success into your life.  Start your 2012 success journal today and watch what happens.