Let’s take two seconds and breathe, ladies. It’s easy to get into this frenzied state lately. I’m not sure about you, but I’ve felt a little manic.  For some of us that is a huge heads up that things aren’t going right or that you’ve got too much going on. But for others it can also mean that you don’t have enough going on. 

When you feel overwhelmed by life and everything starts to feel like a grind I want you to think about adding something to your full plate. Nope, not joking. Often, when we feel like this it’s because we have a deep need that isn’t being filled.   Or what we want doesn’t take up space in our lives. 

Sometimes we need to be more than mom. If mom is where you’re rocking it right now, then rock on my love. But if it’s leaving you feel a little strung out, that’s ok too. It is okay to want a space for yourself. 

So let’s carve out space for us

I want you to think about 30 minutes of time. Imagine it’s handed to you on a platter. What could you do with that? 

For some of us we need 30 minutes of sleep. And that’s legit. But sometimes what we need is the high that comes from a job done well that fills us up.

Let’s Brainstorm! 

(I know, my teacher is coming out hard) Grab a piece of paper and write down as many things as you can think of for 2 minutes.

Here’s what I came up with:

Some of these are super stretch goals. That’s totally fine. Others, like watercolor painting and read 1 book for fun are way more achievable. 

How do you take it from idea to project?

Now pick a thing or two that you are most interested in and take another 2 minutes and answer the following questions. What materials would you need? Would you need any assistance? What would be your goal and how would you achieve it?

Here’s mine:

You’ll notice that I picked some heavy duty passion projects. I’m pretty nervous about both of these so I’m hoping that by writing it down that I can encourage myself to tackle them. It should be noted that a passion project I didn’t pick (Making Kimchi) actually got done after I wrote this list. Turns out following a recipe really does help when you are learning to ferment. Who knew?

Here’s my Kimch- it is super tasty: 

What’s the take away?

Whether you are basking in motherhood or needing to think about something other than kids, finding a passion project can really be restorative. It is rewarding to start a goal and pursue that goal to the finish. As a young girl my mother picked up many different passion projects, from soap making to woodworking and sewing. Each one helped her focus her energy and created space for her in our home. I hope that when my kids see me knit, make kimchi or illustrate my book that they think the same thing. 

What’s your passion? Are you ready to turn it into a project?