I can …

At the beginning of this year, I found my daughter in her room crying her eyes out, absolutely devastated. After calming her down enough to get the story from her. I discovered she was crying because “I can’t read yet, Mum”.

The end of the year is coming up and this little girl is reading like a trooper. And every now and again we stop her and say, “remember the beginning of this year? Look how far you’ve come. You can read”.

Yesterday my cousin’s first-born turned one. Along with the requisite birthday wishes for the little lady, I sent my cousin a text “you made it”.

I vividly remember that feeling of relief and achievement when my girls each turned one. “I can do this”, I thought, “I can keep a tiny human alive for a year. I can mum”.

My girls are now aged 6 and 4, and as I texted my cousin and reflected back on my first year, I realised how much I now do that I don’t even think about. Making lunches, plaiting hair, kissing sore knees. It is now an integral part of who I am. I can mum because I am a mum.

Yes, it is still trying, even challenging at times. No, I do not have all the answers nor do I ever expect to. But I know I can mum.

And that experience has occurred in other areas of my life too. One day I took on a leadership role, uncertain, scared, with no clue of just what I was getting myself in for. Ten years later, I have left that position with the knowledge that I am a leader.

One day I got asked to speak, and with trepidation and trembling I embarked on that journey and now I know (even though I still get very nervous) I can do that.

The growing is in the starting. The becoming is in the doing.

And then one day you don’t even think about it … I can read, I can mum, I can lead, I can speak.

And what’s more that “I can…” becomes an “I am …”.

I am a mum, I am a leader and a speaker. And my little girl, she is a reader.

Do you have an “I can …” today that you need to stop and acknowledge? Is there something you need to celebrate? It doesn’t matter if you’ve only been doing it for one year (I’m looking at you N), or six.

Stop. Look at how far you’ve come and celebrate.

Join me for the journey,

Jodie