We all know the adage, “A mother’s work is never done.” In fact, this could become a modern-day mother’s theme song since we all have overbooked schedules and everybody wants something done yesterday.

We teach our children from a young age that it is impolite to say the word, “No,” which was a lesson we learned in childhood, too. Now as adults, it is increasingly difficult to say, “No,” to anyone for fear of being rude or being seen as unreliable.

Mothers need to learn that saying, “No,” as an adult is not rude. Rather, it is a sign of someone who is in control of her life and her schedule. She knows what she is capable of accomplishing and she is aware of her other commitments.

Here are a few ways to gain back control of your life, simply by learning how to say, “No”:

1. Be selective when choosing to volunteer your time. Being involved in your child’s school IS important but that does not mean you have to serve on every committee. Instead, choose one or two activities or committees that interest you and schedule that time on your planner.

2. Set limits on after-school activities. Sports teams or dance lessons are fun and help improve social skills but that does not mean your children have to be on a different team each season or take multiple lessons a week. Instead, teach your children how to choose activities that are most important to them and keep their focus on their studies.

3. Set boundaries with your clients. Your clients should not run your life. Instead, you should have a clear, working partnership in which each partner knows what is expected.

If you can still give your clients good customer service during set office hours, then do so. Chances are they would not want you calling during their family time so why should they interrupt during your family time?

4. Be honest about your skills. If you are not qualified to complete a particular project, whether it is a paid or volunteer project, be honest with your client and recommend someone with the right qualifications. Passing the job along to someone else who is qualified will show that you are in control of your schedule, you are honest about your skill level and you value the importance of the project by giving it to someone who can complete it properly.

5. Keep your calendar or planner up to date and use it. Schedule everything on one calendar, even exercise and family time, and keep it near the phone for easy reference when someone calls asking for a favor.

Bad habits are hard to break and saying, “Yes,” to too many things can be considered a bad habit. Before committing to anything, spend some quiet time with yourself and decide what things you want to be a part of and how much time you have in your days. Sometimes we must compromise so we can successfully balance our family, work and volunteer lives.

You can feel protection and safety. You can sense the answer to a question that is bothering you but you haven’t even verbalized. You feel like you are being given messages and chances to follow a certain path. When you feel comfort in trying times or a sense of happiness when you are sad, you may be feeling the power and presence of your guardian angel. When you feel alone and don’t have the comfort of feeling protected, then you may not be able to feel the presence of your angel. If that is the case, then you can do something to help you feel and hear your angel’s messages and communication.

There are simple ways to increase your reception of Divine communication with your angels. You need to be prepared to listen and feel their presence. In order to be aware of an angel’s message, you must place yourself in the reality that we do have angels trying to communicate with us all the time. Have you ever felt that you need to make a phone call, stop a particular thing from happening, or do something that you hadn’t planned to do? Those can be examples of our angels directing us. Sometimes the directions are clear and the outcomes can be seen and understood. Other times, we don’t know why we feel or act a certain way.

We need to make ourselves ready to receive help from our Angels. We can ready ourselves by letting our mind and body relax when we feel an outside power is with us. We need to breathe, slowly and deeply. It seems when we are uncertain in stressful situations that we start to have shallow breaths. That can hinder any communication, whether from a physical source or a divine one. By taking slow, deep breaths, we give our body, brain and soul more oxygen.

Many wonderful things happen when we have a surplus of oxygen, one being that our angels can travel to us more easily. It’s been said that the more fresh air we receive when we breathe, the better we can feel the messages of out angel. That is why we feel so good when we are out in nature, walking, sitting, watching and enjoying the outside and all the fresh oxygen. Angels love the fresh air and are more available when we are filled with it. It’s why we feel their presence so readily when we are one with nature.

So, two of the most important things to realize when we want to feel our angels are to RELAX and to BREATHE deeply. When you are relaxing and breathing deeply, it is much easier to hear and feel your angel’s message, comfort, or protection. Once you are relaxed and breathing lots of health oxygen, you are allowing your body and mind to hear your angel talking to you. Sometimes it is not what we want to hear but it is still very important to us. Our angels stay around us to protect and guide us, so it is very important to FOLLOW THEIR GUIDANCE.

If you are being receptive in your relaxed state and asking for help and guidance, your angels will let you know what you should do. Whether it is something about your health or something you should be doing to improve your life, it is essential to listen so you can hear their voice. If it is personal like improving your diet, it is because our bodies are sensitive to the chemicals and processed foods that we eat, which makes it hard for the us to have a clear open line of communication.

Since angels are the best teachers to guide us on how to better hear their voice, we need to listen carefully so we can learn the best way to hear them. It is important to ask for guidance and follow whatever guidance you receive. We need to ask for signs from them to know if we are following their advice. Asking for specific signs is not good, because we all receive different signs. Our angels created unique signs for each of us and creatively use wonderful signs that each of us can easily recognize.

There is loving sense of humor that angels display in their use of signs and they speak to us in many creative ways. You can feel an angel message if you are quiet and relaxed, and you will start to notice more messages all around you, even when you aren’t trying. Putting your mind at rest to feel the angel’s messages and signs will allow you to be successful in recognizing the signs with confidence.

Are you a perfectionist? Let me reveal to you this important fact…

Perfectionism can hinder you from achieving excellence at anything you do.

Usually, Perfectionists are procrastinators. They don’t start unless everything is just perfect. They don’t even finish a task. They keep on delaying and putting it aside because it is not perfect yet.

Don’t ever fall in this trap. The most difficult step is the first. Nothing should be perfect. The most interesting thing is that nothing would ever be perfect.

You must start with whatever resources you have at hand, then improve and grow. You must jump into the field and gain experience that you would never gain if you stay at your place putting perfect plans!

Here is one of my favorite quotes:

“Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better.”
— Pat Riley, Basketball Coach

Strive to do better and you will become excellent at what you do. Stop procrastination and waiting for everything to be perfect.

What gives you the motivation to start and take bold actions is having a clear purpose in life. When you have a true meaning for your life and passion for a big dream, you couldn’t wait for things to be perfect. Instead you create your opportunities. The fire of passion drives you.

Having a purpose makes you fundamentally unstoppable. You are motivated to start and strive to become and do better along the way. If you have a purpose that fires your soul you would never sit and wait for circumstances or things around you to become perfect.

You will recognize that life is short and that you have to take action now.

When you live a purpose driven life, and understand that excellence can only be achieved by striving to do better every single day, then you are on the right track to achieve great results and massive success.

A purpose driven life is critical for you to overcome procrastination and perfectionism.
The power of your purpose will motivate you to take immediate actions. Life is short and success is a journey. You can never reach your destination without taking the first step!