To all the women out there who've ever thought "I should be....

...doing more for the community."

...a better mom."

...as skinny as I used to be."

Or whatever it is you've been telling yourself lately.

Today I say, give yourself a little GRACE.

We put so much pressure on ourselves to "be" so many things.

So today, I challenge you to take a moment to recognize how amazing you are.

How perfectly "you", you are in this moment.

Strip away all the expectation and tell yourself "this is who I am right now."

No judgement, it just is. This is me. In this moment.

Give yourself a little grace. Slow down and congratulate yourself just for being you. In our fast paced, driven culture we spend so much time focused on what's next it's hard to remember to enjoy your now. How many times have you been asked "where do you want to be in five years?" compared to "how do go about appreciating or celebrating yourself where you are right now?" We miss the opportunity to love ourselves because we're off chasing who we want to be or who someone else thinks we should be.

This is not to say we shouldn't strive to be our best self. We absolutely should. Goals are wonderful and necessary, but what happens when we're so focused on our goals we miss how great we are right now? Wouldn't it be great to have more of a balance between striving for our dreams and loving ourselves exactly as we are right now.

I truly believe when we focus on appreciating where we are now we actually selecting more meaningful goals that feel right and ignite the fire within our hearts.

Those five little, oh so powerful, words.

Give Yourself A Little Grace.

Take a deep breathe and say it to yourself "I need to give myself a little grace, I can only be me and right now this is me."

I say those words often. For me they mean if I'm an emotional mess in that moment, then ok. That's who I am. If I'm brave and courageous in that moment, ok I'll take that. If I'm scared, worried, hopeful. However I'm feeling in that moment, it's me.

No judgement. Just me. Kendra Elaine Merrill. Adeline's mom.

Those words have been my rock in the last sixteen months. Our daughter name is Adeline Grace. For us, those words mean even more than just love yourself. They mean love yourself and allow her presence in your life. I not only needed to allow for me, I also need to give myself a little Adeline.

This world can be harsh my friends.

Take a moment today to remind yourself you are worth it.

You are exactly who you should be in this moment. Nothing more. Nothing less.

You are all you need to be, even if what you need to be right now is a complete mess.