4 Common Mistakes Preventing You From Cultivating A Thriving Home Atmosphere
Preview: Is one of these mistakes preventing you from cultivating a thriving home atmosphere? Learn how to avoid them so your family can thrive!
Do you desire to have a thriving home atmosphere but feel like you just can’t quite achieve it?
I get it! I’ve had seasons where it seemed like no matter what I did, something just didn’t feel right about our home atmosphere.
But it is possible!
After talking to many women and examining my own home, I’ve identified four mistakes that can trip you up. In this article, we’ll examine these four mistakes and explore how you can avoid them.
Mistake 1: Not having a vision
Probably the biggest culprit to not having a thriving home atmosphere is not having a vision. Stephen Covey reminded us that we need to begin with the end in mind; we need to know where we’re going so we can determine what we need to get there and evaluate when we’ve achieved that vision.
If you do not have a vision of a thriving home atmosphere, grab a piece of paper or your journal and ask yourself the following questions.
- What does my thriving home atmosphere look like?
- What does it sound like?
- How do I want to feel in my home?
- How do I want others to feel when they visit my home?
When I did this exercise, I identified seven adjectives that describe my vision of a thriving home atmosphere. I then took each of those adjectives and expanded it into a sentence so that I could read through them and quickly be reminded of my vision. I also wrote a summary statement.
The free Thriving Life Journal includes assessments and additional journaling prompts to help you identify your vision of a thriving home atmosphere.
Mistake 2: Not having buy-in
The second mistake that I often see is not having buy-in. Cultivating a thriving home atmosphere is not something you can muscle your way through; you need to have your family on board.
- Find ways to make it fun to pitch in.
- Play games to learn to obey.
- Get your kids involved in making changes. Turn it into a game or a challenge.
- Partner with your spouse to provide accountability for each other.
Mistake 3: Not having enough margin
I’ve talked extensively on the podcast about managing your day and having margin. We need to have margin and white space to live out our vision of a thriving home atmosphere. Regardless of your vision, if you do not have enough margin, you will be rushed. You won’t have time to focus on what is important to you.
You might need to lower your expectations in some areas so you can create more margin in your day. When our lives become busy, the first thing I do is lower my expectations for our meals. I don’t compromise what is important to me. We still have healthy meals, but they are simpler, and I take advantage of conveniences such as purchasing precut or already prepared ingredients or purchasing freezer meals from a service. When we can calm life back down to a slower pace, I will resume how I prefer to cook – from scratch and trying new recipes. Consider what area you might need to simplify or lower your expectations for a season.
The free Take Back Your Day Email Challenge provides additional tips and tricks for managing your days and creating more margin.
Mistake 4: Not managing your emotions
The final mistake I often see women make is not managing their emotions. When our emotions are out of control, we tend to react to our environment like a thermometer instead of influencing it like a thermostat. In this bonus episode of the podcast, I shared how I retrained my thoughts to be a thermostat instead of a thermometer.
When my emotions are out of control, my first thought is to consider if I am too busy and if that is contributing to my stress. When I don’t have enough margin, I usually don’t make time to exercise or get enough sleep which makes it much more difficult to be a thermostat.
If this is an area that you want to work on, the free Thermostat Approach Toolkit includes resources to help you learn about your emotions, how to choose your responses, and how to manage your emotions so that they don’t control you.
How to overcome these four mistakes
As you consider how you can avoid these common mistakes, take it one step at a time. I have faced every single one of these, and I will tell you from firsthand experience that you cannot tackle them all at once. Choose one that resonates most with you, and choose one step you could take to mitigate that mistake. Download the free resource associated with that stage and identify one change you can make today.
If you want a supportive and inspiring environment to help you as you take the next step toward your vision of a thriving home atmosphere, consider enrolling in coaching. Through a coaching experience, you will have time to slow down, breathe, and reflect. It will be a time for you to focus on something that you care deeply about-your family and your home atmosphere. Through assessments, journaling, discussion, and reflection, you’ll have an opportunity to explore three common obstacles that prevent us from cultivating a thriving home atmosphere. As we explore these areas, you’ll find encouragement and inspiration to create a customized action plan that will allow you to take the first baby step toward setting the tone of your home.
