The Tao of Dora

The other day my 6-year-old daughter said very pensively to me, “Mom, you 

know what’s cool about Dora? She never rushes – she just takes her time and always gets there!” After my heart about burst with love and admiration for her 6-year-old wisdom, I thought – You know, that Dora’s a pretty savvy lady!

How many of us moms rush around all day from multi-task to multi-task, and at the end of the day feel like all we’ve done is spin our wheels with almost no “progress” to show for it? Or, in reference to longer-term goals – How often have we set a goal for ourselves, only to give up in frustration when we didn’t arrive at our “destination” with the unrealistic warp-speed we desire?
Not Dora! No Ma’am! She takes time to smell the roses and enjoys the celebration of overcoming no less than three potentially journey-stopping obstacles along the way. She seeks out the opportunity – whether it involves climbing over it, working around it, or asking for help. And, as she keeps her “eye on the prize”, even Swiper’s interruptions and distractions don’t derail her. Not only that, she remains polite and happy, without a single profanity-ridden tirade or “Wh’always Me” along the way!
She revisits her goal (“Where are we going…..?) and boosts her own and her co-travelers’ confidence (“We know that we can do it!”) throughout the entire journey, and before you know it, she’s reached her destination with a smile and a song.
Does she put a lot of undue and unrealistic pressure on herself? Does she beat herself up if she makes a wrong turn? Does she let it devalue her self-worth when Swiper, giants, and trolls aren’t always the kindest in their reception of her efforts? Nope!
She just keeps on moving forward at a pace and style that best serve her in getting there. Most importantly, she takes time to enjoy the journey!
Dora is a great example of how we can’t always foresee all of the opportunities and/or challenges we may face as we set out to complete a task or move toward a goal – so why put that expectation, concern, and pressure on ourselves? We don’t necessarily have to have everything planned out perfectly, from A to Z and every step in between, before we can begin moving forward. Rather, we can choose to just get started, to focus on and act in the moment at hand (since really, that’s all we can effectively respond to anyway), and to embrace the purpose of that moment in our journey, even if we may not quite understand completely how it fits into the bigger plan just yet.
And when we do make a “wrong turn” or “encounter a mountain”, does that mean our journey has to end or that we shouldn’t have embarked on it in the first place? What if we look at those challenges as opportunities, and choose to believe that we are exactly where we are meant to be at that moment – because there are no mistakes, only opportunities to learn, grow, and decide how to move forward from there.
We can choose to have fun and trust that we will get there at a time that is perfectly right for us, and who knows – maybe there’ll even be a cute little insect mariachi band tooting their horns for us in celebration when we arrive!
Lynn Ely, Owner of MomEvolve
At MomEvolve, we know first-hand that being a mom is one of the most rewarding, and at the same time, one of the most challenging, jobs in the world. We also recognize and understand the necessity of moms taking time to focus on our own desires and goals, and the freedom and motivation that result from giving ourselves permission to do so without guilt. MomEvolve is a place in your life where you are not only allowed, but encouraged to feel good about saying its“I’m Making Time for ME”.
Mom-Stuff suggests you visit Lynn at  momevolve.com for some “me” time.