Hey, moms, do you want to be a good Catholic, a good wife and mother, have a clean home, eat well, find time to pray, and still remember to brush your teeth every morning?
What if, on top of all that, you have something creative inside you that you want to share with the world?
Lisa Canning, wife, entrepreneur, television celebrity, and mom of seven says it is possible and has written a book, The Possibility Mom, to prove it.
When I was given the book, my first thought was, “Great, another ‘You go, girl!’ book.”
I resisted the idea that something could be written encouraging women to “redeem the joy in motherhood, follow her dreams, and create a life filled with purpose” without pushing that motherhood part to the back of the line. I guess I’ve grown accustomed to the Oprah101, me-first generation.
But Canning truly wants women to give their best to their families and feels they can do that without sacrificing joy, or the unique talents and dreams God gave them.
The book begins with Canning sharing about the day she knew things had to change. She sat in her McDonald’s wrapper- and juicebox-laden minivan.
She was bandaged, padded, sleep-deprived, and malnourished. Her fourth child in five years had been born only seven days before and was buckled in behind her. And instead of snuggling in bed, she was on her way to work!
As she juggled breastfeeding a crying newborn with finishing an interior design project at a construction site, she realized her life was off course and out of balance. She calls that her time “running the hamster wheel.”
Canning had been told by people that being a good mother and a successful businesswoman couldn’t happen at the same time. It seemed like they were right, until she realized that many of her feelings of inadequacy came from the time she spent comparing herself to others, envying their successes. She was sacrificing the needs of her family trying to measure up.
When she decided to live a unique life on her terms, the pieces started to fall into place.
She says her book is written less about motherhood and work, and more about possibility and hope. It is for moms who “want to live life, and live it to the fullest; moms who want to make an impact on their family and community; and moms who desire greatness … but don’t always know exactly how to achieve that.”
Each chapter tackles one step in the process toward intentional living, asking the reader to decide what is most important in life. While strongly asserting that work should not be our first priority, she also writes, “I believe all moms need to find fulfillment in something outside their duties in the home. Whether it be a hobby, friendships … an interest that brought joy before becoming a mom, it’s important for every mother to explore and grow her God-given passions.”
Canning covers each step as she borrows inspiring and challenging quotes and uses different methods from a large variety of speakers, writers, and lifestyle authorities she uses herself.
From the basics, like learning how to better schedule your life and outsource things that are bogging you down, to more creative steps, like writing your own obituary (I found this to be a very succinct way of identifying my own values and purposes) Canning provides worksheets and examples to get you started.
It’s more than just a book. The Possibility Mom is a “start living your life” conference that you can attend at your own pace. There is even a Facebook support group.
Something I appreciated about this book is Canning’s way of making herself vulnerable to the reader, without turning it into a cry-fest. She tells sincerely and with humour how her successes are balanced with failures. She shares about her weaknesses, the healing she’s found in therapy, and her husband’s struggle with depression that challenged, and in fact, strengthened their marriage.
The book is honest and fun to read because Canning isn’t just a lifestyle expert, she’s also a storyteller. She is a real woman, perhaps gifted with more energy than some, who knows the real joys, sorrows, and messes of motherhood.
If you, like Canning, believe God has a plan for your life that is better than your own, and are ready to start trusting him with everything, this might be the book for you.
Be prepared; it takes hope, intentional work, and a belief that even small steps forward are a success.
Lisa Canning is a parenting, lifestyle, and interior design expert who helps moms arrange their lives around what matters most. She’s the mother of seven (with an eighth baby on the way) and a parishioner in the Archdiocese of Toronto. Her husband Josh is co-founder of
U Evangelize, founder of Canadian Catholic, and former Catholic Church coordinator for Alpha Canada.