Dear Readers,
I'm the only me I have. What I have found is that the more I put in myself, the more others have benefited.
I spent years and years putting myself on the back burner. With the best of intentions of course. Life gets in the way. We get busy.
We put ourselves last. We do this because other people need us.
I realized...I also needed me. And what others need is: the best version of me.
We have the best intentions. Yet,when we don't take the time to do the things we love...We ultimately suffer. And that leads to others around us not benefiting fully. So while we are trying to do the right things, by taking care of others...and not ourselves...It ends up hurting us all.
I have started to take time for myself. Recently, I have started scheduling dates with myself in my planner like appointments. I have started to treat myself like a priority.
I have been working out or walking dogs for an hour 4-6 times/wk for past seven months. I am healthier, happier, and more productive than I have ever been.
Because I'm a fan of sharing my life. I wanted to share this strategy of mine with you. It worked for me, and if it can work for one other person...then the sharing was worth it.
So, take some time for yourself each day. Even if it is just 15 minutes. Do something you enjoy. Do something positive that moves your life forward.
My background is business and I like to break things down by numbers. Here's some math:
- Taking an hour for ourselves a day is just 4% of the total day.
- A half hour is 2% of our day.
- 15 minutes is 1% of our day.
Can you find 1% of your day to invest in yourself??
Do you have to go to he gym for an hour? No. Just do something for yourself. It could be reading a chapter in a book before you go to bed. Or getting up 15 minutes early to meditate/think/pray. Or taking your dog on a long walk. Just do something on your own. Just for yourself. Something you enjoy.
When we start to find the happy in our lives...That comes through in all we do. Our friends and family notice the change. When we love ourselves more we end up loving others more. And I don't know about you, but I'm a big fan of love. Loving others starts first with ourselves.
Love you. It's ok. It will benefit all of the lives you touch.
Do I know what I'm talking about? No. But, I know what has worked for me. And treating myself better, works. And therefore, I am sharing.
Blogging about various things until I find my focus,
Miss Oakley
I love this post. This is something I *know* but don't always DO. It's really nice to have that reminder.
ReplyDeleteMy old boss in KC implemented this in our team "work life" as well. We had a sign in our group that said "Treat Yourself" and she encouraged us to get away from our desks and do something for ourselves everyday while we were there, whether it was going out to lunch, working out, going to talk to co-workers, sitting on the rooftop, etc... It really helped us all be happier while we worked.
Sorry for the long tangent. :) I totally agree, 1-4% of a day is not that much, we should at least love ourselves enough to give ourselves that time!
Your old boss sounds like a cool cat to me! Research has shown that happier employees are: more productive, sick less often (cost less for insurance purposes), and are more likely to stay in their jobs longer.
DeleteGive yourself at minimum 1% of your own time. You're worth it! :)
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