Making a Self-Care Promise
I recently started a new group coaching program designed to help students achieve big things in a short amount of time — just three months. As you can imagine, it’s pretty intense. We’re setting goals (and making progress) almost daily.
Some people in the group have expressed concern about not being able to do it all. There’s work, home, family, kids — obligations galore — plus the coaching program. How can they make the time to do it all?
I understand what they’re feeling. Trust me. I’ve been there. I was a single mom, and it was always a balancing act.
Here’s what I’ve learned from my own journey and from my clients’ journeys…
The balancing gets easier and answers become clearer when you prioritize self-care.
We tend to think that we’re either accomplishing great things or we’re stuck. But it’s really not like that. It’s easy to forget that it’s often the little things we do consistently that have the greatest impact. The big results come from faithful practices — practices like eating well, exercising, writing, taking the next little step towards your goal, and then taking the next step and the next step. Take consistent small steps and you’ll not only get there, but your healthy habits will also have taken root, and they’ll be there to serve you in future endeavors.
The alternative to not prioritizing self-care is to let yourself be driven by others’ demands and external circumstances. You’ll give, give, give, and will likely end up feeling frustrated and underappreciated.
If that’s where you find yourself, here’s the hard truth:
What you’re experiencing has more to do with the filters inside your nervous system than with anything in your environment.
This is why your relationship with yourself is your most important relationship. Thankfully, it’s also the only one you can control.
So how do you start putting yourself first? Here’s a challenge is for you:
- Get up 30 minutes early and invest some time meditating, reflecting on your own goodness, the good in those you love, your intentions for the day, exercising, reading — whatever serves and nourishes you.
- Decide to say yes to the things that serve you and will bring you closer to your goals.
- Commit to saying no to the things that don’t serve you or your future goals.
Give it a try. Within a week, you’ll see consistency, clarity, self-control, and increased confidence. Why? Because you will be more in charge of you.
And the cherry on top is that it’s from there that you can best care for those you love.
Thanks for listening!
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