It’s time to put your needs first! Taking care of you first is a requirement if you want a healthy, satisfying life. Even if it feels like taking care of others’ first is the best plan!
This principle changed my life in some surprising ways.
Here’s how…
I take care of people. I please people. That’s who I was growing up, that is how I’m wired. This can be great in certain situations. Others get what they need, they feel supported by me, I’m doing what they want me to do. Great…for others. But I never knew how to take care of myself. Put my needs first. After all, that’s selfish, right? I’m bad if I choose me over them. Even worse, people won’t like me…OUCH! This kept me always doing for others and putting my needs lowest on the totem pole.
You might keep up with me on Instagram and see some fun things I do: go to farmers’ markets, travel, and sample favorite foods. What isn’t shown are the MANY HOURS of work in between those times. It wasn’t always like this. A few years ago, after writing my book and actively building my business, I had little time for self or self-care. I remember my friend Scott describing how he had built his business around his life and he takes a week off each month to do the things he really wants to do. I hung on every word he said and felt envious. Yes, jealous and envious because I did not have that, nor did I think it was possible given how my business was set up.
One day, I was so burned out, I said to myself, “I’m restructuring my business. I am not sure how, but I want a couple week days off each month to fill myself back up. Give back to myself. Be inspired. Be my best self, so I can give even more to my clients and people I’m here to serve.” I was scared. Just saying this felt so indulgent. After all, I’m American! I need to work as hard as possible and I couldn’t dare tell people I was taking a few days off. The judgment, disapproval, disdain! And, to top this off, I was going to start a new habit where I would work out after dropping my kids off at school. WHAT?! 9-10 is for working out?! How will I fit everything in and still run a business? Up until this point, I didn’t know another way and I feared it would never change. But I had had enough of status quo and refused to lived my life as a rat in the race of business and burn-out.
So, I bit my nails through the fearful thoughts of failure and selfish indulgence. I started hiring. I scheduled a 4-day trip each month of summer. I started my workout routine. Guess what happened?
EVERYONE INVOLVED WON!!
My clients got a better me. My family got a more present, more full-filled me. I now had people join my team which served their need. I felt better, more revived, less stressed, and all around happier in my day-to-day. And…I DOUBLED MY INCOME THAT YEAR! Literally, the more space I made for myself, the more capacity I had to allow money to flow in. All around win in every direction.
I have helped many people create similar things in their lives and in their businesses. If there is one thing I can tell you that seems to be a not-so-secret secret with an outcome that seems to win much of the time it would be this: Stop people pleasing. Stop giving into fear. Stop believing that what you have known is what your future is branded to be. Giving to yourself first and meeting your needs has a ripple effect for everyone in your life. Most people are too scared to do it, because of letting others down, not being liked or making others angry.
It’s the opposite. You making yourself happy shows others how one can do that. When you become responsible for meeting your needs first, you let go of the expectation that others need to meet your needs.
Learning how to do this, and actually taking the action and being consistent about it takes accountability. It may take thinking differently, seeing what you may not see, and learning tools that you may not know or have currently. For these reasons and because so many others have needed to learn this, I started my Sensitive Path to Success program – an online training course and group coaching program, taught and led by yours truly, so I can guide you how I’ve guided many others.
The program only has 10 seats left in this program so go apply here now so we can hop on a call and see if this is the best next step for you!
Encouraging you to put yourself FIRST!
