Part 1:
"I Choose Me."
Those are some powerful words. And also difficult words, for many women. Why is that? Why is it that we, as women, often have a hard time putting ourselves first? Is it because we are so used to playing the role of caregiver? Of fixer upper? Of "person who makes everything right for everyone around us"? Many women find it natural to play all of these care-giving roles. But many of those very same women have an incredibly difficult time tending to their own needs and saying, "I Choose Me."
I am guilty of the above. I have a hard time saying that I am going to do something just for me, unless I know that everyone else is already taken care of. I have a difficult time choosing to go to yoga class (just for me) over making dinner, cleaning the house, getting after school plans in order, doing the dishes, doing the laundry and oh yeah, trying to build a business. I find myself feeling guilty half the time or worrying about all those other things when I should instead be focusing on going to yoga. Well yesterday, I did just this. I left the dirty dishes in the sink, the beds unmade, the laundry dirty, and I went to yoga. Why? Because I knew that if I could dedicate just that one hour to thinking of no-one else except me, to just say, "I choose me," I would be a million times better for it.
And I was. I left the yoga studio knowing that I had given myself the permission to choose myself, and that I had given myself the gift of prioritizing myself. I felt stronger because of it, and happier with the rest of my day. I wasn't resentful that I had to go home and do the rest of the stuff that I had left undone. In fact, I was the most productive I had been in weeks. I was freaking on fire! I did all the house work and then dedicated 2 hours of my time to my business before I picked up the kids from school. That's right - I was so much more productive with my day than I would have been, had I not actually made the time to choose myself. And I was so much happier. That, in turn, had an effect on everyone around me. There was no yelling at the kids after school or at dinner time. There was no frustration and there were no tears. All, simply, because I decided that I could, and I would, choose me for that 1 hour of yoga.
So yes, I learned that I am much better for it when I say, "I Choose Me." I'm not saying that we should go and shirk all of our responsibilities and stop taking care of all the people in our lives. I'm simply saying, that every once in a while (actually, at least once a day), we should choose ourselves and give ourselves the gift of guiltlessly saying, "I Choose Me" and see how much better we are for it.
If you want some more ideas of ways to make time (to say "I Choose Me"), check out my Free 5 Day Slow Cooker Challenge. Sign up for free at bit.ly/5DayCookerChallenge and I will send you 5 days of easy, healthy recipes all using a slow cooker or Instant Pot. These time-saving tools are a gift for busy women who are looking to create time in their day!