How many times do we clear our calendars, shuffle and scramble to make room for others, but when it comes to our own personal availability, we do not show the same effort?

With jobs, children, significant others/spouses, family, etc., it is very hard to say that you want to carve out time for yourself, when you have so many competing priorities in your life.  So how do you find the time?

You make the time and you commit to yourself.  It’s easy for us to make commitments to other people, even ones that may even be unrealistic to attain, but when it comes to putting forth that same attitude towards our own lives, we tend to draw back and say “no, I don’t need to.”

YES, YOU VERY MUCH NEED TO!  2018 is the year that we are all saying we are “living our best life”, and we all need to actually start doing that.  We need to start making ourselves priority number one.  If not, how can you even try to make time for anyone else to be a priority?  How will you have the energy, the determination or the dedication to put your best foot forward for someone else, when you cannot even show that same energy towards your own life.

I personally get it; I have a husband, a child, nephews, family, and a very demanding job.  I understand fully what it means to put forth all of this energy towards these other things and leave me on the back burner.  My one example of that was when I was working out.  Between all of the other things going on in my life, I neglected the one thing I loved doing, working out.  For six months, I made excuses as to why I was not taking out the time for myself to go to the gym like I should have been, and I suffered greatly for it.  It wasn’t until March when I realized that in order for me to be my best self, I need to make time for myself.  That is when I got my motivation back to go to the gym consistently, and I am seeing major results from it.

Now, I can still manage to give to those who need me most, but I start my day off in the gym, so I am committing to giving to myself first.

For the second half of 2018, we should all adapt a mentality that says that we need to make more time for ourselves.  We need to remember that priority number one is our health, well-being and mental stability; because without those things, how can you do anything or give 100% to anything else in your life, when you refuse to give 100% to yourself?

-Whit C.