This week, I will have the honor of participating on the ESSENCE-sponsored panel at MegaFest in Dallas, Texas alongside some incredibly powerful women. I must admit that when I first heard the subject matter, “Putting Yourself First,” I struggled a bit because I have often been guilty of taking a backseat in my own life.
You see, whenever we stand up to teach others, it’s natural that we want to make sure we are practicing what we preach. But even then we must balance our desire to live the lesson with transparency and realism with the understanding that we will never be perfect.
I work with women executives who seemingly have the dream—six figure salaries, comfortable savings and the sought after red bottoms. But even still, they struggle with balancing the demands of their lives. The competing responsibilities of work and family leave them walking a tightrope. Many try to compensate by giving 100% to everyone and everything, but themselves!
It’s no wonder we struggle because many of us grew up watching women we admire do the same. I still don’t know how my mother managed to keep her career moving forward, work on her advanced degrees and ensure we had a fresh home-cooked meal almost every night.
While we are to care for others and make sacrifices, we must balance it with the responsibility of caring for self. In fact, caring for ourselves is the greatest act of selflessness. If we don’t take the time to restore our minds, bodies and spirits…then everything we give to those we love will be inferior in quality.
If you’re tired of showing up in the understudy role in your own life, here are three things you need to do today to get on track!
1. Do a Time Audit: We have more time than we think. Unfortunately, many of us waste a great deal of it. If we were to take a look at our actions through a less emotional lens we would see that some of our habits are the greatest threat to our desired destiny. Take some time to log the past few days of your life. Who did you talk to? About what? What errands did you run? For who? Analyze your actions and habits and make sure you are engaging in activities that drive your life goals!
2. Write Down Your Goals: If you don’t have a “to do” list, it won’t get done. Life will always get in the way of truly living. So we must be clear about what we want to give and receive from each new day. Schedule your goals into your calendar like you would a doctor’s appointment. Don’t just schedule them—keep them! Do this for a week and you’ll be amazed at an increased sense of productivity!
3. Develop a Health Habit: Our bodies are the suitcases to take us through life! We don’t all have to be Donna Richardson, but we have to show our bodies we care. Pick a simple health habit and do it every day. But do it mindfully! For example, if you choose to take vitamins remind yourself why you’re taking them before you swallow. Being mindful about our actions helps us to make a deeper commitment to taking care of our bodies.
Define Your Wealth! Every day affirm, “Because I love others, I put myself first!”
Hope to see you at MegaFest!
Recently named the “North America’s Next Greatest Speaker” by eWomenNetwork, Coach Felicia is a Certified Executive Coach who empowers her clients to “Turn their Worth into Wealth” as she partners with them to DISCOVER their WORTH, DO their WORK and DEFINE their WEALTH. Get more insight, download the FREE “8 Choices Winners Must Make!” seminar MP3 at www.coachfelicia.com!
