I have been traveling a lot over the past 12 months. I love travel, and so I have built it into my business. I believe you can create a Vision of the life you want to live then create a business that supports and sustains that.
I will be on airplanes all day tomorrow, working my way to a powerful week with my Coach and my MasterMind. And it’s at the beach!
I love that I am able to spend time serving myself and spend time serving others.
I’ve been on a lot of airplanes, so I have watched the safety presentation many, many times. I’ve seen this information so many times in my life, that I find myself zoning out, staring off into space, and that is when I do some of my best thinking.
On my most recent trip, as the flight attendant demonstrated the cabin losing pressure and the oxygen mask dropping and began giving instructions, I found myself thinking about this in relation to my business and my life.
Those of us who are called to be healers and to help other people often do so at our own expense. You will find me constantly speaking to all the helpers of the world about self-care, and I promise you that I practice what I preach. I didn’t always.
Think of this as it relates to your own life and to how you show up in the world. As you are building your business or working for your employer or volunteering in your community, are you serving yourself before you go out and serve others?
When you are worn out, drained of energy and running out of oxygen, you cannot fully show up as all of who you are to serve others. This leads to a lot of burn out and frustration, resentment, and feelings of defeat, until no one is being served well.
You are the only one who has the power to change this. Schedule time for yourself into your day, your week, your month and your year. How much time are you willing to schedule off for yourself now? I mean, mark it on your calendar, and commit the time for yourself before you see what else might be calling for your attention.
Then, once you’ve scheduled the time for yourself, decide what you’d like to do with that time. When was the last time you had a massage, went out for lunch, saw a movie or spent uninterrupted hours in your favorite bookstore?
All of this breathes life back into you, so that you can do your work in the world.
Your life will be enhanced, and the lives of those you serve will be enhanced. Everybody wins!
Right now, I’m building my calendar for 2016, and one of the things I am doing is scheduling all my time off for next year. That is the first thing to go into my calendar. A few years ago, I had a Coach ask me and each of my colleagues, how much time did you schedule off for yourself next year? AND are you committed to keeping these important appointments with yourself NO MATTER WHAT?!
There was a time this would have made me squirm. Big Time! But? What about? What if I don’t know yet? Please, put the brakes on your runaway mind right now!
I have learned that when I don’t do this, the time gets eaten up. When I do honor this time for myself, I am more successful in my business, better able to serve my clients at my highest level for their highest good, and I am more fulfilled in my life.
I am a recovering co-dependent, a wounded healer. I have run myself into the ground trying to rescue and save others. I once wanted my life to play out like a Lifetime movie with me as the valiant hero fighting for the helpless and hopeless. I worked harder than the people I was trying to help. I destroyed my health, my finances and my relationships along the way. I became bitter and resentful. I was frustrated, and I lost hope.
The past few years, I have learned so much. I have been willing to look at my life, how I’m living it, and what I want it to look like. First. Everything else gets designed, then, to create and support this. That is why we set out to create our own businesses, after all. For the promise of Freedom!
Two years ago, I began to gift myself with Fridays off, and it made a huge difference for me. Before that, I was trying to eek out time for myself when I had little breaks in my schedule, but I wasn’t committed to it, and I let other things intrude. Once I marked that time out for me on a consistent basis, I began taking a yoga class and gave myself time and space to dream and reflect and create without the demands of others. The time is mine to do whatever I want with it.
I am taking care of myself so that I can serve you better.
In the past two years that I’ve been doing this, I have served more clients than ever before, and I have made more money than I have ever made in my life.
My Coach’s Challenge To You: “Make time for yourself. Give to yourself. Don’t make this something that you do after everything and everyone else gets their piece. Give yourself some time and space to breathe. Mark it on your calendar, and honor the gift.”
Answer this question, What do I want my life to look like? and then move forward. With this question answered first, making decisions becomes a whole lot easier.
My passion is to get you out into the world using your gifts, creating a life you love that supports you, and responding to your Highest Good in all areas of your life.
Make 2016 the year you respond to your Highest Good, first, in all areas of your life! Pull out your calendar, and get started right now.
Don’t wait until January 2 to make things happen. Start now. Get the support and guidance you need. Create a plan.
