Women are very good at celebrating other people. We celebrate our spouse, spices, children, family members, friends, relatives, colleagues and everyone else around us.
We rarely take time to celebrate the most important person in our lives – ourselves.
If this is you, it must be a long time since you last took the time to celebrate yourself just for the sake of it; to relax, have fun, and do something you love to do.
Most times, we take ourselves, our careers, our families, our image, too seriously. We wear masks to hide our real selves. And then we worry about what other people will think of us if they could ‘see’ the real people behind our masks.
Incidentally, people are too busy with their lives to think much about you. They may talk about you for a while, but they forget you as soon as they leave that crowd. Very few have the ability to gossip all day – and these are generally idle people whose opinions should not bother you!
To celebrate yourself, you need to:
- Silence the inner critic in your head.
- Ignore your physical critics – people who find fault with you or how you live your life.
- Stop sucking up to people, especially at work…learn to say NO and mean it.
- Exist as an individual and not as an extension of your job, family, husband, children, family or tribe.
- Give yourself permission to be you. Be kind to yourself. Be OK with your faults, past mistakes, opportunities missed, careers dropped, people disappointed, etc.
- Stop being apologetic for your accomplishments or for having more money than your relatives and friends.
- Celebrate your achievements, both big and small.
Do you get the drift?
You need to be 100% OK with yourself. Forgive yourself for all the things you or other people think are wrong with you.
Take the statement “This is your life and not a dress rehearsal” seriously because after all, you only have one life to live and this is it. Don’t behave as if this is a dress rehearsal for real life, spend it in misery, and die unhappy and unfulfilled.
Live fully or have regrets…it’s a choice
When you read statements made by people on their deathbeds, none of them regrets that they will no longer dress in the latest fashion, have the latest gadgets, have more money, or grow their careers or businesses.
The main regrets are for not having taken time to enjoy life, whether alone or with their loved ones.
Since you know without a shred of doubt that your time on earth is finite and limited, what would you regret not having been, done or had within this time?
Once you answer that question, you have to start working on those things to the best of your ability and according to your available resources.
Start small and grow your experiences as you become more comfortable with the process and as your resources increase.
Spend your time wisely and when things go wrong, as they sometimes do, remember, “This too shall pass.” Learn from the experience, make changes in your life if need be, and move on.
How sad it would be if at your deathbed you’ll have lots of regrets for:
- Decisions not made.
- Dreams and hobbies that were ignored.
- Actions not taken.
- Opportunities avoided or let go.
- Time not spent with loved ones.
- A life not enjoyed.
All because you didn’t place a high priority on yourself and worried more about other people’s opinions and needs.
Over to you…
February is the month of love. Many focus on and expect external and romantic love and that’s OK. This year, make the month more special and add self-love and self-care as part of your celebration.
Take care of the most important person in your life: YOU.
Start doing things that you love. Indulge in your hobbies. Learn new skills that are not work-related. Take a step at a time. Give yourself a break now and then. Learn to get over your mistakes and start enjoying your experience here on earth.
Celebrate yourself this month. You deserve it!
And if you’d like some help with your self-care, join us in the 28 Days of Loving Yourself Challenge where you’ll create a self-care regime that you can use all year long.
(Image credit: Pexels)
