Love yourself

This past Tuesday was Valentine's Day and well,  it got me to thinking about how we need to love ourselves.  We as women, tend to think of everyone else and leave ourselves for last...if we even put ourselves on the list at all.  We go and do for everyone else in our lives and even tend to wear it as a badge of honor? courage? pride? What is it that we think it does for us to put ourselves on the back burner and do for everyone else? Even worse, we feel that awful "G" word when we do put ourselves on the list...that's right GUILT! What is wrong with us ladies? I have been meeting with my mentor and she has changed my thinking.  I used to be just like the person just mentioned, but have made changes in my life to make sure I am on the list and even more so, at the TOP of my list.  This is what I have found and want to share with you. Let's look at the reasons...the right to the heart of it reasons why we need to LOVE ourselves enough to be on the LIST!

1.  You will find you will be happier.  That's right!  Start listening to yourself.  So many times the decisions we make are according to what we think "others" want us to make or even what "others" tell us to do.  When we are doing things without stopping and listening to what we truly want, we are not going to be happy.  Start listening to yourself and make those decisions according to what YOU want.  I know it's hard, you are out of practice...you haven't done it in so long, but take that step, that leap of faith, you are a smart cookie you'll choose what is exactly right!  Exactly right for YOU!

2.  You will be healthier.  What? You heard me, you will be healthier.  When you are listening to everyone else and doing for everyone else...you run out of steam quickly.  You give and give and give and never fill up, so you run out steam.  What happens when you run out of steam? Um, you have a poor attitude, little things begin to drive you crazy, you get depressed, speak in a lousy tone to your family, the world is out to get you, etc.
     So now we are depleted and what happens?  We try to fill ourselves up...BUT we fill ourselves up with food that is not good for us, or just too much food, maybe too much to drink, maybe we spend our time on bad relationships or friendships. Yes, all ways we try to fill ourselves up.
     When you choose to start putting yourself on the top of the list, you will find you begin to want to take care of your body, with activity, healthier foods & relationships.  You will find you have more energy and you will have more to give to those you love, because when you are giving to them, you are doing it as your best self, your happy self, the self that stands up straight, shoulders back and a big smile on your face.

3.    It will give you confidence.  Confidence is something I have struggled with all of my life, I WANT to jump out there, but it's SO Scary!  What I have found, is when you put yourself on top of the list, you will find more opportunities to put yourself out there.  Each time you put yourself out there, you gain a little more confidence.  Example: becoming a certified Turbo Kick instructor....was so scary for me.  Even worse was auditioning to become an instructor at a fitness center, although I was TERRIFIED I put myself out there.  OH MY, I am now an instructor...teaching my first class...HORRIFYING, again I put myself out there.  Each time I do I find I am gaining more and more confidence.  My motto has become "LIFE BEGINS JUST OUTSIDE OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE" This I believe, because the pride and confidence you gain each time you do it, is amazing.  When you have yourself at the bottom of the list and do not respect yourself, then others will not respect you.  However, when you are on the top of the list building that loving relationship with yourself and building that self confidence and building a happy life, others begin to look up to you, respect you, are drawn to you and want to work with you and be around you.

4.  Your relationships will improve.  When you take time for yourself, take care of yourself, believe in yourself, you will improve your relationship with not only your spouse, but your children, friends, co-workers etc., One way this happens is you tend to attract people who are encouraging, supportive, happy & strong. You will find when you take care of yourself you tend to a cause a rippling effect.  You find you will encourage others and bring out that good feeling you now have for yourself, in others.  You know those people that you just love to be around.  It makes you happy just to be near them, or to think of them.  When you think of that person, are they someone who takes time for themselves? Are they confident? That is who you will be because you are no longer relying on others to determine your self worth.

5.  Finally, I have found when you put yourself on the top of your list you tend to live your life with your eyes WIDE OPEN.  When you think to when you were on the bottom of the list or not even on the list, your days just went by without you even remembering them.  Same old routine