Looking Out For Number One

"I have an everyday religion that works for me. Love yourself first, and everything else falls into line."
--Lucile Ball, 1911-1989, Comedienne and Actress

We all heard the saying a million times before---“When you take care of yourself first, you will then be better able to take care of, and give your best to the people you care most about”. How many of us follow this prescription?

For me, I am now becoming more conscious of this wonderful truth. I was always so busy worrying about everyone else’s needs first, that I put my needs and thoughts to the sideline. After careful evaluation one day, I realized that this was doing no one any good, because after I looked after what everyone else wanted from me, I was to limited on time, energy, etc to take care of my needs.

That in turn made it difficult to get what I needed to get done for me. As you can guess, I felt short-changed by no one other then myself. And to boot, because I was not feeling like number one to me, I was in turn not giving my best to everyone else.

So what can you do to turn this scenario around, and start taking care of your needs first? To begin, look at the list below.

1-Start each day filled with gratitude for all that you are, and all that you are capable of doing. Appreciate the beauty all around you.

2-Count your blessings for the people who you love and who love you. Be gracious for everyone that enters your life. They all come, and some go for a reason. The lesson learned with each is a wonderful gift.

3-Try to take time each day in a moment of silence for yourself to meditate, and think about what your needs of the day are, and what you would like to accomplish.

4-Be mindful of your health, and take care to incorporate a wellness schedule into your week. Exercise, eat healthy, get enough rest, do things that make you feel good and empowered. Do not skimp on your needs.

5-Look at your goals sheet quickly each week, and evaluate how you are doing with them. Do any need changing? Re-tweaking? If they do, get to it. If you do not have a goals sheet, get writing.

6-Learn new things, research something you have always been interested in. Read a good book about the subject you want to learn more about. Discovery of something new helps you to grow and feel more alive. Do not limit yourself. So go ahead and learn something new and interesting, and talk about it with your loved ones, it will enlighten them as well.

7-Take the time to give loved ones and friends, a squeezing hug. A good hug coming from a real place makes everyone feel special and great.

8-Come from a positive mindset, and if negative thoughts creep in, shift it to the positive. This will help you to create a happier state of being, which in turn will help you to be more productive in what you would like to accomplish.

9- Take time to play. This can be any hobby or activity that you truly enjoy. Go out and capture moments of joy!

10-Do not be afraid to say no to someone. If you are asked to do something you do not really want to do, or do not have time to do, explain that and say no. Do not over-extend yourself if it does not resonate with you. If you say yes, when you really want to say no, it will only cause you to feel pressure and anger toward the person asking. Tell them you still care about their needs, it is just that you cannot do what they ask of you at this time. You can choose to state your reasons for your decision or not.

11-Cherish and value the ones you love. They are a gift to share your life with.

So there you have it, all the reasons why it is important to take care of yourself first. Do not think you are selfish if you take care of your needs first, the opposite is actually true. If your needs are met, you will be in much better spiritual, mental and physical shape to be there for all the people in your life who are important to you. And you will be in a much happier frame of mind to want to support them with their needs.

It is wonderful to know that in this vast world, we all have special people in our lives, and of course we all want to be there for each other to express our needs, wants, disappointments, and of course all of our accomplishments. Feel empowered to know that you can give your best to everyone you love, when you take care of yourself first.

Lori Snyder