#RESOLVElutions: March is for ME !

We've all heard the cliche` you need to make time for yourself, but honestly...

Mama (or whoever said it to you lol) ain't never lied. In a previous blog post I had shared some of the advice my father had given me about laughing to get over problems. Among all the invaluable advice Daddy has given me, is that you need to spend time to take care of yourself... and this is advice coming from a man who has had to deal with the consequences of not doing so. In the link I posted above (to the previous blog post) I spoke about the health scare my father gave us all as I was preparing for CXCs. 

It's an illness that can break you. It shows you all you can lose. You're so busy making a living, you forget to make a life. You forget to take time to smell the roses, or just y'know drink some coocnut water. 

Achievement, and the desire for more, is characteristic of every age group (until you're probably over 70... perhaps). We always think about how we can do more, how we can provide more, what can we do better, how will this affect the future... All these thoughts that sometimes keep us from slumber. 

Millennials are trapped in these thoughts. It's an endless mountain of "I haven't done anything with my life". These thoughts multiply rapidly... very rapidly, especially when you read that article about that 14 year-old entrepreneur or that 20 year-old mogul. Shit can get depressing, honestly. You start re-evaluating your entire life, and begin thinking about all those ideas you never acted on and then you never stop thinking about it and everything you've accomplished suddenly seems like nothing. 

This month's blog post is all about that... about understanding that YOUR success is YOURS, not your parents', not your friends'... not to be compared to anyone else's. You are worthy. You are worth it. You are enough. Additionally, in your quest to reach the moon and sleep on the stars, you need to take time to enjoy the life you;re trying to improve. 

I know a few young people who have become successful entrepreneurs at a pretty young age and they are so consumed with how to grow their small business... and clients...and revamping products. They can hardly have a conversation that isn't about their business. I also know people who are very committed to achieving higher education and all they can think, breathe, or conceive is that next degree, that next paper...the next level. 

Nothing is wrong with achievement. If there was something wrong with it so many of us wouldn't be striving for it. But striving for achievement and having achievement consume us is two different things.

We need to remember to disconnect, to take a break... to breathe... to acknowledge the work we've done, the effort we have put in; to appreciate where we are in comparison to where we were; to understand that success is a process; to realize that everyone's path isn't the same; to know that it's okay to make mistakes; to credit yourself for having the drive to dream dreams, and achieve goals.

Make small "relaxation" goals for yourself. Take time to unplug from the electronics. Read a book, go to the beach. Have a drink while watching a movie or a TV series (not related to your business or studies). Whisper messages of affirmation to yourself too. Remind yourself that you are enough, that you deserve the world and you will work towards it; failures are teachable moments, not hindrances.

You need to make time for yourself. Self-care is important. This self-care includes some form of relaxation but also includes speaking with a counsellor or psychologist occasionally (if you choose). While attending university, a psychologist told the group of new students that going to a counsellor doesn't mean that something is wrong with you, if you don't go though it's more likely that something will be wrong with you, I went a few times, until I maxed out the "free" sessions. However, I still meet with a counsellor periodically. Talking things out can really help you clear your mind.

The above is Latin for sound mind in a sound body.

Take a deep breath. Relax.

P.S.: Stay tuned for the podcast