Learning to Say NO

An inspirational friend recently said, "every time you say no to someone/something, you are saying yes to you". WOW. That totally rocked my world. I had never thought of it like that. So, every time I say no to something I am saying yes to me. It has worked -- I've tested it. :) I was offered a cupcake and I said "no" and said "yes" to my goals, my dedication, my promise to myself and me.With this new way of thinking, I have since become smarter with my time. My family and I travel a lot to see family and I am learning how important it is to really look at my calendar before shouting yes yes I'll do it. I work full-time, have two children, a husband, pets, a home to clean and me to take care of. I can't do it all -- well, I can-- I just would be put on the back burner if I chose to do it all. It is all about balance and I have to take that seriously. Some may think of it as being selfish, it's not, it's being smart so we can take care of ourselves AND play the dozen other roles we are in our lives. Speaking of roles, being a role-model to my children is one of the most important roles I play. And it is very important to me to teach them what it looks like and what it means to take care of yourself.

You can't change bad habits and reach your goals without taking time for yourself. Each of us are so important to so many people and at the end of the day if we don't take some time for ourselves there will be nothing left to offer. I believe we teach people how to treat us. Teach them that it is important to you to take care of yourself. They will love and respect you for it.