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One thing that makes being a counselor so very interesting is that I get to hear the inner thoughts of others; thoughts they may have never verbalized before. One thought I often hear is that they aren’t worth the investment of their time, care, of others’ love, etc… This can come to be a belief from a number of reasons. Sometimes parents have conveyed that message to them, sometimes lessons were learned that self care is selfish or unloving towards others, sometimes we’ve manufactured the reason ourselves- there are a number of reasons. I believe, however, that investing in ourselves is critical to our health and the love and health that others around us experience.
“Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.” – James Allen
“Take a coin from your purse and invest it in your mind. It will come pouring out of your mind and overflow your purse.” -Benjamin Franklin
Investing in ourselves and taking care of ourselves is a critical component of our personal health and the health of our relationships. So often I hear people say something along the lines of “I’ll care for others and give myself whatever is left.” The thing is, there are more people in need then we have the ability to give, so if we operate under that idea, we won’t care for ourselves much at all. When we invest in ourselves and care for ourselves, we fill ourselves up so that we have something to give to those in our life, and that something is healthy. Some thoughts on investing:
- When we invest in ourselves by exercising now, we create the opportunity to be active with our grandchildren later
- When we invest in ourselves by sleeping, we are more patient, loving, and healthy individuals to be around for our families, friends, and co-workers
- When we invest in ourselves by eating healthy, we have the opportunity to
- When we invest in ourselves, we set off a healthy chain reaction in the lives of children and grandchildren, and future generations after we are gone.
- When we invest in ourselves educationally, we become smarter and wiser individuals and citizens.
You see, this life is the one that you have been given, and it’s worth the investment! Without investing, we can’t truly become the loving, caring, healthy individuals we could be without the investment. And think of it this way, investing in yourself isn’t selfish! In fact, not investing in yourself is selfish! Investing in yourself is the best way you can love yourself, and therefore love and care for those around you as well!
Now it’s your turn to share! What’s tough about considering yourself an investment? How do you like to invest in yourself on a regular basis? On a more lighthearted note, what is one thing you are looking forward to this week?
Amen! If you haven’t taken care of yourself, how can you care for others? It’s like on an airplane: “first, place the breathing mask on your face, then help the person next to you….”
I’m excited to make time in my schedule for workouts. Sometimes I feel selfish about that, since it’s a big chunk out of my day. But when I’m in the habit of exercising, I’m a nicer person to be around:)
If it makes you a nicer person, it’s definitely not selfish:) You’re putting health and a positive attitude out there!