In an article I wrote, I asked my readers, “If your body could talk to you, what would it say?” Many of my readers messaged me some of the things it was saying to them. A lot of my answers back to them had to do with creating boundaries for themselves to make sure it will STOP saying those things!
Non-negotiables are the things you will not negotiate on. They are defined by your values and principles and they govern what you will and will not accept from other people, but most importantly, yourself. When determined, defined, set in place and protected, they can guide you towards wellbeing and not feeling completely totally overwhelmed and stressed out.
Here are some examples of non-negotiables, and they can be anything for you:
•Having family dinners minimum 3x per week
•Unplugging Sundays until 3pm as a day to not check and rejuvenate
•Powering down nightly at 8pm
•Moving your body 20 minutes daily
•Being asleep by a certain time during the week
•Having date night or a girls night at least once a month
•Not working on weekends
•Saving X amount of dollars each week
•Volunteering once a month
Catch my drift?
When you don’t compromise on your non-negotiables, ie, when you don’t break your promises to yourself, you will start to set yourself up for success instead of failure.
You’re looking at my non-negotiable in this photo above. Movement outside in nature everyday. I need it. It is my non-negotiable and I therefore protect it and guard it with my life. Yesss.
What are YOUR non-negotiables? I’d love to hear below.
Historically, women haven’t been good at putting ourselves first. We’ve been programmed to make sure everything and everyone around us is running smoothly. I invite you to think about this analogy as an example of the importance of self-care: You have a full tank of gas that you replenish overnight, and if you don’t sleep well, or care for yourself, it’s not full in the morning, and you’re already starting your day on your reserve tank. By the end of the day, you’re out of fuel. Self-care is shedding what isn’t working and making room for what is.
When we define, protect and guard our non-negotiables, we are prioritizing our self-care so that we don’t run out of gas.
It is your right to live in flow, in happiness, in self-love, in gratitude, in inspiration, in balance, and in creativity.
If I can help you with your self-care, I’m hosting a free Masterclass next week. I’d love you to join me!
I’m rooting for you every single day.
Hugs,
Erica