No one can take care of you except you. It’s your job. It’s your responsibility. You’ll be no good to yourself, your family, or anyone else if you let yourself decline into a state of ill health, whether physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually. And you’ll certainly not be any good to your business, your colleagues, your employees, clients or customers.
And on top of that, if you don’t value and respect yourself, your health, and your wellbeing on all levels, how can you expect anyone else to value and respect you?
In my counselling and hypnosis work, or even just as a friend, I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard people say that they have low, or no self-esteem. Invariably, if they are parents we end up discussing their children’s self-esteem. More often than not, they will say something like, “Oh, I know my own self-esteem isn’t all that great but I’m teaching my children to love themselves and have a good sense of self-esteem and self-worth.”
I can’t help but smile to myself when I hear that.
Nor can I help but ask, “Can you play the tuba?”
It’s a safe bet that they won’t and so far my speculations have been correct. They say, “No,” while looking more than a little confused.
I say, “Okay, great. So, today when your kids come home from school, I want you to take them to a music shop, get a tuba, and teach them how to play it.”
Puzzled, they look at me like I have six heads. “Huh?? I said I don’t know how to play it.”
I say, “Oh, right. Well, then, how are you going to teach them to have a great sense of self-esteem when your own is so low?”
Finally, the penny drops.
And this idea follows through to anything you want to teach others. If you want to teach people to be great leaders, you need to be one yourself. If you want your family or your team to be respectful, responsible and on time, you’ve got to be respectful, responsible and on time. It all comes down to self-care, to putting yourself first, and to recognising that you can only give your best when you stay topped up and give from the overflow.
Not only will your family and your business thank you for it, you’ll be thanking yourself for honouring your needs and making sure that you’re not feeling drained and exhausted. That’s never a good foundation from which to operate whether personally or professionally.
There is only one YOU. You’re irreplaceable. There’s a divinely perfect spirit residing in your body and it needs care and attention. Safeguard all aspects of yourself. Model this love and appreciation for yourself and your wellbeing so that others will look up to you and want to emulate your healthy actions. Take care of the most valuable asset you have: Yourself – mind, body and spirit. You deserve it, and your loved ones and your business deserve that from you, too.
Besides, the rest of us are counting on you being well and lighting up your corner of the world as only you can do.