Seven things you surely need to start doing for yourself.

With the year almost ending, let me share a short story with you and give you something important to think about...

On a warm summer evening 19 years ago, I was all dressed up and sitting at a fancy restaurant waiting on my blind date to arrive. She never showed up. This made me feel ugly and unworthy. I thought my date may have seen me from a distance and bailed. Then, as I left the restaurant alone, I heard a little boy ask his mom if I was a prince. Overhearing this made me smile and made me think.

As wild as it may sound, that little boy’s words changed my life. Because from that day forward I changed the way I thought about myself. I started thinking about myself more respectfully and treating myself accordingly. And today, as we head towards the end of the year, I want to encourage you to do the same.

The period is a great time to make some shifts after all. So, here’s a positive TO-DO list for summer 2021—seven key things to start doing for yourself:

1.  Start embracing your humanness and giving yourself more credit. – “Human” is the only real label we are born with, yet we forget so easily. To become attached to an opinionated label of depressed, divorced, diseased, rejected, or poor, is to be like the rain, that doesn’t know it is also the clouds… or the ice, that forgets it is water. For we are far more than the shape we’re currently in. And we, like the wind, water, and sky, will change forms many times in our lives, while forever remaining beautifully human.

2.  Start making your own happiness a priority. – Your needs matter. If you don’t value yourself, look out for yourself, and stick up for yourself, you’re sabotaging yourself. Remember, it is absolutely possible to take care of your own needs while simultaneously caring for those around you. And once your needs are met, you will likely be far more capable of helping those you love who need you most.

4.  Start putting your heart and soul into the things you do. – There’s a big difference between empty fatigue and gratifying exhaustion. Life is short. Invest daily in meaningful activities.

5.  Start taking more deep breaths, so you can mindfully collect more lessons for the long run. – It’s incredibly easy to overestimate the significance of a single decision, outcome, or event in the heat of the moment. But you must remind yourself to take a deep breath when things don’t go your way. Your results in the long run—good or bad—are always the byproduct of many small decisions, outcomes, and events over time. The truth is we all fail sometimes. The greater truth is that no single failure ever defines us.

6.  Start entering new relationships for the right reasons. – Enter new relationships with dependable, honest people who reflect the person you are and the person you want to be. Choose friends you are proud to know, people you admire, who show you love and respect—people who reciprocate your kindness and commitment. And pay attention to what people do, because a person’s actions are much more important than their words or how others represent them.

7.  Start forgiving yourself and others. – We’ve all been hurt by our own decisions and by others. And while the pain of these experiences is normal, sometimes it lingers for too long. We relive the pain over and over and have a hard time letting go. Forgiveness is the remedy. It doesn’t mean you’re erasing the past, or forgetting what happened. It means you’re letting go of the resentment and pain, and instead choosing to learn from the incident and move on with your life.

Next steps…

Today is the beginning. Let there be no excuses, no explanations, and no regrets come 2022. You can make adjustments starting NOW that will help you feel better, think more clearly, and live a life free of needless headaches and heartache.

Truly, your thoughts greatly influence how you live your life.

Have a beautiful night lovely ones(it's night here). Have a beautiful day too