TAKING CHARGE
When is it time to stop spending every extra hour and dime on everyone else and start investing deeply in yourself , your dream , and your life ? One thing I know for certain is “ ain ’ t no body happy if mama ain ’ t happy ” – and the only one who ’ s in charge of that task is YOU . I believe the solution to this issue depends on how creative you are , how you structure your day , and the resources you choose to engage so that you have the time to take care of yourself . Considering many care-takers who are responsible for both children and parents along with having to work are often chronically fatigued and depressed – it behooves us women to find better ways to deal with these situations rather than being victimized by them . By that I mean that we may have to let go of the idea that no one can do as good a job at these tasks as ourselves ( stop being martyrs ) and instead get help so that we at least have an extra couple of hours a day for self-care . Those hours can be life-changing , giving us down time to catch a nap or meditate , get a manicure , catch up with doctors appointments to stay healthy , meet with friends for a cup of coffee or a movie , or dig into that pile of books on your dresser that you ’ ve been longing to read . In ancient days people worked as a tribe because we realized one human we cannot do everything to survive . It takes a tribe to live an abundant life , so think about how you can create your own tribe to share responsibility for all the tasks that get piled on our plates . Otherwise you will feel like your life is filled with responsibilities – rather than opportunities to be in service . The emotional reaction to a life filled with responsibilities is resentment , and the emotional reaction to a life of service given with love is fulfillment . I would much rather feel chronically fulfilled than chronically resentful ! I don ’ t care how old you are or aren ’ t – it ’ s never too late to create an audacious and magical life for yourself . And it ’ s never too late to create that business or dream you ’ ve always wanted to ! I can ’ t tell you the number of women who are in the middle of their life that have no idea of the direction they want to go – or even how to begin to figure that out . And that ’ s a serious issue . Instead the abdicate their dreams to a life of mediocrity because they don ’ t believe that a beautiful life is possible for them . Perhaps the kids are finally out of the house , maybe your corporate job just let you go , perhaps that inauthentic marriage is finally over , or a special partner or loved one has passed from your life . Whatever the situation , in all likelihood you ’ ve got at least another 40 years to go in your life – keeping in mind that the average woman lives to at least 80 years of age if not 100 these days . So what you are going to do – sit around watching your life go by ? Are you going to continue to live your life vicariously through everyone else ? Or are you going to take a chance , believe in yourself , and invest the time and money into creating a sustainable , audacious life for yourself filled with new challenges that constantly feed your soul and invigorate your heart ? I ’ ve been a doctor , a spiritual teacher , and have just recently re-branded and changed direction yet again and I ’ m 55 . Life is a series of changes , challenges , and personal growth . So please don ’ t say you ’ re too old or it ’ s too late to be starting from scratch because I have no patience for indulging that kind of limiting , nontruthful , mumbo-jumbo . And neither should you because that ’ s a serious lack of self-respect ! I learned something quite profound while I was practicing medicine from my 90 + year old patients . Over and over they ’ d remind me to live my life without regrets and fully live life my way regardless of what anyone else thought about it . That kind of talk gave me the courage to leave my practice back in 1999 . So ladies , what are you waiting for ? I for one am on a mission to stamp out mediocre lives and encourage every person to reach their awesome potential before it ’ s too late . If you don ’ t make the effort to take care of yourself no one else will . After all it ’ s our responsibility - don ’ t wait for everyone else in your life to recognize how hard you are working . No one deserves to make their entire time on earth one of total servitude . I deeply believe that our purpose is to be happy in life , not to suffer it .
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