7 Essential Habits For Loving Your Life

Last summer I received an e-mail from my cousin titled, "5 Essential Habits to Protect Your Most Essential Commodity...YOU." (The author wasn't mentioned, although they referenced the Girl Scouts.) At the time, I was "releasing a toleration" in my life and this article hit home. It validated my decision to end a long-term friendship that was no longer working. Although I've embellished the article (and added 2 habits of my own) the premise of this message is clear...YOU are your most valuable commodity. You need to invest in it and protect it. And be in the habit of Loving Your Life.nn1. Take Care of YOU First. Always. No matter what. No excuses. If you do something for someone else without taking care of yourself first, you'll resent it. And you'll end up punishing yourself. Workout. Eat well. Relax. Take care of your body. Take time out. Keep away from toxic people and toxic situations. If you don't feel good, you aren't good...for anybody. Most importantly...for yourself. REMEMBER: The Feminine mantra is: "I FEEL Good to DO good." Masculine is the opposite: "I DO Good to FEEL Good."nn2. Don't Do Everything Alone. It's exhausting. It's overwhelming. It's usually not worth it. And it's impossible. Ask for help. Find support. Delegate. Or simply don't do it. If you're overworked and overwhelmed, you're not good for anybody...most importantly...yourself. (Sound familiar?)nn(Good. You're gettin' it!)nn3. Learn to Say "NO" I can NEVER say this enough! The power of the feminine comes from saying "NO" to anything that is immoral, illegal or unethical. It is also saying "NO" to anything that doesn't FEEL good. "No. I don't feel like working this hard." "No. I don't feel like picking up after Your mess." "No. I don't want to go out because I feel tired." I don't know why saying "NO" is soooooo hard for many of us. But saying "NO" can often support the greater good of "yes". Saying "NO" to other people's requests helps us achieve our more important goals...specifically taking care of ourselves. Believe me. It's okay. You will still be loved when you say "NO" because you simply can't (or won't) do it all.nn4. Prioritize. Know what's important. And more importantly...what's NOT. If it doesn't fit with your passion, values and goals, don't ndo it. No matter what. Someone else will do it (if it really needs to be done) and neverything will be just fine. I promise.nn5. Accept. Reject. But NEVER TOLERATE. Accept a person or a situation for who or what it is. Or walk away from it. NEVER tolerate a person or situation. NEVER. Toleration will hurt you. It will destroy the relationship anyway. And it can make you sick. Tolerations are the things that you "put up" with. Incomplete decisions. Negative people. Broken agreements. Petty annoyances. Irritants. Basically, everything that gets on your nerves is toleration. Get rid of your tolerations. Or make a plan to accept them.nn6. Go Where You're Wanted People who need people are lucky people. People who want people who don't want them are unworthy people. Stay away from people and places where you don't feel wanted. Or appreciated. Or acknowledged. Life is so much easier when you put yourself with people and in situations where you're wanted. People who like you and want you will make you feel good. Go with them. Godspeed.nn7. Talk Less. Listen More.nn(This is a really hard one.) But talking is exhausting. It's easier to listen. You don't work so hard. And you learn things. When you listen you can see the person for who he is. You can see what he has to offer. You can see what he doesn't. Masculine men appreciate women who listen...so listen up, girls! Show him respect by appreciating his ideas and what he gives you. Your rewards will be enormous. In more ways than you can imagine. Believe me.:)