You won’t believe what happened today. ANOTHER EMAIL from a different “deal’ website. French Macarons. You tell me whether or not I held restraint. 
Last weekend was a family retreat put on by the good ol’ Army and this weekend its CAMPING!!. I’m telling you…exciting lives over here. Since I will be at a nice state park with working bathrooms deep in the woods roughing it for the weekend, how about another couple guest posters? Sounds like a great idea to me!
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I adore Cinnamon’s blog and was excited to be part of her fun blog posts. I mean fellow animal and sour candy lover? Who wouldn’t!
Anyways, for those of you that don’t know me, I am Alex over at the The Run Within. I blog about finding balance in life even with all the different aspects of my life I juggle – distance running, life transitions, blogging, friends and celiacs. I just graduated college and started a new job in DC. I once again am realizing, life is about change and taking care of yourself. So what better way than being selfish? Wait, what? Did I just say that? Yes, yes I did.
It’s All About Me
We grow up being taught that the world doesn’t revolve around us. We have to put others first and not be too self involved. No one likes that self conceited character.
But, I want to change that or at least tweak it. We are all busy people. I don’t think I have met a person that doesn’t have some sort of jam packed schedule or high priority deadline. No matter what it is, family – job – friends, we lead hectic lives.
In all the chaos, it is essential to make it sometimes about you. It is so important to take time for yourself in that life you lead so that you can approach everything with a more open and clear mind. Life is about balance, as I so frequently say, and that comes in sometimes being selfish.
These are my ways that I take time for myself and put myself first. It was something I didn’t always do and that is when I was my unhealthiest.
- Learn to say ‘no’. Oh the dreaded No word. I like to think of myself as being the person who would go out on a limb for anyone, drop everything to complete a task. But this was driving me into the ground. You have to learn to say no to things in exchange for some sanity. Don’t see this as failure, see this as actually growth.
- Take a you day, hour, week, etc. I have a night where it is ‘me’ night. I do exactly what I want without feeling the need to do a task or be on call. My favorite, cross-stitching, taking myself to the movies or cooking. You pick what makes you truly relax and enjoy that time.
- Prioritize your time. I know I got most overwhelmed and strayed away from taking care of me when I just did things on a whim. Make sure each day you sprinkle in what makes you happy among all that ‘have to do’ life moments.
- Invest in yourself. There is no easy way to put it, but you have to change your mindset. For someone who didn’t like to concentrate on herself, this was a hard lesson to learn. I had to realize that I do deserve these moments and I am actually a better person with them. However you find this balance, take that time and journey to find it.
Time to redefine what being selfish means. Selfish can have a double meaning – but in many cases being selfish makes us enjoy life to the fullest.
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I love the invest in yourself tip. That’s so true and so easy to skip!
Corrie Anne recently posted..Denver Date Night: Modmarket
Thank you for letting me write for you! Hope you are having a blast!
Alex @ therunwithin recently posted..By the Way, I Tried to Say
Saying no is really hard, but the older I get, the easier it gets!
Laurie @ Love, Laugh, Laurie recently posted..Dinner at the Yacht Club
Learning to say no … I think most of us women have difficulty with that one!!
Thank you for sharing, Alex!
Kristen @ notsodomesticated recently posted..A house update, a recipe, and a dessert to make you jealous.
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