Do you roll over out of your haze of sleep and reach for your phone first thing? Chances are, if you’re like the average of 61% of people, you probably do! Maybe you’re excited to catch up on all the news or gossip as you’re waking up, or maybe you're checking to see what is waiting for you when you hit the office. I have a pretty consistent morning routine that I do before checking my messages, but every now and then I get some amazing client love in my inbox that makes me wonder if I shouldn’t take a quick peek at my phone more often once my alarm starts ringing! 

Recently I had a client inbox me to tell me how happy and excited she is because she has been able to choose herself. In other words, by choosing to take care of herself, she could do all the things she needed in life. Hearing this totally started my day off on the right note! I was overjoyed that she was starting the day with energy, starting the day with a smile, and some self confidence on top of it. 

What does a great morning look like to you?

My client was so proud of herself because she had gotten up early, she enjoyed her morning walk, she spent time in meditation, she reflected during her journaling time, and she was exercising. She was able to do all of these things before heading out the door on the way to her very demanding job. Not to mention, she was able to get her kids out the door and off to school stress-free.

Everything was good. 

It was like all the stars aligned. ✨

As I shared in celebration with her over her newly discovered joy, I also wanted to point out to her that this isn't a one-time thing. In reality, the stars didn’t have anything to do with it. The reason for her success was because she did the work. She figured out how to make it all fit without sacrifice. 

I’m a firm believer that this is how everyone should start their day. 

You deserve self-care without sacrifice

We often struggle with guilt with this, or really, anything when we choose to prioritize our health and wellness. My clients come to be either feeling guilty because they aren’t taking care of themselves and know they should, or because they are carving out that time to take care of themselves, but feeling like they have to sacrifice time or energy in other places of their lives. 

I designed my program, Self-Care for Female Leaders, around the philosophy that you don’t have to sacrifice. In fact, you can do all the things and be super happy about it. My client’s experience above is a total textbook picture of it. I can promise you she is not the only success story in my program.

I don’t require my clients to commit to anything earth-shattering or major. The foundation is built by taking a few steps every single day to implement some habits to get her on the right track for doing what she wants to do. All of this is done while taking care of your family and doing a great job at work. 

There is no need to get stuck in the “damned if you do and you're damned if you don't” mentality. Our society is very polarizing, and there is a tendency to categorize everything as extremes: black and white, yes or no, either-or, and so on.  Real-life isn’t like that. There are so many gray areas in all aspects of our life, but especially when it comes to our schedules and our health and wellness.

To highlight an example, this particular client who shared her recent success with me struggles with her schedule. Like many of you, she has a very demanding career, she’s the primary earner in the family, and she has teenagers who have to be #alltheplaces. It’s so common to become bogged down around the mindset that she needs to work hard and be there to support her family; she honestly didn’t see where she could find time for herself. 

It's time to ditch the guilt

Sustainable self-care is all about making positive choices for you without sacrifice. My client and I have only been working together for a few weeks, and she's already made huge progress, simply because we were able to sit down and look at what she really wants to do. We compared her priorities against her schedule and were able to find the time without cutting anything out: without her losing sleep, without her carpooling out her kids to other people, without grabbing fast food meals because she doesn’t have time to cook, and without her minimizing her presence at work. Now she is feeling amazing and she’s able to be more present with her job, her family, and everything she gives priority to. Without guilt. 

You should never feel guilty for taking care of yourself. Guilt isn't the emotion we want to feel. We want to feel pride. Think of my client and her message this morning: her pride, joy, and happiness that came through because she was able to take care of herself and everything she needed to do. You are able to take care of our kids, you’re able to do your jobs, and the world continues spinning. You can do all those things with lots of energy, a smile on your face, and a bounce in your step. Schedule a call with me so we can work together to make you a priority once and for all.