Put Yourself First

Too many people, especially women, feel that to adequately care for others, they must put themselves last.

A fine balance exists between nurturing others and sacrificing your own well-being in the name of caring for those around you.

When you board an airplane, the safety instructions always include, “In the unlikely event of a drop I cabin pressure, oxygen masks will fall from the ceiling. Please be sure to put on your own oxygen mask before assisting those around you.”

This is a great analogy for making sure that you take care of yourself first.

But how many listen to this?

Let’s take it one step further.

What if YOU were the pilot of the plane? What if, as the pilot of the plane, you chose to make sure all the flight attendants and passengers had their masks on before you put yours on?

What if you didn’t make it back to your pilot’s seat with your own oxygen mask on in time, and the plane crashed?

Did the fact that you sacrificed yourself to make sure everyone else was alright help them in the long run?

Obviously, no.

Because you couldn’t take care of yourself first, everyone on the plane ultimately goes down.

If you are leading a family or are responsible for others at your job, what would happen to them if you sacrificed yourself so much that your health declined, or you became too stressed out to be effective.

It’s important to take a close look at the balance in the things you do for yourself and for others.

Everyone makes choices every day that can either lead them closer to a healthy, balanced life or draw them away.

If you want to be on a continuous path of optimal health for yourself, making yourself a priority is a critical first step.

And a beautiful side effect of optimal health is weight loss!