Screw Resolutions: Why You Should Put Yourself First All Year Round!

There’s something about this time of year that gets everyone motivated to setup a lengthy list of resolutions that they want to tackle in the new year. This positive energy towards accomplishing something for yourself and wanting to be a better you is absolutely inspiring! I’m ALL FOR bettering yourself. You should be your biggest fan, always!

The Dark Side of Resolutions

I’m all for bettering yourself year round, always. The part where this whole resolution thing goes wrong is when you set yourself up for failure and set a never ending list of things you want to change/improve. It then leads to an unhealthy cycle because the list is typically unattainable and then you put yourself down if you don’t achieve these things you set out to accomplish.

For this very reason, I say screw the resolutions – I’m giving you suggestions on how you can put yourself first YEAR ROUND! Because YOU are amazing and you are worthy. Who says you need to wait until January each year to attain what you want to achieve? You don’t need to wait for any specific time! You do you, always. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you shouldn’t, either 🙂

Putting Yourself First: What To Do! 

As I mentioned, you are absolutely, positively AMAZING. If you don’t take care of yourself, then no one else will. Lead by example. Rather than resolutions, I’m sharing with you the simple things that make me feel like the best me I can be YEAR ROUND 🙂

1. Have High Standards, Always. This goes with EVERYTHING in your life. From the quality of your food, to how others treat you in relationships. Quality is very important. 
2. Think of Food as Fuel. I understand that it’s not easy to just eat veggies all of the time, and trust me that’s not ALL that I eat. But what you put into your body matters, and it will affect how you feel, your energy levels, etc. My body DEFINITELY notices if I’m not fueling it properly. 
3. Make Your Bed, Every Day. This may seem silly, but having a clear and clean space in general will honestly clear your mind. When your bed is made, it’s like you’ve got it all together in life! I cannot start the day without making the bed!
4. Get Enough Sleep! On the topic of bed-making, sleep hygiene is always at the top of my list. Figure out what your sweet spot is and don’t make exceptions for this. When you’re low on sleep, that leads to sugar cravings, grouchy-ness and lack of motivation. Ain’t nobody got time for that! 
5. Find a Way to Move Your Body That You Genuinely Enjoy. If you’re waking up each day and dreading going to the gym, you need to find a new workout. Try out a ton of different workouts until you find one that you actually look forward to doing! I’ve found this with low impact workouts like yoga sculpt, pilates and Melissa Wood’s workouts. I used to get anxiety when I was going to a high intensity workout. I now know that those don’t work for me! Find what works for you. 
6. Set Aside a Budget for Self Care. Setup a budget that will accomplish what you want financially. A portion of that budget, whatever you can make work, should be dedicated to your own self care. For some that may be at-home sheet masks once a month. For others, that may be a massage every few weeks or months depending on what you can swing. I’m definitely a massage girl!!

Putting Yourself First: What Not To Do! 

1. Don’t Jeopardize Your Work/Life Balance.  For me, I feel like I’m blessed that my job is something I’m truly passionate about and that I REALLY enjoy. This can be a blessing and a curse because sometimes I don’t want to turn it off. It’s good to turn it off and make sure that you’re getting your own self care done outside of work, spending enough time with your family, etc. Nick recently went to a conference and his CEO told them ‘don’t ever lose your seat at the dinner table for a seat at the conference table.’ GREAT piece of advice! 
2. Don’t Always Feel Obligated to Say Yes. I am SO GUILTY of being a yes girl. It’s not until recently that I realized I’m allowed to say no. I’m allowed to not want to do something and put my own priorities in front of others. It’s a very empowering thing! 
3. Eliminate Negative Self Talk. I really learned this from my girl Kelsey Wells at the HelloWellness retreat. Would you ever talk the way you talk to yourself the way that you do to your best friend, your mom or your sister? No – you would NOT. If you say something negative about yourself, catch yourself and say three nice things about yourself. The mind is a powerful thing! 
4. Don’t Punish Yourself, Ever!  Sometimes it’s very easy for people to have an all or nothing mentality. They’re then very hard on themselves when they skip a workout or have an unhealthy meal, etc. Always remember, you’re human – what you do 10% of the time is NOT going to outweigh your 90%. Have the cookie if you want it. Indulge when you need to and take rest days whenever you feel your body needs it! 

Being Realistic vs. Resolutions 

To close up this convo, my main message for you is that you don’t need to feel pressured to setup a whole list of crazy resolutions just because it’s a certain month of the year. Rather,  I suggest that you make a habit of checking in with yourself year round and seeing what is important for you to prioritize.

Be realistic with yourself, and don’t set yourself up for failure. Take everything one step at a time and always focus on progress over perfection. You should always want to put yourself first, the entire year, because you deserve that!