Tag: women

ME Time

Last weeks blog mentioned the importance of me time.  Many of us get so wrapped up in what we have to do for others and career obligations that we neglect ourselves.  Life often gets in the way and before we know it we have placed our mos important possession on the back burner, ourselves.  What do you do to make time for yourself?  How often do you make time for yourself?  How do you honor your me time?

Making time for ourselves is an ultimate act of self love.  I would dare say that there should be some ME time built into each day.  If it is one a five minute walk around the block during lunch break or a hot candlelit bubble bath at the the end of a long day, maybe an hour of your favorite television program or an hour to read that book that you have been waiting to read.  Whatever the case may be ME time should be built into your everyday life.

Maybe asking for a daily dose of me time is a bit much to ask, but what about every other day or several days each week?  When you say you do not have time, think again and replay all of the commitments and obligations you may have and think of what can be delegated to someone else or what can be done at a later time.  Ask your spouse or a loved one to pick the kids up at school.  Instead of scheduling a lunch meeting reschedule the meeting for another day.  Get up an hour earlier than everyone else in your house and focus on yourself.  Make whatever necessary adjustments needed to create me time for yourself.  Put it on the calendar like all of your other appointments, schedule it in your smartphone.  Whatever you need to do schedule your me time today.

The reality is that failure to make time for ourselves makes us of little use to anyone else.  Not unplugging and recharging can lead to burnout, frustration and lack of productivity.  Know when to say no and know when to take a break.  Failure to make time for ourselves can also lead to physical harm to our bodies.  Loss of sleep, loss of appetite, the inability to focus on tasks can all be a result of needing more me time.  What are you going to do to make some time for yourself.

We demonstrate our love for others by what we do for them, caring for our parents and children, taking care of the duties and responsibilities we have on our jobs, but where and when do we demonstrate self love. Manicures and pedicures can help, but if we are hones we often get wrapped up in the conversations and sights and sounds around us at that time.  We may even use that time to check and respond to emails and voice mails and make our to-do lists.  So while we think we are getting in some me time, we are really just going over what needs to be done next.

When was the last time the focus was on YOU.  When was the last time you turned off the cell phone, refused to check your email or voice mail?  When was the last time you treated yourself to dinner and a movie, just you?  When was the last time you went for a walk just to clear your head and focus on nothing? When was the last time you had nothing on your mind and was not worried or thinking about what needed to be done or what had not been done?  

The bottom line is that it is necessary to make time for you.  This ultimately results in making you a better person, employee, wife, mother, friend, girlfriend or whatever label you may carry.  Me time can result in making you more efficient and more effective in what you do.  What are you going to do to make some me time today? What will your me time consist of? 

 

Mother’s Day Tribute

Mothers Day

What better way to pay tribute to the strong women who have made me into the woman I have become.  Though there are many who have played in a role in shaping who I am, I would be wrong if I were not honest about the images that contributed into making me the strong woman that I have become today.

My Mother

My mother may not realize this but she has played a major role in contributing to the woman I have become today.  My mother showed me a great deal about what I wanted to be and what I did not want to be.  My mother was the person who encouraged me to read and to be inquisitive and to always search for answers.  When in my youth I raised questions her response was always to “Look the answer up, why did I buy encyclopedias?”  This created my thirst for knowledge and made me to always look for answers even if it meant taking something apart.  My mother also showed me that there were some choices in life I would never want to make and those lessons lead me daily as I seek to learn, grown and expand my knowledge and my curiosity.  My mother is sensitive, sometime to a fault, and stubborn as a herd of mules, I may have inherited some of that as well.

My Grandmothers

Two women who were very different and very much alike.  Both of my grandmothers worked and supported their children as single parents.  I watch them both work, run households and cook like crazy.  I watch them budget finances, buy groceries and support and love their children unconditionally.  I watched them as they had their cocktails, smoked their Kool cigarettes and danced like they were on Soul Train.  I have watch both of my grandmothers love like there was nothing left to live, give as if their next breath depended on it, and cuss you out in a way that would make Redd Foxx or Eddie Murphy blush.  I have seen them both make a way out of no way and never bat an eye or expect anything in return.  I have seen them give to the point where it appeared that there was nothing left to give and then give some more.

My Aunts

I have seen my aunts do a range of things.  I have seen them battle demons and come back.  I have watched them raise children after divorce as single mothers and still find time to take vacations and take us to plays, or carnivals or on vacation.  It was my aunt who purchased my first bike and red and yellow Schwinn with the banana seat.  It was my aunts who sat me down and had some hard conversations with me as I was growing older and found myself in situations that were beyond my ability to handle or understand effectively.  My aunt showed me how to demand customer service and take nothing less than what I deserved.  My aunts have supported me in all my efforts, listened to me when I felt no one else would and loved me as if I was one of their children.

Host of other strong women

There have been a host of other strong women in my midst.  They range from family to friends to professors and co-workers.  I have learned from these women, cried and prayed with these women talked for hours with these women.  These women have also encouraged and inspired me to be my best self to live my dreams and to not be afraid to just do me.  These are strong, courageous, accomplished women.

The point is Mother’s Day is more than just celebrating the day for mothers.  Women do that every single day, day in and day out.  Mother’s Day if for celebrating the roles we play in each other’s lives and in the lives of others.  Mother’s Day is the day we let those women in our midst know that we love them and we love what they have taught us and what they do for us.  Mother’s Day is also the day that we remember the sacrifices of those who have gone before us, remembering what they taught us and the strength and character they built in us.  This is our greatest testimony to them.  I thank God for all of these women today and every day.