Excuse Me While I Live The Most Selfish Year Of My Life

It has recently dawned on me that there is a big difference between having a generous heart and not making yourself a priority.

As I approach a new decade (6 weeks to go!) I’ve decided that this upcoming year is going to be the most selfish 12 months I have ever lived. And I won’t feel guilty about that.

Planning for a bright future starts now. Photo cred: Krissy Leigh Creative

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve had it pretty good in my 20’s. I’ve rewarded myself with things like: satin Chanel espadrilles, all the furnishings inside my trendy loft and many trips to various cities . Those all might seem like extremely selfish actions because they are.

What I’m about to do is be selfish with the only thing I can never get back: my time.

This starts with learning to say no and this is always something I have struggled with. I can’t help the fact that I was blessed with a generous heart and I love helping people. But guess what? If it gets in the way of something I need to do for myself, I’ll be shamelessly saying no, starting really soon.

I probably won’t skip my workout to get an extra client in. If I feel like staying home alone one night, I won’t agree to go to dinner. If I feel overcommitted one week, I might reschedule our plans and not feel bad about it.

This is about to change my life not just socially, but also professionally. Two years ago I came up with a business idea that I was so excited to get launched and start growing. Somehow in the crazy hustle and bustle of life and work, I never put enough of my time into working on getting it started. I’ve said yes to too many things that don’t benefit my own business plan.

I’m not sure exactly how it’s all going to play out, but here’s what I do know: Once I turn 30, my life will have less travel and less shopping and actually more working. But this time around, I’m going to keep my own dreams at the top of my priority list. There’s a quote I love that says something like, “Imagine how far you’d be if you would’ve started a year ago.” It’s so true.

So I’m kicking off the most selfish year of my life with a trip to the beach with my best girlfriends. I mean, there is really no better way to celebrate an exciting new decade.

After that, I’ll be building my empire and shamelessly saying no whenever I need to.

No one lives their dream life without taking complete control. Tell someone no if you need to and don’t feel bad about doing something for yourself instead.