Remember the time when you took a few hours for yourself? That time when you did want you wanted to do? Left the children with the partner, or the house chores for just a little while? It was probably ages ago, right?

I think it’s about time you did something for yourself.

All these years you’ve given pieces of yourself to your partner, your children, work, the house. It’s been a never-ending maelstrom of ‘things that need to get done’. You’ve organised lives and ensured everything and everyone else is ok.

Everyone but yourself.

I think it’s time to change that. It’s time for you to rediscover yourself. It’s time to immerse yourself in activities that you want to do like crafting, going for a walk, or learning a new skill.

The household will do fine without you for a couple of hours. I promise.

Your family won’t think less of you. In fact, you might find the opposite. Because you’re taking time for yourself, you will begin to feel refreshed. As you accomplish your own personal goals, your confidence and self-esteem will increase. You will be happier with yourself, and in turn, this happiness will overflow into other areas of your life — like your partner, the children, and the house.

You will find that everyone else who you’ve been looking after for all this time can actually look after themselves (for a little while at least) — taking further pressure off you in which you felt you had the need to do everything now.

So, what’s it going to be today? Mop the floors or begin that new online course you purchased a week ago?

Apparently, it’s not that simple

After my wife read this post, we had a ‘healthy discussion’. It revolved around how being selfish is not as simple as I make it out to be. Her argument was that there is ‘Dad’s life’ and ‘Mom’s life’. And this solution of mine appears simple to me because I live a ‘Dad’s life’ where everything is done for me while I go about my business.

My argument with this statement is that there is only a difference between the two because someone chooses for it to be that way.

With a change in the way we think, a bit of planning, and some changes to the family schedule — we can fit anything in.

The point I’m trying to make in this article is that if a choice is made to do some self-improving activity, take action on it, work with your partner and give your family a chance.

No matter what might, or might not get done, you deserve to do what you want to do.

(and yes, my wife and I have ‘agreed to disagree’ on this point 🙂 )

If you enjoyed reading this, I’d love to send them to you — sign up here.

This article was originally posted on my blog, helpgrowchange.com