For the past several months, I tried to shine light on some of the well known mental health disorders. I thought it best to take a break, and use June to remind all of us, that YOU MATTER. I’m a bit behind in my posts, having just returned from an epic adventure in Morocco. And what an adventure it was. Put this place on your list 🙂

Back to the matter at hand! Back in January, I blogged about the ability to set goals. Regardless of where you are in life, I hope you have goals. Achieving them, requires mustering up the courage to take responsibility for your life. That involves putting yourself first. You are simply making it a priority to take care of your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. 

Creating the life that you desire is no one else’s responsibility but yours. You cannot do that if you keep getting in the way of yourself by thinking and caring too much about others. No doubt, caring for the needs of others is a natural human instinct, but it should never be to your detriment.  

Many people are oblivious to the realization, they are the architects of their fortunes. They like to believe that putting the needs of others, before their own, follows a universal moral code of conduct that you must adhere to, the failure of which makes them less human or less fortunate in life.

There are various reasons why people believe that putting the needs of others ahead of their own is the best and only way to live. They may think people will stop liking them, or that being a tireless caregiver gives them a sense of purpose and fulfillment. Some sincerely feel responsible for others, or worse, they don’t feel worthy of making themselves a priority. 

Whichever one of the above categories you may find yourself in, the good news is that you can reset your thinking. Sadly, many people today suffer from thoughts of negating their own needs for the benefit of others. It is, however, essential to know that this thinking is false. You need to unshackle yourself, to successfully take charge of your life and fully accomplish your goals.

Rather than confining your thoughts to the preconceived notion of scary consequence that would supposedly befall on you if you put yourself first, it is much more reassuring to focus on the numerous benefits guaranteed by putting yourself first. The importance of this is tied to many wholesome benefits some of which include:

• Being more productive
• Being happier and more joyful
• Having more energy
• Receiving more respect from others
• Improved relationships
• Experiencing less fear
• Suffering from less stress
• Feeling less resentment
• Experiencing less depressed

These are the key areas where you stand to benefit if you learn to put yourself first. In the next several weeks, we will look at various healthy ways to put yourself first to gain the wonderful benefits which await you.. Next up, eleven clear strategies to get you started!

Until the next post,

To Your Success,
Juan