It's been a hell of a week.

The kind of week that left me confused about life:

How should I feel?
What do I do?
Did I make the right decision?
What step do I take next?
What's the RIGHT thing to do?

And...

How much of ME am I sacrificing?

Because we do.
We give it all away to other people.

We make excuses like:

"I quote won't say anything right now because he's going through a hard time."
"I won't get mad because I really want her to see what a nice person I am."
"I'll say 'yes' to ONE last thing because they really need the help and are depending on me."

I found myself doing this same damn thing -- this same damn pattern that I've been trying to break -- this last week.

And it shocked me when I realized what I was doing. I was embarrassed.

Was I making ME a priority?
Was I Loving ME More?
Was I tending to MY needs?

Nope. I was hiding behind fear and excuses rather than saying what I needed most.

GAH.

Yes, it's a hard habit to break.

We've been trained to GIVE.
But we all missed out on the memo that it's also very important to RECEIVE.

So, I went back and revisited the words that I teach:

It's okay to get what you want.
It's okay to ask for what you need.
It's okay to Love YOU More.

"As an empathetic and loving person, it's hard to put my needs first, especially when it comes to someone you love deeply.

But, you are of no use to him if your love cup is empty."

And then, I wrote out a reminder of what I need to fill my heart:

time alone
my project
my kids
hugs, kisses
laughter

...these are just a few...

I cried.

By now, you know that's just what I do.
Actually, I sobbed.
So loudly, that my boss had to close my office door.

Oh well.

But those words, those needs, the reminder of my manifesto...got me back on track and in control of my next step.

Had I not had that manifesto or my vision board or a sense of what to fall back on when I'm utterly confused, I would have wallowed in self-doubt and self-pity all weekend.

Instead, I took action.

So what did I do?
I vowed (and it is in writing) to say exactly what was on my mind if it bothers me, hurts me, or offends me, no matter what the reaction.
Unfiltered.
Unbuffered.

Lovely, it was like magic.

But it took steps to get here.

I want that for you.
I want you to be able to come back to the clarity of what you deserve and how to give yourself permission to do what it takes to be the priority and express what you need.