It can be tricky sometimes to recognize when we’re not honoring ourselves. Our ego likes to keep us in the dark by projecting our frustrations onto other people or circumstances. For example, we might tell ourselves “I don’t have enough time to write my book because there simply aren’t enough hours in the day,” when we could probably get up an hour earlier each morning to work if we’re being honest. Or we might say, “I can’t save money because my friends always want to go out to dinner,” when we could choose to make the more financially empowering decision for ourselves politely decline from time to time. Sound familiar?

The truth of the matter in all situations is we’re the ones who decide whether or not to make the choice to honor ourselves, our goals and our dreams. The outside world is merely a reflection of that choice.

Making the commitment to honor yourself and your dreams is scary, but it’s absolutely essential to your happiness, your freedom and the true expression of who you’re here to be.

Ready to start honoring yourself more deeply?

I’ve got some questions to help guide you. If you’re truly ready to commit, then grab a notebook and pen and write these down. Do it! 🙂

1. In what area of your life do you need to honor yourself more deeply? Do you need to honor your time, your passions, your work? Your money? Do you need to honor yourself in your relationships? The first step in changing any habit or pattern is simply to recognize and acknowledge it, and then to become willing to make a change. So, write it down and commit! I am willing to honor myself in the area of _____.

2. What rituals or habits do you need to create that will help support you in honoring yourself in this area? For me, in order to feel inspired and ready to pour myself into my work I need to get up early, meditate, read and move my body. This is the magic combination that makes me feel confident and connected and gets me jazzed for the day. If you’re trying to commit to a healthy lifestyle, maybe you need to designate a particular day of the week to grocery shop or meal prep so you’re armed with healthful choices for the week ahead. Write down whatever habits will help you serve you best.

3. What habit or habits do you need to LET GO of in order to truly honor yourself in this area? What’s holding you back? Do you need to stop procrastinating or allowing yourself to be distracted by social media so you can focus on your work? Maybe you need to let go of negative self-talk? Or perhaps you simply need to stop comparing yourself to others? Make a commitment to choose to shut this habit down on a daily, or even moment to moment basis, if necessary. Remember, habits take time to change. If you find yourself indulging in a habit that’s no longer serving you (and you probably will), don’t beat yourself up. Simply forgive yourself and move on.

4. What boundaries do you need to set in order to honor this area of your life more deeply? Setting and maintaining healthy boundaries can be tricky for most women (and some men), particularly those who tend to be people pleasers or overly-sensitive to the needs of others. (Being sensitive is not a bad thing! However, being overly-sensitive can interfere with our ability to set healthy boundaries.) Our egos tell us we don’t want to seem selfish, indulgent or “bitchy.” In reality, all of that is total BS. The real reason we fail to create healthy boundaries in our lives is due to a lack of self worth or a lack of belief in the validity of our dreams. That’s it.

So, what boundaries do you need to set? One boundary I often set for myself when I need to focus on my work is that I switch my phone to ‘airplane mode’  I have a tendency to feel the need to respond to every call or text message that comes across throughout the day, regardless of importance or urgency. (I KNOW I’m not alone here. 🙂 ) By setting this boundary, it allows me to concentrate without feeling the need to constantly check my phone for messages, and I get much more work done as a result.

Last question — What action are you committed to taking this week to begin honoring yourself more deeply? Leave me a comment below!

Have a beautiful week!

xoxo

Kristi