“The thing is you’re not a maybe, you’re not a second choice.  You’re not an option, you’re not a when it’s convenient and you’re definitely not a wait and see. You’re an absolute yes. Don’t ever be ok with being treated as anything less than that.  We all need this little reminder to know who we are.  Don’t ever doubt your greatness,” Unknown.  I wish everyone in the world knows what this quote is talking about and, more importantly, I hope they all feel it.  It’s one thing to understand something intellectually and it’s another to feel it and know it.  The latter is something I’ve struggled with because I only let myself get so far before backing up.  When it comes to conceptualizing an idea, the thought itself is easy enough to wrap our heads around.  But knowing it, feeling it, and allowing the experience of it is different.  In order for us to move forward on our goals, we need to know our value and that means feeling it. 

Prioritizing our needs doesn’t mean we are selfish, it means we are selecting how we expend our energy.  It doesn’t pay to stretch ourselves so thin that we have nothing left to give.  As we’ve spoken about numerous times, the idea of filling our cups so they can fill others is the goal.  That requires setting boundaries and knowing where we can serve as well as what serves us.  Having that level of self-awareness is important in keeping our energy where it needs to be.  It also prevents us from needing to seek energy or validation from outside.  While we are communal creatures, we often forget that this life is an inside job.  It’s our responsibility to manage our feelings and actions and emotions—and even our reactions.  If someone or something is triggering, it’s up to us to choose where we go from there.  If someone or something attempts to or succeeds at making us feel less than, it’s up to us to walk away.

None of this is easy and I know that it can often feel like a fine line, balancing our needs with what we do for others.  It can be tricky at times to even recognize our needs, especially if we are taught our needs/wants come second.  That doesn’t mean it isn’t what we are supposed to do.  Creating a foundation is tough work but doing that lift early on creates a strong platform for the rest of our lives.  Knowing who we are, knowing our worth, knowing our purpose puts us in a position to do our best work, to help others.  It isn’t about being selfish or self-centered, it is ALWAYS about doing our best so we can offer our best to the world, so we can help others without draining our supply or losing who we are.  So the key is to NEVER forget who we are.  NEVER allow someone to make us feel less than.  ALWAYS know our worth and keep doing the work until we understand and remember exactly what we are capable of and meant to do.  Don’t let anyone dim the light we carry.