Ahh yes, our favorite time of year, when we promise ourselves to do more, be better.  What’s your resolution?  Did you make any?

Personally, I don’t do resolutions.  I know I’ve never kept any mediocre promises to myself before, and I need to stop fooling myself into thinking I’ll go to the gym more, eat fantastic all the time, stay on task every day.  Its unrealistic!

Have you heard this year’s buzz word?

Self Care.

Cue your friend who sells bath bombs and candles jumping up, the friend who sells in-home workouts, the friend who sells comfortable clothes, all jumping out of their skin to tell you what you need to “self care.”

I want to let you in on a secret about this buzz word of 2017: self care is NOT about bubble baths and buying yourself a Frappucino. It goes far beyond Treat Yo Self.  In fact, some of the most important pieces of self care is not about treating yourself, but rather, abstaining from something!

Are bubble baths and hot cups of coffee self care? Sure, but they’re not the key to true self care.

But here are some things that ARE self care, and are incredibly important to your overall wellbeing:

• Getting to the gym you committed to even when you don’t feel like it
• Taking care of your mental health (with medication, if need be). See that therapist, take the medications, do some reading about self help
• Taking a shower when you don’t feel like getting up
• Eating a healthy (or at least healthy-ish) meal when you’d rather skip or eat junk
• Stop with the crappy habits – smoking, drinking soda, alcohol overuse.  You know how bad it is for you.  Get help if you need it.
• Brushing your hair, brushing your teeth, washing your face, changing your clothes
• Keeping appointments – friends, business, etc
• Taking care of that thing that’s been hanging over your head – been putting off that doctor’s appointment?  Been delaying cleaning something?  Have to make an important phone call that you’re procrastinating on?  Doing it and getting it off your mind will make you feel exponentially better!
• Making that doctor’s appointment and keeping it
• Cleaning a room you’ve been putting off
• Taking your medications properly
• Remembering to take your vitamins
• Smiling at yourself in the mirror; you’re your best ally
• Keeping in touch with good friends, even if its just a brief message back and forth occasionally
• Ridding yourself of toxic relationships.  Stop talking to people who are not good for you.  You don’t owe them any special explanation.  You don’t owe them any more of your time or energy.  You do owe yourself peace.
• Setting real goals that will make you stretch, keep you interested, and have real rewards at the end
• Taking time to do things that nourish your soul.  Did you read a lot before? Take some time to read each week.  Got invited to a yoga class? GO. Used to do needlepoint?  Pick it up for an hour here and there.
• Getting your budget together, being realistic about it, sticking to it
• Not running from problems; confronting, delegating, completing
• Start CRUSHING goals. Not in the sorority, girl gang, rah-rah sense.  I mean taking that list of goals and doing something about it.  Following through, swinging for the fences, creating the life you deserve.

Stop living an unfulfilling coast-along life.  Start creating a life you don’t need to escape from with those bon bons, trash tv, and comfy clothes.  Build a life that makes you want to jump out of bed each day and not want to take a 6 month vacation, twice a year.

2017 has been a hard year for me to keep up with.  I’ve struggled to keep my house clean.  Cooking dinner has been an exhausting thought.  I have gone days without bothering to shower, some days managing to throw some dry shampoo in my hair and brush it.  I’ve gained a ton of weight back (well, a ton in my book).  I struggle minute to minute with motivation.  My business suffered.  My team suffered. My income absolutely tanked; I realized that not only was I making less money for the same (and possibly even more work), but other benefits had been stripped away one by one.

Not to mention, the biggest seller, highest ticket item – the easiest to maintain sales on – is almost entirely dependent on my personal weight loss results!  How in the world can I sell something that I’m not remembering to take, and isn’t working for me because I never remember to take it!

I had to make a change before I lost all of my income and passion.  I moved forward with a company that has the same green and clean product values, but is a product everyone uses almost every single day.  Now I have the ability to offer men, women, and children that first step in their self care without focusing on weight loss or sensitive subjects.  It touches every single life and is safe and healthy for them.

Life is short. You know that. You don’t need me to tell you that.  Start enjoying it and stop making excuses for why you aren’t.

Happy New Year!

-Jess