If you have ever flown you have heard the speech from the flight attendant about oxygen masks being deployed in a state of emergency and the need to put yours on first before you try and assist other passengers. The reason for this is if the cabin depressurizes you can literally only have seconds to retain consciousness. Don’t believe me – watch this video.
The idea that you have to help yourself and ensure you are healthy and in a good place to help others BEFORE you can help others is not limited to airplanes, it applies to most situations in life. In order for us to be an asset to others and be able to help and care for them, we first must ensure that we have our physical and emotional health in order. Do what I say not what I do has never helped anyone, but people that practice what they preach have the ability to make a huge impact on the people around them and the world in general.
I hear from many people that they would exercise “if I only had the time”, these same people have the time to either pour themselves into trying to be supportive of others while their own world is falling apart, or they have the time to stop off for happy hour and down 5 drinks on the way home from work or to crash in front of the TV with a pint of ice cream for an hour 3 times a week. The reality is that we make time for things we want to make time for. There is NOTHING more important than making time for yourself and ensuring your mental and physical health.
I understand the challenges of making time for myself and it certainly is not easy. As a Husband, Coach, Father and Business Owner my days are jam packed each day from sun up until sun down. It took me a long time to figure out how to strike balance in my life. I was always dishing out advice that sounded good but in all honestly I was not heeding my own advice in my daily life. People who really knew me could see that I was not practicing what I was preaching and who is really going to give any credence to advice given from someone who is not walking the walk. My heart was in the right place but my actions were not and as such I wasn’t able to really impact people I cared about in the manner I was trying to, but I also was not able to realize my own potential. Here is what I found to have worked to correct that:
- MAKE TIME FOR YOU (NO MATTER WHAT) I committed to ensuring that I found 90 minutes EVERY day to work on myself. Seemed impossible at first but what I found I that if I got up at 5am EVERY day NO MATTER WHAT, there was plenty of time. Not just time but quality time for myself when everyone else was asleep and I could really focus. I could use that time to exercise, mediate, write, read or watch something enriching that perhaps the rest of my household wasn’t interested in. They say the early bird gets the worm, trust me, the early bird gets way more than that. I believe getting up early is the single biggest change anyone can make to enhance their productivity and happiness. I was a night owl for DECADES. I still have fun late into the night at times but I know that no matter what I’m beating the sun up and making the most of each day. This is the single biggest change I believe many can make to truly transform their lifestyle.
- BE PART OF A TEAM – Humans are social animals and we need to be around others, we are not made to be by ourselves. You don’t have to make time alone to make time for yourself (although I advise both). With today’s technology there are literally hundreds of thousands of groups at the tip of your fingertips full of people with similar goals and interests. It’s much easier to sustain a hobby, beat an addiction, succeed on a diet, or master a new skill while working with others. There truly is a power in numbers, stop making excuses and get around like minded people and go realize the completion of goals and mastery of skills that you have been wanting to.
- WRITE THINGS DOWN – It’s a fact that we remember things better that are written down. We also are HIGHLY more likely to execute actions that are written down. Write down not only your goals but your progress and achievements. Never underestimate the power of the pen! You will find that not only are you likely to follow through on what you documented but you will also find a tremendous amount of satisfaction from reading and being able to see how you were able to turn ideas into action.
- FIND ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNERS – Much like we are more likely to help others than to help ourselves, we are also more likely to follow through with something if we have shared the goal with someone else and asked them to hold us accountable. Not only will you enjoy the fruits of your labor and success, but your accountability partner will also enjoy the fact that they were instrumental to your success. Put yourself out there and be vulnerable to failure and ask for help. We all grow together!
By centering ourselves and ensuring that we are well balanced, we put ourselves in a position to be the best we can be not only for ourselves but the people around us. If we are physically, emotionally and morally bankrupt we simply cannot invest and assist others no matter our best intention. So please – put your oxygen mask on first and take care of yourself, the people important to you who want and need your help will thank you for it. You cannot be an asset to anyone else if you aren’t there to be an asset for yourself.
There’s no time like today – Make this a 4k/2k week worthwhile!
Robert John
Please check out the 4k/2k library for more info on living your best life and always feel free to email me at info@officialrobertjohn.com with any questions or more importantly insights of your own, we all learn from each other!!
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