"Be everything to everybody and you'll be nothing for yourself"
John Rushton
Motivation Monday - Richard's Insight
I saw this the other day and it struck a chord with me, as it made me think of a very good friend of mine.
I won’t elaborate on my friend’s situation as that is his business. However, if we are constantly trying to ‘be there’ or attend to the needs of others, we often fail to take care of ourselves and our own needs. This ultimately will cost those that we are seeking to support, as we will eventually burn out and suffer the consequences of our own neglect in any event…so is actually counterproductive.
Our health and wellbeing should be our number one priority. Everything else is built on that foundation of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
As the late Whitney Houston sang:
‘Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all’
That is the antidote to trying to be everything to everybody…learning to love yourself. This may seem like a bit of a soppy or sentimental comment from a near-fifty year old bloke I know. But, if I have learned anything over these years, it is that we sometimes do need to put ourselves first, even if that may seem selfish to us and indeed others.
Therefore, my first Motivation Monday quote of the year is in fact to stop for a minute and consider if we are trying too hard to be there and please everyone else at our own cost. If we realise that we are…stop for a minute and consider: what do we need to do to change that? Try to put ourselves first for a change…especially when it comes to our health and wellbeing.
For my very good friend…your turn for a change…