August 21

”He who is most slow in making a promise is the most faithful in performance of it.” Jean Jacques Rousseau

Sometimes I need to force myself to slow down in order to truly understand where I am and what is happening around me. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life without really taking the time to evaluate my motivation and actions. This certainly applies in how I make promises. They used to be made most blindly, saying yes to everyone for everything because I needed approval, or was afraid to let someone down. I had very weak boundaries, if any at all, in many aspects of my life. Today I am more assertive in my daily dealings. I am aware of my limitations, of my capacity to help others, as well as being cognizant of the need to take care of myself. All this has led me to being more cautious in promising to do things for others, or even myself, and evaluating situations before I commit. And once I do commit, then I am more confident that I will be able to deliver what I agreed to do. I no longer need to be everything to everyone. The only thing that ever did was to lead me to be nothing for no one. I cannot please the entire world, not even a majority of it. So I am learning its ok to pick and choose where I devote myself, that I can say no and let someone else perform what I just don’t have the time for, and the world won’t stop spinning. And even sometimes I can be selfish and keep some time for myself, and put my self-care as a priority.

Affirmation Always acting in the heat of the moment, as I rush to and fro, does not always lead to the best decisions. Today I will slow down and think things through before taking action.