Well, it's royal wedding Friday and as I was sitting and watching the amazing event and the throngs of people who had turned out to show their support I realized that all of those people had essentially taken part in their very own holiday. Oh sure, it was for the furture King and Queen of England, but it sure did feel like a national holiday from where I was sitting. After my second cup of coffee it occurred to me that why shouldn't you and I deserve a holiday of our very own?
We may not be royalty or achieved anything of historical worthiness, but sometimes doesn't just getting through the day feel like a grand accomplishment in and of itself? So why shouldn't we celebrate ourselves? I realize that birthdays are kind of like our own sort of holiday (at least I like to look at it that way anyway), but what if we picked one day....not just annually, but maybe seasonally and made that day our own? What if we took a day off from work smack dab in the middle of the week, stayed in our pajamas and gave ourselves one entire day to do nothing but the things we wanted to do for ourselves? We deserve at LEAST that much, don't we? Of course we do!
You work hard...probably a heck of a lot harder than you give yourself credit for! Maybe you have a demanding job, children that you have put your heart and soul into raising well (one of the MOST demanding jobs) or maybe you just work tirelessly every single day to make ends meet. Whatever your days are like, I am betting that you could use a break! I'm not talking about one of those days where you consider a trip to the mall to run an errand a break, I mean a truly authentic, it's-all-about-me sort of a break!
Between checking email 40 times a day, coordinating schedules, running around like crazy people and trying to keep one thousand balls in the air, we just do not take enough quality time for ourselves! So today I propose a very rewarding sort of a challenge...and you might think it's silly, but I think that if you give it some thought, you will recognize that it is essential! Today I want you to committ....absolutely committ to claiming a holiday for yourself! One full day where you hand off all responsibilities, put the email on auto-response, set the phone to voice mail and do ONLY what YOU want to do! Naturally something this grand can not be planned spur of the moment, but no good holiday ever is! Think about all of the effort you put into planning the perfect Christmas dinner, or birthday party for your kids! Do you ever put that much time planning something fabulous for yourself? You deserve to! You need to!
If you're thinking that it sounds selfish, then look at it this way...how much more productive would you be if you just gave yourself one full day of down time every so often? Think of it as an investment in your quality of life, and you know that when you're feeling good, it is far easier to put that good back into the world, right? So today, how about if we just take a look at the calendar and plot our very own holiday? Give yourself some time to do a little advance planning so that you are truly committed to doing this and make a promise to yourself that it WILL happen! Once you have chosen your day, I would challenge you to share it here as a comment....put it on your calendar IN INK and let everybody know that whatever date you have chosen, it is etched in stone! Then do a little planning to make it special! Will you get a manicure? A massage? Will you gather your girlfriends together and invite them out for a lavish dinner to help celebrate your holiday?? What will you call your special day? Will you brew a fabulous pot of coffee and just stay in bed for a few hours? Treat yourself to some decadent chocolates? Let your imagine out to play for a while....it's your day and it can look like anything you want!
You, sweet friend, deserve a holiday, and as of this moment it is of utmost importance to your well-being that you give yourself permission to pause, exhale, and take whatever steps are necessary to make that holiday happen!!!
I can't wait to hear what you come up with! Happy You Day is just on the horizon! Get out those date books and start planning!
Happiest of Fridays to you!!
Heather
I used to make Friday evenings sacred: no phones, computers or televisions. I'd have a good meal served on the good china, a glass of wine, a soak in the tub and a facial. I need to start doing that again.
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