Dear Leader,
Today, I'm inviting you to fall PASSIONATELY in love again, with yourself. Yes, yourself.
From this day forward, I'm inviting you to lavish the love you share with your significant others, family, colleagues, and friends, and with the most important person there is - YOU. Let's begin to give ourselves "self-love" like we never have before.
How is self-love relevant in your day-to-day- life?
The foundation of self-love is how we measure all other relationships. When we understand how to treat ourselves with the care and compassion we deserve, we come from a healthier place as it relates to other people in our lives.
Personal or professional, our interactions with one another set the tone of the relationship moving forward. When we come from a place of knowing our worth, we can show others how to treat us, draw respectable and healthy boundaries, and attract similar people into our lives.
Self-love is especially important when we find our everyday environments, such as work, less than desirable. We will not get our needs met, and often can feel as if certain people or places drain our inner resources. When we show up in our careers rested, well-nourished, well-loved, having had time for leisure, play, curiosity and self-awareness, everyone around us benefits, not only us.
Practices like self-care and self-love appear to be selfish in today's fast-paced society, and this could not be farther from the truth. A dried-out sponge will soak up the first liquid it comes across. However, once it is saturated, whatever remains runs off of it. Similarly, we tend to absorb our environment, and when we do, it will spill over. What do we choose to take in?
Actively choosing to saturate ourselves with the things in life that benefit our bodies, minds, and spirits is a way of caring for others by way of what we share with the world–intentionally or otherwise.
We all have an "energetic fragrance," a lingering experience of what it is like to have been in our presence. What we put into ourselves is what we give out. What will your fragrance be?
As leaders, we may feel burdened at the thought of making room for one more "to-do" on our already burgeoning list. Thinking about taking time from our workday to spend on ourselves may seem counter-productive to achieving our goals. However, it is a vital piece of the complex puzzle of our lives.
Imagine having more patience when dealing with workplace tensions or conflicts, being able to engage in active listening and healthy discussion because you are no longer running on fumes. How could this refreshed state help you to navigate and make better choices as a leader or manager? How could being in a state of fullness and overflow help when asking for what you want within your workplace and home?
When I am feeling at my peak, I am less defensive, able to receive constructive feedback, and recover quickly from any emotional or physical setbacks. Many of us have become so accustomed to running wired and tired; we may not realize when we get away from a health-centered core.
When everyone around us is equally pressurized, no one can feel the pressure itself. Self-love is the antidote, and you are the only prescriber.
I invite you to think about some small ways you can incorporate self-love and self-care into your life. By taking only a few minutes a day to practice gratitude, deep breathing, and being aware of how you show up with your loved ones, friends and co-workers, you can make the mental shifts that are capable of changing your entire day’s trajectory.
What does it look like to practice self-love?
Compassionately slowing down as our bodies indicate, and pausing to catch a deep, cleansing breath.
Courageously noticing when we're judgmental or self-critical and choosing to stop it.
Calmly acknowledging that we're doing the best we can under the current circumstances.
Confidently celebrating our micro-wins and intentionally removing the negativity from our lives.
Proactively taking a few minutes to feel grateful for what is "good" in our lives.
Curiously accepting "what is" knowing that change is the only constant.
Clearly stating our needs and allowing others to support us while receiving
it graciously.
Openly contributing and giving from the heart and not out of guilt or obligation.
Continuously connecting with ourselves using clarity, self-awareness, and self-love.
Creatively honoring our desires by living them out loud while filling our cups, allowing us to serve from our “energetic overflow."
When our “cup runneth over," we have the resources to be at our best and contribute to our teams and loved ones from our “highest self."
We have the capacity to engage with others from a state of fullness as it relates to physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness. No one is going to give us permission to fill ourselves up. We must give ourselves the permission to do so and the grace with which to receive the care we need.
Today I compassionately invite you to join me and embrace a new, calmer place in your life and your work. You owe it to yourself, your loved ones, and all of us around you to own and share the greatest love of all.
Be fearless! (act despite the fear)
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With love and appreciation,
Ginny
Dr. Ginny Baro is a certified, international executive coach, motivational speaker, and #1 bestselling author of Fearless Women at Work.
Ginny specializes in helping executives develop leaders, maximize performance, and increase profits. As a career strategist, she partners with talented individuals who are navigating a corporate hierarchy or transitioning into an entirely new phase of their professional careers.
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