Learning to Take What You Need

Friday, July 13, 2007 at 10:47am by Gina Laverde in Life

What is stopping you from ending your work day at 5 p.m. and hanging out with friends once a week? What’s stopping you from telling your client that you need to charge more for a project? What’s stopping you from having more fun, making more money and getting more sleep? You, my friend. Only you can do this to yourself.

I’m married. And, while I agree that it’s not a commitment that everyone should/can make – I will say that it teaches us so much about selflessness, responsibility and team work. But, on the other hand, marriage has taught me to take what I need for happiness and survival.

Living in such close proximity to another individual (albeit, an individual who I love), gets stressful as soon as one of us begins to neglect our own personal needs. I would be unbearable to live with if I didn’t get enough sleep, eat properly or learn to manage my own stress.

So, in order to be a worthy member of my family, I must take care of myself first. And the same goes for all of us. We will never satisfy all of your clients. So, there needs to be a moment where we stop trying to achieve perfection for one client, and move onto the bigger picture.

Stop wishing that you had more time to complete a project. There will be more work tomorrow. Stop telling yourself that you’ll rest when “X” is finished. Take some rest time, and some fun time each week.

Nobody else, not even a spouse or awesome BF or GF is going to give you a box full of time. You need to create it yourself and take it when you need it. It has taken me years to discover that I am much more valuable as a human being when I get morning walks, time with my friends, and quality family time.

Clients want your best work, but they won’t pay you more simply because you worked yourself to the bone, in the wee hours of the night to finish their assignments. Do not be afraid to compromise and make your own deadlines or charge more for work assigned on the weekends.

So, how do you start taking what you need? Well, you sit down quietly with yourself and you make a list of ways that you can be happier and more efficient. And, then you immediately begin applying these principles to your life. That’s it. There can be no fear or hesitation involved (and, if there is – ignore it). If you want your way, you need to take action.

The world doesn’t respond kindly when folks start changing their ways and becoming more aggressive, so don’t expect everyone to simply follow suit. Instead, use any negativity to fuel your determination.

Less words and more action will help you realize that you are a serious individual who deserves respect. Never waste breath explaining why you need personal time. Just take it, and continue taking it when you need it, until it becomes natural to you.

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