The Garbage Truck is Coming

I had a few responses to last week���s posting about ���the time is now��� to work toward your dream.

One woman reader replied, ���But the question is how to move towards what we want or feel we need without being (or being perceived as being) selfish.���

It is a fair question that a woman is likelier to ask than a man.

If you��are concerned about others��� perceptions, you have lost before you���ve begun. That���s their business. It is a great way to hand over control of your life.

If you believe that doing for yourself somehow takes away from others, you give a negative meaning to the word selfish. There is a positive meaning.

It is important to be selfish occasionally, yet good self-care goes beyond the gym workout, the occasional mani/pedi, or long soak in an Epsom salt bath.

Way beyond.

What are your dreams? The ones that are truly yours? The ones that don���t require the children to be grown, the spouse to approve, the mortgage to be retired.

Selfish is when you honor your innermost calling. Selfish is when you find a way to make space in your life just for you, regardless of the other responsibilities.

It really is okay.

In fact, it���s a must.

It is easier to say you can���t do something because of all your other responsibilities and allow that to be what keeps you safe and in your present situation. There is always a step you can take that serves only you and does not have to be a takeaway from someone else.

Taking steps toward the real you most certainly entail being selfish, at least some of the time. It���s also the surest way to have happiness in your life.

Permission does not come from others. It comes from you. Permit yourself to be as great as you dream.

Mary