Give Yourself Permission
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
With the new year approaching, instead of thinking about what your New Year’s resolutions are going to be, because let’s face it, how often does that work out? For most of us, by February, the list of changes we were going to make, like working out every day, losing weight, etc., has fallen by the wayside or been postponed until next year’s list. Instead of making a list of resolutions, make a pivot to give yourself permission to pursue one thing you’ve wanted to do for yourself but feel guilty about. You might be wondering what I mean by that. Why would you feel guilty about doing something good for yourself? I’ve noticed that there are certain things we feel guilty about for different reasons. For example, I have a good friend named Debi who said she liked to eat fresh fruit — she and her husband are empty nesters — but she didn’t want to buy an entire watermelon or a basket of strawberries and blueberries because if they couldn’t eat it all and it would spoil. I told her to buy the small, individual packages of cut-up fruit. She shared that she felt a little guilty spending the extra money on it. I told her, “Big picture, you’ll eat what you buy, it won’t spoil, and you won’t waste money. How often do we think it’s okay to spend money on other things we eat? Fruit is good for you, you can afford it, and I give you permission to buy it in the smaller size package.” She told me that hearing me say that made her feel better about doing something she wanted to do but felt she shouldn’t. That is just one example, and it isn’t even a big pivot, but in a way, it is, because
what could be better for yourself than eating healthy? And if you spend a little extra to eat the healthy foods you desire, there’s a better chance of it becoming a habit that’s good for you.
our project manager, moved to Texas. Michael and I decided to give it try for her to work remotely and come to Los Angeles when we needed her for product launches and events. I never thought it would work out, but it has. At the beginning of the year, I mentioned to Michael how I wanted to work from home one day a week, and he was fine with it. It’s taken me practically the entire year to give myself permission to do this. And what I’ve discovered on the days I’ve worked from home is that I’m more productive because I’m not in as many meetings and I can focus and accomplish more in a shorter amount of time. When you lean toward giving yourself permission to do something that you want to do that’s good for you, or makes you happy, whether it’s taking time off to go on vacation, working one day from home, or even buying individual packages of fresh fruit, it will become a habit faster and easier than making a list of things you’re supposed to do for yourself that you really don’t want to do and eventually will stop doing. Here’s my question to you: What’s the one thing on your mind that you’ve wanted to do for yourself, but feel, for whatever reason haven’t allowed yourself to do? I’m giving you
Why is it that so many times when it comes to pursuing something we want, we don’t think we deserve it? Is it because what we desire is different than the norm, and we have a hard time doing something differently? Or maybe it’s our upbringing, cultural, or even societal thinking. Whatever it is, I’m sometimes at fault of that thinking too. I’ve been wanting to make a change this year, and I’m pretty sure what I feel guilty about is all in my head. I’ve wanted to work from home on Mondays and haven’t allowed myself to do that. I’m the boss, so there’s no one stopping me, yet the norm, or what used to be the norm, is to go to work Monday through Friday. With the pandemic, more people are working remotely, but in our business, everyone comes to the office. Last January, Ruthie, Instead of making a list of resolutions, make a pivot to give yourself permission to pursue one thing you’ve wanted to do for yourself but feel guilty about.
permission to do it! Go for it! You deserve it, and you’re going to thank yourself later that you did. It’s something to think about.
–Roslyn Rozbruch
2 • www.rozstrategies.com
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