Are You Making Yourself a Priority?

When is selfishness a good thing? 

When you make a huge change in your life as I did in the last year, you really have to put your priorities in order. Because, to work on yourself, you actually have to prioritize yourself first. I was doing a crappy job of this before. At the top of my list has always been medicine. Whether it be my schooling, training or my current job. Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my job as a physician. But my problem is my job is also my identity.

I have found that when you put yourself too far down on the list, you start to burn out and lose sight of the joys in everyday life.

Who am I if I am not a physician? I got so wrapped up in my work that I was sacrificing other parts of myself and this had to change. I still love my job and I will always go above and beyond for it, but it is taken a backseat in my priorities. In order to get healthy, I had to put myself at the very top of the list. 

This means you need to be a little selfish. You have to be willing to say no to other pressures and obligations in order to devote the time needed to better yourself. That might mean 30 minutes totally to yourself to work out. Or 30 minutes to cook a quick dinner instead of getting takeout. Or even 30 minutes to soak and relax in the bath. 

I have found that when you put yourself too far down on the list, you start to burn out and lose sight of the joys in everyday life. So, whatever it is that works for you, taking the time to devote to it is worth it.