But it’s the truth. I am my number one priority. Does that seem wrong or selfish? Maybe it is. But I don’t see it that way.
What happens when I prioritize myself? I feel better. When I feel better, I am a better wife, mom, grandma, friend, coach, and employee. When I feel good about myself, I am better at all these things. Prioritizing myself doesn’t mean that I ignore everyone around me. It just means that I have more to give them.
What do I mean when I say that I’m my number one priority? I mean that I make my emotional well-being, personal development, and values an important part of every day. I make decisions about what I will and won’t do based on my innate sense of self and what is right and wrong for me. That means, in a practical sense, that I only commit to things that I will follow through on. It means that I work on myself and let others be themselves (I’m too busy to “fix” them, anyway). It means I hold true to my values and don’t let people guilt or shame me for having them. It’s so many nebulous things that I can’t even put it into words.
This doesn’t mean that I ignore the people who matter to me, that I am a bad citizen, or that I run around thinking that everyone should cater to my every whim. That would be narcissistic. It doesn’t mean that I think the whole world revolves around me. It does mean that I am the one who has to live with myself 24/7 (literally nobody else does this) and I want to like the person I spend the most time with. So I work on myself. I prioritize my own happiness. And by room for me time, I can spend my not-me time focused on those around me.
Where are you in your Femme Fatale journey? Take the quiz and find out.
Femme Fatale over 50 