Welcome to Octane’s Self Love Blog Series! This series is a collection of 4 posts from an array of guest bloggers focusing on the concept of loving yourself beyond the month of February.
Week 3: Letting Go of What Controls You
Og Mandino, once said this:
‘many of us never realize our greatness because we become sidetracked by secondary activities. We don’t know how to say ‘no’, and now we’re behind on our dreams.’
Does this sound familiar? I think we’ve all been there, including myself.
As females we’re the caretakers of the world. We skillfully juggle home, work, community and leave very little time for ourselves. How do you know when it’s time to ask for help? For me personally, I started to become mentally fatigued and overly anxious. My inner self was giving subtle warning signs, that I thankfully slowed down to listen too. During this time of self-examination, I learned WHAT I needed assistance with. I learned to delegate task both at home and within my business. This taught me that I’m not a superwoman and in life we all need an extra pair of hands.
What is your inner dialogue currently telling you? Is it saying ‘yes I can, I know I can? The type of conversations we have with ourselves will determine our quality of life. Unfortunately, we at times see the worse version ourselves. We must learn to how to empower ourselves and STAND UP to our inner voices. This is another way of letting go of fear. The fear of failure, the fear of not measuring up.
Self -care is NOT selfish. It’s you and I becoming more aware of our needs, limitations, growth, and taking time to love ourselves. We can’t pour from an empty cup. We have to fill our own cup first. Don’t give up on your dreams. Love yourself. I encourage you to celebrate the small victories. Be conscious of how you feel when you’re around people or in certain situations. There are many ways to say ‘no’. Once you become more comfortable within yourself in saying this, your world will change. This one day may be a lifesaver.
In the words of Maya Angelou, ‘Just like moons and like suns, with the certainty of tides, just like hopes springing high, Still I’ll rise.’
Melanie Day is an educator, entrepreneur and small business owner opening Lexington Kentucky’s first salon for curly hair, You’ve Got Curls. Find her on instagram a @ugotcurls or follow the salon on Facebook.
