Do you know how many times a day I hear the words…..
‘but I just don’t have enough time’…..
And my response is always the same and it goes something along the lines of this….
Hold up sista, I’m going to call you on that one….
It’s not that you don’t have time, it’s that you don’t see ‘insert topic of discussion here’ (eg healthy eating, exercise, meditation…..whatever it is) as a PRIORITY.
I totally get it, I am a working mother, who runs a tight ship at home, runs a business, runs her kids here there and everywhere, and still finds time to run! I actually am ‘one of those’ health coaches who lives in the REAL WORLD….I know life is busy for all of us but here are the facts….
We all have 24 hours in a day, no one has more, or less than another, so when we say we ‘don’t have time’ what we are actually saying is ‘this is not a priority for me at the current time’ and you trump it with other activities in your schedule.
Sounds harsh, but that is the reality.
You are making the choice to place other activities above your own health. Placing greater importance on other things in life. And for some of you that works totally fine for where you are at in life at the current time, but for the majority of clients I see and people I speak to, there is a general ‘story’ that I hear from people that ‘TIME’ is the demon that stops them from achieving optimal health. And that my dear lovelies, in my mind, is quite simply just a well used excuse that you have latched onto, and has worked for you in the past. In truth it is your lack of ‘PRIORITISING’ your health that is the demon here, not TIME.
Sooner or later we come to the realisation the when we take time to nourish and nurture our body (invest in our health) we will actually be capable of fitting more in and have more fun doing it. What we fuel our bodies and minds with determines how much energy we have and energy is the key to fitting more into life.
So my advice, for those that have fallen back on this excuse one to many times, is to look at your schedule, plan out your time to incorporate self care practices that will nourish your body and mind, the same as you plan out your schedule for work, kids sports, socialising etc. Make them non-negotiable in your schedule. This very practice will force you to see how you prioritise your own ‘health and well-being’ compared to everything else you do, and question how you can work your schedule to maximise your well-being.
More of us need to start saying ‘yes’ to our own needs first, to take care of our bodies, to fuel our bodies (and minds) with nourishment that will bring more energy to our everyday ‘busyness’, because in taking the time to do so we will find a new level of well-being that will not only benefit us but those around us. I don’t know about you, but that for me makes it one of my top priorities each and everyday.