Whilst talking to my friend Conor recently, he gave me some very wise words. He said, “Just because somebody opens a door for you, it doesn’t mean that you should walk through it.” He isn’t usually the most metaphorical human being in the world, so I was a little surprised (no offence Con), but he knows me so well and gave me the reality check I needed. I am very lucky to have him in my life.
It got me thinking, everything we do in life is out of choice. Sometimes things can seem like they are forced upon us, but the truth is, 99% of the time we decide what we do. We decide how we treat our bodies, we choose our careers, we decide who we spend our time with, we decide pretty much every part of our lives. Of course, there are exceptions to this, but ultimately we are at the steering wheel of our ship.
This is such an amazing thing to grasp. Being aware of our power each day can impact our lives hugely. How we choose to feel and act can drive us closer to where we want to be. Instead of waking up dreading the day ahead, imagine waking up feeling excited and happy. How would that feel? Great, obviously. So why don’t we?
We live in a society where we are made to feel guilty about doing things solely for ourselves – we get accused of being selfish. But why?
Deciding to follow your dreams is not selfish.
Looking after yourself is not selfish.
Cutting the negative things out of your life isn’t selfish.
Having an hour to yourself is not selfish.
Doing the things that bring you joy is not selfish.
As long as your actions come from a place of kindness, it is not selfish. If you are doing something to better your life, and make you happier, it will have a knock on effect to the people that you care about. Just remember to be understanding when others decide to to things for themselves too.
Make time for you. Make time for your dreams.
EK x
emilykeeltraining.com 