The first step for me, and one Cheryl recommends in her book, is to look at how I spend my time. Using a circle with each part of my life defined as a segment (a pie chart), are the segments equal and balanced? Am I living a balanced, “Whole” Life? Or am I spending more time “contributing to others in some way than I spend on my spiritual well-being or having fun?” Does the relationship segment include more time working on troubled relationships or caring for others than time sharing and developing relationships that offer nurturing and enjoyment? How will  I evenly distribute my time and energy among the segments of my life?

Why self care? It’s commonly understood by many – well many AssistU Virtual Assistants who have studied this concept – that in order to have a high quality life, you need to put yourself at the top of the list. Sound selfish? It isn’t. By taking care of yourself, you’ll have more energy, more joy, and more of you to give to others. I’ll explain more about this in future posts.

I’m not big on resolutions, but there’s something exciting about folding up last year’s calendar and putting up a fresh new one at the beginning of the year. The last week of December I pulled out my new 2010 calendar and began entering my commitments – trainer for AssistU’s Virtual Training Program with 4 classes meeting each week for 20 weeks, weekly Praise Team and Choir rehearsals, meetings and commitments to the Women’s Ministry Team at my church and on and on. January began to quickly fill up, and I began to feel the pressure.  And then I received a very timely invitation from Stacy Brice to participate in 31 days of Self Care. Truthfully my reaction was mixed. I didn’t need another commitment and for 9 weeks! This may be just what I need to help me get back to living a high quality life and starting the year with a sense of control and focus.

So here I am… committed to focusing on my Self Care for 31 days. What is that going to look like? Well already I’m making a major commitment to my health. Heaven knows if nothing else, my back will appreciate that! (I’ll write more about that later too.) As I write this, I have a sense of excitement because I feel like I’ve given myself permission to do things for “me” – to focus on what brings me joy. Maybe it’s finishing the quilt I had hoped to have completed by this last Christmas, or setting aside time each day to read the books in my ever growing yet-to-read stack, or dedicating time just for my husband. Whatever it is, I know that the pleasure I derive will benefit those around me.

So I hope you will stick with me this month as I undertake this journey, and if you’d like to join me, please go to 31 days of Self Care. By the way, this concept of self care is the core of Cheryl Richardson’s Take Time for Your Life. It’s a life-changing book – one that begs to be read over and over.