Earlier this week, I wrote a post about strengths and passions. This was in response to an opportunity I had to reflect the sentence stem: “I am at my best when…” As I have reflected more through participation in #IMMOOC this week, I have realized that in order to be in a place where my strengths and passions collide, I first need to make sure that I take care of myself.

This past summer, I had the opportunity to facilitate Dr. Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits Signature Training. Through this journey, I had many moments of reflection and discussions with colleagues about Habit 7, the final habit taught in the process, called “Sharpen the Saw.” In short, this habit means that we need to make time to invest in our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

This part of the training gets the least amount of time and almost seems like an afterthought. This is not saying anything negative about the training; however, it does seem par for the course. How often to we spend each day truly investing in ourselves? When we do invest in ourselves, do we feel guilt or shame? A few days ago, a friend said to me, “I’m a horrible mom. I just picked up my kids and now I’m dropping them off again so that I can workout.” I told her that in order for me to be the best for my kids, I need to take care of myself. Whether that is through a workout, or reading, or working, I need to have a daily dose of reminding myself that I am human and I have needs too. I plan for this time and am finally in a place where I can enjoy this time without guilt or shame. I encourage us all to support each other in this. Investing in ourselves allows us to bring our best for others!