Treating yourself with the respect you deserve

Well, it is almost the end of 2009 - it is finally hitting me! Looking back, I realise that I have accomplished quite a lot of what I wanted this year (erm, learning Mandarin?). I also realise that another year has passed and there have been a lot of things that I could have done to treat myself better over time.

How often have you told yourself, "just one more hour in the office to get this done" and ended up staying well past that time working? Or have you had a small project you've wanted to finish but put it off and off until you will finally have that 'one free afternoon'?

The truth is, that the more we do, the more to-do's we end up with.

I have definitely learned to treat myself with a lot more respect in 2010 - there were many emails that I wanted to send, letters and cards to write, business ideas to work on and photos to develop in 2009 that I just never got to. When I treat myself better next year, I will surely make more time every day to fit these things in until waiting for 'one free chunk' of time.

I am really learning my lesson now, as I near the two year mark in my current apartment. I have really lived with things these last few years that didn't make me happy - a flimsy couch, shoddy kitchen cabinets that practically beckoned ants to come live inside and a generally disorganised space that I just 'put up with' because I kept thinking I didn't know when I would move out.

Well, it turns out that you never can predict what will happen, and my two years will now turn into three as things settle down at work. It wasn't until today, when we finally unwrapped our brand new couch and sat down on its plump cushions did it sink in that I had been depriving myself out of nothing more than fear - the fear of the unknown in the future; not knowing how long I would stay, but more not knowing where I would be going if I didn't.

Now that the catalyst has begun, I know that finding joy in coming home after a long day of work and having a comfortable place to rest is of a huge value to me. It means I am treating myself with the respect I deserve. Whatever this may embody, be it a physical item, action or thought...these small things add value to our quality of life.

Be able to recognise these things that make you happy - and keep on doing them!