Happy You Year!
Good evening and welcome to my humble podcast abode. I am Cocoa Griot, a fifty-something who is so ecstatic to share my thoughts with you about life, love, and a host of other topics. It seems that I blinked and 2021 is just about done! This is the time of year when many people start to think about how they want to live differently in the new year than they did in 2021. I want to share a few plans on how to make 2022 Happy You Year! This topic came to me because so many of my friends are really not living for themselves. I have to beg them to do for themselves and it makes me sad. I believe you can make yourself a priority without neglecting the people you love. In fact, making yourself a priority will often improve your relationships with those you love. Three areas of life can make a huge difference in 2022 being Happy You Year.
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The first domain is time. Commit to giving yourself at least one uninterrupted hour of each day to do something you want to do! It could be reading, watching a tv program, exercising, writing, or any activity you enjoy. When I say one hour, I mean one solid hour! Do not bargain and take two thirty-minute sessions, or 4 15 minute sessions. You are totally worth taking at least one hour for yourself. This is something I do the first hour of the day upon waking. It is my time to meditate and be in tune with how I am feeling. Nothing can interrupt this time! It is my job to protect this time and honor it. In doing so, I feel that I am putting a down payment on an amazing day! There are times when I have had to wake up an hour earlier than I normally would in order to have this protected time. To be clear, this is the minimum you should give yourself each day. If you can find more time, that is wonderful.
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The second path to Happy You Year is developing a relationship with the word no. That’s right, learn to use this word without guilt. You have a right to refuse anything that compromises your peace, sanity, or financial health. When people call you and invite you into the latest chaos in their lives, you have a right to say no. Exit the conversation and focus on something positive that will help to lift your spirits. When people ask you to correct financial misdeeds they have made and funding them will make you financially vulnerable, say no. People often finance their wants and expect you to finance their needs. Sometimes you can say no without saying a word. Voicemail was invented for a reason. Allow people to go to voicemail if you don’t feel up to dealing with a conversation that you know will drain you. It is not a given that you have to respond to every text message you receive. Sometimes we are so caught up in being nice people that we are not nice to ourselves. We contort ourselves into incredibly uncomfortable positions to appease others. The irony is that we will cross oceans for people that would not hop over a puddle for us. Know your limits and respect them by using the word no when an occasion calls for it.
I am saving one of the most difficult habits to adapt for last. Do not argue with anyone! I am going to say that again. Do not argue with anyone. I struggle with this probably more than I should, but I am going to tell you how I get out of the you will hear my perspective zone. I have talked about this before and I want to reiterate the importance of respecting your truth. The core of many differences I have had with others is because I stopped respecting my truth and recognizing that others have their truth. When I respect and own my truth, I will not try to ram it down your throat. There is no need because I am comfortable with my own truth. When I make it my business to get you to honor my truth, I have lost sight of what really matters. I don’t have to fight about something that is my truth. The saddest thing in the world is to watch two people who are just going at it and neither person is listening to the other to understand. They are just listening to respond. I found myself in touch with an extremely rude Amazon customer service agent last week. When I felt myself about to just lay into the person, I stopped and just said, I was not familiar with the policy you are quoting, it has not been my experience in the past, but I am sure you know what is transpiring with this transaction. Thank you for your time. The rep ended up sending me an email and my return was processed in four days instead of fourteen. I had to just let go of the need to be right. My truth was that I had followed all of the proper steps to execute my return. There was nothing to be gained by arguing with that representative. This is just a simple example, but I was proud of myself for just trusting in the process and I didn’t expend unnecessary energy to prove a point.
How will you make 2022 Happy You Year? Think about making yourself a priority, learning to skillfully use the word no, and not wasting your precious energy on senseless bickering. These small suggestions are the equivalent of writing a love letter to yourself every day!
Thanks for listening this evening and I wish you good health, good fortune, and a goodnight. Happy You Year!
Cocoa Griot out!
"You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine." John C. Maxwell
