How Much of Yourself are You Sacrificing?
3 Ways to take back control of your life
How much are you going to give of yourself before you realize there needs to be something left for you? How much will you sacrifice before you understand that you are weakening your core? How many attacks will you weather before you say enough is enough?
As long as you let others use you, they will. To move beyond that, you have to decide you are important enough to be your own top priority. If you let others use and abuse you, they will. Happily continue to do so. They will take advantage of your kindness. They will take your money and steal your time.
Here are some ways to reclaim control of your life:
- Set ground rules
- Let your no be no
- Be true to your own ideal, goals, and ambitions
Setting ground rules and living by them is difficult. Doing so means that you have pride in yourself. You are important enough to be prioritized over the wishes and desires of others. Think of these principles as your line in the sand. If others do not respect you enough to give you space to live by your rules, they certainly will not be people you will want on your side when things get tough.
Your ground rules also help you create more structure in your life. For example, a rule like: I will be in bed before midnight helps you set an end-of-day routine that can declutter your mind and aid good sleep. Personal ground rules, such as I won’t speculate on what others are thinking or feeling and I won’t gossip, provide a foundation of trust in yourself and an air of confidence to the outside world.
When you say no, there will be pushback. Stay firm and let your no be no. Saying no and standing on your principles will enhance your confidence. It will let others know you have boundaries and that they can’t push you around.
One of my greatest strengths is also my greatest weakness. That is being nice. Being kind helps me to quickly start relationships and get things moving. However, it also leads to others taking advantage of me, or them being complacent because they know I will help move things forward. Having a set of ground rules that I will not bend on helps me to say no.
The final way to take back control of your life is to be true to your ideals, goals, and ambitions. As a reader of Medium, you are driven. You have goals and ambitions to achieve. As you work towards them, you will encounter many roadblocks and detours. Those are not signs you should give up. Instead, they are lessons you must endure to progress on your journey and reach the summit of success.
Others will dismiss your ambitions as unimportant, or worse a waste of time. You, however, know better. Don’t listen to those doubters. When someone tells you no, find another route to solve the problem. You are capable of achieving significant things. You need to believe in yourself and step up to life’s challenges.
Instead of looking for reasons not to do something, embrace the challenge and consider what working through the challenge will bring. The challenges we face are preparing us for something greater. Embrace the challenges and expand your potential.
Setting ground rules. Letting your no be a no. And staying true to your ideals, goals, and ambitions will strengthen your foundation, enhance your confidence, and allow you to achieve what others thought impossible. Now, go out and make your own miracles. One day and challenge at a time. I believe you can do it.
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