I have a habit of putting everyone I know before myself and my own needs. I’m not necessarily saying that this is a bad thing. I’d actually even go as far as to say that it’s one of my better qualities. However, there comes a point where it all gets a bit too much and you have to start thinking of yourself and what you need, for a change.
This starts
in 2017 for me.
I’m going
to travel around Europe as much as I possibly can in 2017. I’ve sacrificed a lot of
things over the last few years of my life; most of these things, I’m okay with.
I’m not okay with the travel I’ve missed out on. A lot of it was fear of the
unknown: I’m okay with the unknown, now. I have a weekend in Paris with one of
my closest friends planned for the beginning of February and then a little
semi-solo trip to the South of France planned for the end of the month. I’ve
booked a flight out to a city on one side of France and then the Eurostar back
from Paris at the end of the week with a stop off in a Southern city halfway
between. That’s as far as I know so far. I’m buying a rail pass for the week,
booking into the nicest looking cheap hostels I can find and praying for the
bloomin’ best. I also have the opportunity to meet up with a very old, very
close friend of mine who’s now living down in London. It’s been about a year
since I last saw him so I’m really excited to have a much needed catch-up.
I’m going
to stop saying yes to things to please others. The amount of times that I’ve
done something that I don’t want to do over the last few years because SOMEONE
ELSE wanted me to do it is alarming. I’m going to stop feeling guilt-tripped
into taking on extra shifts when I’m exhausted after a 60-hour week. I’m going
to stop agreeing to meet up with people who don’t replicate the effort that I
put in. I’m going to stop feeling guilty for doing things that make me happy.
I’m going
to stop hiding my hobbies and the things that I’m good at. Until last month,
very few people were even aware of the writing work that I do; work that pays a
good amount each month and leaves me feeling the most fulfilled. If I achieve
something worthwhile and worth sharing, I’m going to share it and stop worrying
about what other people will think or say. My achievements deserve to be acknowledged
and acknowledged they will be.
I’m living
for me, and me alone.
That is my 2017 resolution.
That is my 2017 resolution.
