THE NEARLY EMPTY CUP AND FULL PLATE

Posted on January 27, 2023 by Dan O'Rourke, One of Thousands of Health and Fitness Coaches on Noomii.

Many of us have heard the quote – “you can’t pour from an empty cup” and immediately thought, “that is definitely me.” You think about yourself and your nearly empty cup for all of five seconds, then focus on your full plate; the kids, your job, keeping up with the house, and balancing many other areas of life. You do so much to keep everyone and everything going while neglecting yourself. You’re smart enough to realize you need to be on your own “To Do” list but can’t imagine how that is even possible.

Answer this question – when you hear the word “investment” – what do you think of?
Are the things that come to your mind the stock market, real estate, your 401k, or cryptocurrency? While I support many of these types of financial investments, I am in the small percentage of people that think of personal growth and development when I hear the word “investment.”
I truly believe there is no greater investment than the one you make into yourself. When you invest in yourself you hedge against most scenarios, there are no losses, no inflation, you grow personally, and you fill your proverbial cup. While this is where you will enjoy the greatest rate of return, a very small percentage of people actually do it. And before we move further, please know that it is selfless, not selfish, to invest in yourself. You will be able to best impact and elevate others when you are operating at your optimal YOU. Investing in yourself benefits you, your family, your friends, your colleagues, those that you lead, and society as a whole.

Think about this – our country is incredibly unhealthy – we are more sedentary than we have ever been in history (our ancestors did not have cubicles, social media, or streaming devices), are approaching obesity rates of nearly 50%, and the life expectancy of Americans ranks close to 50 out of almost 200 countries. The Standard American Diet (or, SAD – how ironic) is awful for overall health, incredibly inflammatory, and a leading cause of many diseases and a shorter lifespan. Mental health needs have skyrocketed. People are addicted to negative news stories and unproductive social media habits. We don’t do as well as we can because we don’t feel as well as we can. Do you want to become healthier and happier, perform better at work, develop personally, combat the stress of daily life, or reach your peak potential? Invest in yourself. Fill your cup. You will likely never regret activities that enhance your mind, body, and spirit – things like eating healthier, learning methods to think more positively and clearly, exercising, or implementing healthy habits that lead to success.

For many parents out there, you may be thinking that you do not have the time to invest in yourself due to the “rat race” that is the new norm of daily life. I get it, we are busier now than ever. Many moms and dads wake up in a rush to get themselves ready, lunches packed, and kids to the bus or daycare. They work all day only to get home to take their kids to practices, rehearsals, classes, and other extracurricular activities. Countless parents eat their “dinner” in the car while driving from one practice to the next. By the time the day is over they are exhausted and have neglected their own needs for the needs of their kids; their needs were not on their “To Do” list. Don’t get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for parents who dedicate so much to their children – I do the same – but as the saying goes, “you can’t burn the candle at both ends.” Eventually, this lifestyle will catch up with anyone. If these parents continue to neglect themselves to take care of their kids, soon enough the kids will be the ones taking care of their parents.

Close your eyes and imagine your future self – are you on a path to be healthy, happy, and active when you are older? If so, your kids will thank you later for taking time now each day to invest in yourself. If not, it may be time to make some changes. While I suggest taking more than twenty minutes a day for yourself, consider this – if you invest even twenty minutes a day into things for YOU – you made yourself two hours and twenty minutes better at the end of the week, ten hours better at the end of the month, and five full days at the end of the year (120 hours)! Imagine what you could do in 120 hours – I bet your cup begins to fill.

There is no magic pill or one change that is going to make a huge difference. Focus on making incremental initial changes and you will notice small gains each day and larger gains over time. The key is discipline and consistency. I will detail these further in future articles, but consider some of these suggestions:
-improving your sleeping habits
-committing to eating healthier
-meditating
-walking
-staying hydrated
-resistance exercising
-reading books

If you haven’t started yet, that’s OK. If you don’t know where to start, that’s OK, too. There are coaches, like me, who specialize in working with you on your journey to be your best you!

The old saying goes “the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the next best time is now.” The same advice applies to filling your cup.