I talked to a friend the other day about eating healthy and exercising and getting into better habits. She asked me if I had any self-care non-negotiables. When I looked at her with a blank stare, she started to explain.
She has 5 non-negotiables that she does every day. They include exercising for 30 minutes, writing in her journal, not eating sugar, and working on her business. She checks them off each day as she does them. If something isn’t done towards the end of the day, she makes sure to do it.
“What a great idea!” I thought. Immediately my mind started spinning, and I was coming up with all kinds of self-care non-negotiables I would like to be doing.
If this is new to you too, let’s start from the beginning.
The definition of non-negotiable is something that is not open to discussion or modification. It is a fact, and it will be done no matter what.
For non-negotiables to be effective, they have to follow your own values and principles. Otherwise, it will be too easy to skip them. They need to be promises that you will keep to yourself. Nothing and nobody can get in your way.
They can’t be things you think you should be doing; they have to be actions you want to do.
Simple, healthy practices that you commit to every day.
For example, if you want to get in shape, moving your body for 30 minutes a day would be a good non-negotiable. Or, if you want to eat healthy, cutting out sugar or dairy, or meat might be what you do. If you want to have more time with your spouse and family, take care of your skin, keep your mind active, get more sleep, be a better friend or declutter your house, there is something you can do every day to achieve that.
Remember these self-discipline tips?
- Self-discipline is the number one trait needed to accomplish goals, lead a healthy lifestyle, and ultimately be happy.
- Success comes from the actions you take consistently, and self-discipline allows you to do that.
- It’s a learned behavior and requires practice and repetition in your day to day life.
Give those actions and behaviors a name, and don’t let anything stand in your way!
Before I give you a list of possible non-negotiables, here are a few things to think about.
Think about how you will feel when your new habits become a part of your life. Let that serve as motivation. When you make this commitment every day, you reinforce the idea that you are worth the time to make the most of your life.
I love this affirmation I read on Kelsey Aida’s blog,
“I intend to do this beneficial thing no matter what because that’s how important feeling good is to me.”
You fill in what the beneficial non-negotiable thing is and write that down every day! You might even change the feeling to make it more personal to you.
Feel free to start with just one for a few weeks and then add on. If you start with too many, it will be easier to stop.
Decide for yourself what length of time you will commit to your non-negotiables. Maybe it is 30 days, 6 months, one year, or even just one week. You can start small and keep going until it is fully ingrained as a non-negotiable.
Write down your goals, and then think of what small things you could do every day to achieve them.
I know that my self-care non-negotiable practice will include:
- Write for my blog 30 minutes a day
- Read for 30 minutes a day
- Write in my journal
- Exercise for 30 minutes a day
- Eliminate a food group or sugar (still working that one out)
I keep this list in my planner and make a check every morning of the non-negotiables I achieved.
I created a checklist for you to keep track of yours as well, along with a list of these non-negotiable ideas. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up for the password to my Resources page. You will find this PDF in the Self Care section.
Self-Care Non-Negotiables Ideas
Meditate for 5-10 minutes a day
Glass of lemon water each morning
Exercise for 30 minutes
No alcohol
Write down 3 things you are grateful for every day
Cook one meal at home every day
Read for 30 minutes
No sugar
Get up 30 minutes earlier to do one of your other non-negotiables
Take a walk
Do a daily facial
Drink a cup of tea
Floss twice a day
Eat a vegetable
Write for 30 minutes
Listen to music
Watch a TED talk
Stretch
Walk 10,000 steps
Answer a journal prompt
Eat a piece of fruit
Stay off social media after 7:00 pm and do something creative
No caffeine
Log what you eat each day
Get 7-8 hours of sleep
No working on weekends
Having dinner with your spouse
No complaining
Clean the kitchen every night
No credit card use
Do not swear
What other self-care non-negotiables can you think of? Once you have mastered a couple, add a few more. Soon you will be making the most of your life the way you want to live!
As a journal and planning nerd, I’m excited to start tracking this! I’m also excited to see how fast I can reach some of my goals! Once I can stick with this for a few weeks, my confidence and self-discipline will improve, and that will help me keep going.
Don’t forget the self-care non-negotiable tracker on my Resources page! You will find it under Self Care.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE MARVELOUS RESOURCE LIBRARY
I’d love to hear if you start a practice of self-care non-negotiables! How does it make you feel?
“Ten years from now, make sure you can say you chose your life; you didn’t settle for it.”
“It is OK to live a life that others don’t understand.”
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