This past year involved many “firsts” for all of us. Right? For me, among other things, that included trading my car in for one in my favorite color. And, I got personalized license plates.
In the past, I’d talked myself out of getting a blue car because I told myself it was frivolous. In addition, I’d assumed personalized plates were expensive and had trouble justifying them for myself – even though I’d never looked into the cost. As it turns out, it’s a nominal expense. However, that’s not the point.

I now see that I was denying something I’d always wanted because of negative self-talk and assumptions that were wrong. (Trust me, that wasn’t a first for me!) Do you ever do the same?

Unfortunately, we’ve been led to believe that self-care is selfish. Actually, the reverse is true; it’s selfish to deny taking care of our wants and needs, for it greatly diminishes our ability to be a blessing to others.

Never forget that God didn’t tell us to love our neighbors INSTEAD of ourselves. Right? We can’t truly love others if we’ve not first learned to love ourselves.

Every time I see what I now call my “pretty blue car,” it’s a reminder to pay attention to my wants and needs, and to sometimes put myself first. Plus, my license plates are a great reminder to live wholeheartedly; to be fully present, loving God, myself and others with all my heart.

What you want – big or small – doesn’t have to be what others want. What’s important, is to determine what YOU want, and if at all possible, to pursue whatever that is. Invest the time, energy and money to pursue the desires of your heart, because you’re DEFINITELY worth investing in!

How are you putting yourself first, so you can live your best life and be a blessing to others?