Making decisions that put you first

Do you ever make decisions that put your needs last?

Between work calls, carpool schedules, piles of laundry and other stressors of life, we’re inundated with decisions every single day. 

But how often do you make a decision – only to realize that the choice you made wasn’t good for you?

• Overcommitting to social plans when deep down you’re already exhausted.

• Saying yes to work travel when you’d been eyeing those dates for a family vacation.

• Continuing to run errands until your list is checked off, even if you have to pee and just want to go home already (or is that just me?).

Here’s today’s life lesson – brought to you by valet parking!

Last week I was on the road for two days to facilitate an executive retreat in Washington, DC. As I prepared, packed and double checked my lists, I started to think about parking.

Specifically, I needed to figure out a way to unload all my supplies – which included enough flip charts, post-its, and custom worksheets for a small army… not to mention my big ol’ suitcase.

The easiest option would be to unload at the hotel and valet my car. But as I researched the hotel’s website, I learned that valet parking was almost $70/day. “Yikes,” I thought, “that’s a bit steep!” 

So I was intrigued when I saw the hotel also offered ‘self parking’ for a much smaller fee ($20/day). The only hitch? The self parking lot was 3 blocks away from the hotel.

I gotta admit: I wrestled with this one. Would you have, too? 

The “good girl” in me felt like I *should* self park. My rational, responsible brain just couldn’t get over how much cheaper it was! Was it “bad” to pay for valet? What would it say about me if I did?

I could feel my thoughts getting even more out of control as I stared at the map, trying to figure out how to make the self parking option work. I imagined the mechanics of unloading at the hotel, leaving my stuff with the bellman, driving through DC traffic, finding the lot, finding parking, walking back to the hotel, schlepping my stuff up to my room…

Lemme tell you… just thinking about the logistics exhausted me!

I paused, and noticed how wound up I felt about it. I gave myself some time and space to think about my options. 

And then it hit me: 

Choosing to pay less for parking also meant choosing to sacrifice.

Sacrificing my ease.

Sacrificing my energy.

Sacrificing my focus.

Sacrificing my time.

Sacrificing myself.

And so, I decided to choose me.

This story isn’t about whether valet is better than self parking. It’s not about what’s worth spending money on, or what’s the best way to solve this logistics challenge.

It’s about pausing to consider which choice will actually be best for you.

Today, get curious about the decisions you make that feel “right” but that don’t actually support you. 

Maybe they’re about money or time, and how you spend it (or don’t). Maybe they’re about important projects and what you say yes (or no) to.

Then ask yourself: 

What decision would I make if I was only choosing what’s best for me? 

Is your answer what you’d expect? 

Here’s to making decisions in service of YOU. 

Onward,

PS: Being inundated with decisions – and making choices that go against your needs and best interests – is a big part of what I call ‘Living Strenuously.’ 

And it has to stop! 

If you'd like to learn how to stop living strenuously, and start making decisions that are right for you, get in touch. I’m booking workshops and speaking engagements for early 2025 and would love to share my tips and tools with you and your community!