Friends! I hope you had a wonderful summer and are off to an excellent September! I’m excited to share all the fun we’ve been having this summer since I’ve genuinely had an exciting time playing and constructing it. And being in such a creative groove for the past few months made me reflect on a key question that I’ve forgotten when I got so busy doing and working:
How often do you do things for yourself versus for others?
Take a moment to really take a step back, scan your daily routine, and think about this. From the moment you wake up, power through your work routines, when you have a meal, and by the time you wrap up your day… how often do you get to be you? Not by your title, your role, but solely you? And how often do you get to do something for yourself?
Our natural reaction is to say, “I’m too busy and don’t have time,” or even, “that’s rather selfish! I should be serving others”. But this is an important question since how we feel about our job, days, and how we show up to everything we do is influenced by who we do it for and how often we do it!
Close your eyes and recall the last time you indulged yourself in something that felt like a treat.
Was it the delicious meal you took time to enjoy during your lunch hour or that stroll? Was it the time when you were in a creative groove, and you were so energized by it that you forgot about the passing of time?
Are you in the flow only for other people or for yourself too? What would it look like to design your days so you can be who you want to be, every day?
I want to challenge us to ask ourselves, ‘what is something I can do for myself every day’ because as we return to the offices, jobs, and schools, it’s important that we carve out time to ground ourselves so we make time to… just live.
We don’t know what we don’t know. But it sure feels nice to do at least do one thing for myself and doing so every day will make that journey more fun.
We’re human beings, not machines.
Go and be you today. And every day.
With love,
Founder & CEO, InnovatorsBox
About the Author
Monica H. Kang
Monica H. Kang, Founder, and CEO of InnovatorsBox® and Author of Rethink Creativity is transforming today’s workforce through the power of creativity. She helps companies rethink culture, leadership, and team development by making creativity practical and relatable regardless of industry or job title. She has worked with clients worldwide including Fortune 500 companies, higher education, government, and nonprofits. Monica’s work has been recognized by The White House, Ashoka Changemakers, National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), and Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Prior to InnovatorsBox®, Monica was a nuclear nonproliferation policy expert. She holds an M.A. from SAIS Johns Hopkins University in Strategic Studies and International Economics and a B.A. from Boston University.
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