“If you want freedom, set clear boundaries.”
I’m not making a political statement; I’m talking about you.
Last week I spoke to a group of volunteer leaders for Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, and a woman said her biggest take away was my phrase “if you want freedom, set clear boundaries.”
The women I spoke to were volunteers, women who, without pay and with little thanks, give what they can to an organization that means a lot to them. They’re a lot like you, I imagine.
They’ve got jobs, families, tons of responsibility, and a heart that wants to give.
They give, and they give, and they give. They’re passionate, they’re driven, and they’re tired.
I’ve been there. I’ve stretched myself so thin trying to be everything to everybody. I’ve tried to make others happy by being the person who always shows up and never disappoints. I don’t do it anymore.
If you’re always showing up for other people, when do you have time to show up for yourself? What happens when, inevitably, you disappoint someone, and that someone is you?
You want self-care?
Set boundaries.
Period.
Then you’ll have the freedom to do what you need to do, to be who you need to be, for the people who need it most, including yourself.
PS
My thanks to Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority for inviting me to be a part of their Volunteer Leadership Institute.