Insist! 5 Things You Must Insist Upon to Get Off the Treadmill!

Insist is a powerful word. I don’t want you to hint, or recommend. I want you to insist! Be strong.

For you to get control of your own life, to get off that treadmill, you need to insist in five areas.

1. Insist on putting yourself first – This one is difficult for many of us. We usually put our families first. If you live for others, you will be tossed around by their needs and whims. If you don’t put yourself first you will never have control of your life. And you won’t be as happy as you could be for your family. Put yourself first – your health, your needs, your priorities, and your passions. By putting yourself first you are being a great model for others to live their lives to the fullest.

2. Insist on knowing your priorities – Spend time finding out what is important to you. Do you want to be a doctor, or was that someone else’s goal for you? Do you want to be an artist? What is important to you? My health became a priority after I had a brush with cancer. Don’t wait for something like this, determine what is important in your life and make the time for those things.

3. Insist on saying no to what is not a priority – Saying no is not easy. Your friends and family can be very good with guilt. But stick to your priorities, don’t spread yourself too thin. Letting go is difficult, but only when you clear away some of the old habits and time wasters will you have time for what is important in your life.

4. Insist on sticking to your path – You will be judged by others. Worrying about what they think is a waste of your valuable energies. Be clear with people on why you are doing, or not doing something. And then let them be. They will react, you can’t change that. So don’t worry about it! Be true to what you want from life.

5. Insist on being gentle with yourself – I am very hard on myself, I have high standards, I always think things should take considerably less time than they do. I need to remind myself to treat myself like I would treat a dear friend. Be gentle, be caring and be realistic.

If you insist in these five areas you will gain control over your time and your life. You can start living the life you were meant to life. Want more help? Read my life planning book: "Get Me Off the Treadmill!"

Photograph by Valerie MacLeod