Last week I shared about an experience of giving to others, today I want to share about an experience of giving to myself. I decided to gift myself with a trip to Bali for my birthday since it was going to be a powerful date (9/9/09!). It has been an incredible journey full of relaxation, adventure, and discovery. Leaving work for two weeks and taking an international trip on my own was definitely a stretch on many levels in terms of self-giving. I came up with lots of reasons why I shouldn’t take this trip while I was considering it, but some part of me kept whispering, “go.” So I saved, budgeted, researched and planned.

I write this update to you from a small café in Ubud, drinking from a coconut and overlooking a beautiful rice field after taking a yoga class in a gorgeous open air pavilion. After this I’m headed out for a $7 massage. Yes, I am glad I listened to the whisper.

My encouragement to you today is to give to yourself – but give to yourself in a way that deeply nourishes you. It does not have to be extravagant, simple things go a long way when you actually make the time for them. Think outside the box of rewarding yourself with the usual suspects like clothes or food. How can you give to yourself in a way that truly adorns your spirit and feeds your soul? Whether your birthday is tomorrow or 11 months from now, what would be the greatest gift you could give to yourself today? Even if you have to stretch a little to do it – trust me, you’re worth it.

Fondly,
Christine

“Stressed souls need the reassuring rhythm of self-nurturing rituals.”
– Sarah Ban Breathnach

“Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin
As self-neglecting.”
-William Shakespeare