Living Life as a Teacup

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others. ~ Maya Angelo

I’m sure you are thinking . . . Living Life as a Teacup?  What does that mean?  Stick with me and I’ll explain. 

Do you find yourself in a place of helping others?  Many of you naturally help others in your family.  You may help people in your line of work.  Perhaps you volunteer.  Maybe you are the one everyone goes to because they know you will get done whatever needs to get done!

Some days it may seem like all you do is take care of your children or do things for your spouse or partner.  Then there are those of you who are taking care of ill parents.  What about all the people at work or in your community that you help?  The list goes on and on as to all the people in your life that you are helping on a daily basis.  

I am amazed at all that you do to help others!  We certainly need that in the world perhaps more than ever.  And yet, at what expense to yourself are you helping others?

Don’t get me wrong.  I feel it is important to help others!  We certainly need to be helping each other during these unprecedented times. 

I would ask you to pause reading this for a minute though, and ask yourself when was the last time you took care of yourself.  Yes, you.  When was the last time you did something for YOU?  If the answer is yesterday, I congratulate you!  If you can’t remember when was the last time you did something for you, then let’s look at that.  

I can hear what you are thinking or saying.  “I don’t have time to do anything for me because I’m so busy taking care of my child or my mother or I’m working 10-hour shifts.”  I understand you are busy and have responsibilities. Maybe it is time to look at that list of responsibilities and see if you need to change some of the priorities.

You must be your #1 priority!  You can’t be second or tenth on your list of priorities.  If you don’t take care of you, how can you take care of anyone else?  As you continue giving and doing, at some point your body or mind will say “enough is enough”!  You will be forced to stop to take care of you.  

Now would be a good time to get back to the teacup.  I use to say “You need to fill your cup up first and then let the extra overflow to others.”  When you are filled with energy, good health and a positive attitude, then you can share the excess with others.

Then I spoke with a very wise person who said to me that I give so much to others that I need to serve others from my “saucer”.  I didn’t know what she meant.  She explained that I need to think of myself as a beautiful teacup sitting on a saucer. 

She told me that I could fill my cup up first and then let the excess spill over to the saucer.  And the excess in the saucer is what I was to give to others.  Not a continual flow out of my cup to others that I constantly had to keep flowing.

Some of you may feel this is selfish or you can’t do this.  When you take care of you, it helps everyone around you.  You are a better mother or spouse or son or co-worker.  Think what this world would be like if we each took care of ourselves!

I challenge you to find a way to give to yourself first before others.  It would be ideal if you could do something every day but if that seems too big of a challenge, then do at least one thing this week for you.  If you feel in your busy life that it is impossible to find time in the day for yourself, then get up 30 minutes early, take 30 minutes during your lunch hour or 30 minutes before you go to bed. 

Make yourself a priority!  You matter and you are deserving of it.  If you don’t do it for you, who will? 

Time to become the teacup, fill your cup up first and let the excess flow into your saucer.  Do it for you.  Do it for everyone in your life.

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