Do you ever catch yourself saying, “I don’t have time to __________ (insert an activity that you would really love to do – one that would nourish your soul)”?

If so, I call bull s*it.

I can say this because I have used that excuse and it just isn’t true! It is time to retire that phrase and make yourself a priority, because if you don’t, no one will.

So how do you do this?

Let’s re-visit habit #2 from Steven Covey’s, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

Habit #2 is about starting with the end in mind, something I bet most of us North Americans did weeks ago to plan for this last long weekend of summer.

Whether it was deciding to go to the cottage, going shopping to check out the new fall fashion or organizing your office to set yourself up for a kick ass fall, you knew what you wanted to accomplish well before the weekend and it probably included activities that make you feel alive and refreshed.

The result? A fulfilling long weekend and a nourished soul. You got filled up!

Imagine what it would feel like if you actually planned your weeks to include ‘me time’. Imagine now that you actually stuck to it. What would your life be like? How would you feel? When you stop saying “I don’t have time”, what would open up for you?

Long weekends should not be the only time we make space for doing things that fulfill us. Hate to say it, but life really is too short.

Your mission this week: Schedule your personal life. Yes, I am bringing a really left-brained activity to the fun side of life. Just for now, until…well, you get into the habit of it. In order to give to others, you need to fill up first. Repeat after me: Me first, you second, me first, you second…rinse and repeat.

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Seema Sodha