If you are like me, you worry a little about stretching the dollar during the holidays. Of course, as has always been the case no matter where I have worked in education, my December paycheck has arrived the last day before vacation in December. This is great, for Christmas shopping of course, but then the extra week on the other end seems like a small eternity until payday at the end of January. It is what is it though and over the years I am becoming much better at planning ahead for this.
So let’s talk about the concept of pay for a bit if we can. The word itself, is used in dozens of phrases by each of us. Some examples are: paycheck, pay raise, down payment, pay hike, pay period, pay through the nose, payroll, payroll deduction, pay grade, pay back, pay as you go, pay out of pocket, pay the penalty, pay tribute, pay off, pay your dues, pay respect, price to pay, pay the piper, pay dirt, pay attention, pay the consequences, pay your own way, pay up and pay it forward.
Here’s what I want to know: what are we all doing to pay ourselves-with fair and just compensation for all of our hard work, at work, at home and for our community? (And, I am not taking necessarily about money-compensation.) I am asking the question: How often do we put ourselves first when it comes to creating a small slush fund that isn’t just for emergencies, but for things such as date night with our special someone? And what about making sure we aren’t always last, overlooked or forgotten in general… what about paying ourselves with a little ME time.
I hear some of you saying, you just can’t spare the time-even a few minutes and that you truly have no free time at all. Well, let’s do the math. There are 24 hours in a day. Therefore, one hour equals just over 4 percent of a day. A half hour is a smidge over 2 percent. And a mere fifteen minutes is pretty much just 1 percent of our day. So why then do we often utter that we just don’t have the time? Seriously, when I hear myself say that, I almost want to slap myself. Yes, I do have six children, and all their activities, interests and “stuff” as well as bunches of laundry and dishes plus a fulltime job. However, despite my busy and hectic schedule, I can and should give myself a little me time. I am definitely worth 1, 2 or 4 percent. We all are.
I realize I can’t get more than 24 hours to my day and I do need some sleep for the sake of survival, but there are minutes I can grab onto or repurpose every day. I just need to be creative. I can fold the laundry while my small children read their nightly reading to me. I can do the dishes while having a conversation with one of my older children. Capturing these small minutes of time and banking them can add up to an extra half hour. This half hour of banked time would absolutely be enough time to grab a quick workout, read a chapter, watch a movie (skipping commercials), enjoy a bubble bath, or whatever else I might want to do. And by nabbing up small bits of time, I can still get to bed on time and I can do something besides complain that I didn’t have enough time.
I remind myself that Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., Ghandi, Oprah, Ellen, or whoever you admire for the things they have done; they only have 24 hours in their days as well. They had or have the same amount of time that I do, to work on accomplishing great things for others and themselves. Think about it.
One last pay thing: Don’t forget to pay yourself some compliments once in a while. We are all so good at praising others yet finding faults with ourselves. Praising others is awesome and imperative however, it’s OK to praise yourself. It’s OK that you are not perfect – no one is. It’s OK that you didn’t get everything done you wanted to get done today. Doing your absolute best is enough. Remember, you are not insignificant. There will always be someone out there that needs what you have to give.
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