A Gift to Self
A gift to self is a gift made “For Me By Me.” It is a gift that only you possess and only you can give to yourself. This is a gift that no one else could ever guess as something you need. Heck, you might not even know it is something you desire. Yet, it is something that you will ultimately strive to obtain. It is something you deeply hope for and wish to fulfill.
We tend to look outside of ourselves to fulfill a need within ourselves. For example, when we hang out with friends or with a loved one, might our desire be to seek love, compassion, or companionship. You might walk your dog or cuddle with your cat to fulfill those very same needs. You might join a gym or an exercise class to fulfill your need for wellness. Maybe you go to church for your spiritual well being or engage in volunteer work for contribution or so you have a sense of purpose. Or you immerse yourself in your work or in becoming a subject matter expert by going to school seeking to fulfill a desire for accomplishing, recognition, and value.
These are all perfectly fine and dandy means of getting a need met; however they may be temporary. Meaning they are simply strategies we employ from time to time when we feel a certain kind of way. When you take away the tangible ‘thing’ you are doing, you are left with the quality of a bottom line need that we all desire for ourselves; and that is, love, compassion, companionship, health, wellness, contribution, purpose, accomplishment, recognition, value, amongst many others. These bottom line needs are what I am referencing as the gift to give to yourself. How do I do that you might ask?
A phrase I recently heard was, “All I have is all I need.” And, “All I need is all I have.” You have everything you need to gift to yourself those bottom line needs. For example, let’s say you mesmerize yourself with artwork. You might experience peace, awe and joy. Let’s say you are alone and you are listening to music, you might sing along, you might even dance in fulfillment of a need for fun, freedom, and passion. You might indulge in the comfort of a good book, a glass of tea or cup of hot chocolate for tranquility, connection to self, or rejuvenation.
The key here is to be comfortable looking within yourself to identify your needs and use a strategy that only involves you in fulfilling that need. For my Christ-following friends and me this would look like first turning to God to fulfill our deepest desires. After we sense our needs met in Him, we then employ strategies for ourselves before we look to any other to fulfill our needs. So my point here is to consider the order in which we seek to take care of our desires.
As the year, 2021, comes to a close, take a moment to consider your deepest aspirations. Consider the resolution that no one can completely give to you that which you hope for. And, take the time to indulge in the gift ‘For You By You.’
Photo by Ekaterina Shevchenko on Unsplash