Thanksgiving is a time of reflection for those you are thankful for and appreciate. But what about yourself? Be thankful and appreciative of yourself as well for always supporting yourself. You are the only person who can support yourself the best and know exactly what you need – or if you don’t, you’re the only one that can figure it out.

I have been living on my own (as in, out of my parent’s house) for nine years now. I have been financially supporting myself (for the most part) for the past 5 years. For the past nine years, it has been a tough journey to figure out what I need to support myself without my parent’s help. Each day I am learning how to support my best self. I am learning what doesn’t work for me, exploring what might work for me, and continuing my rituals of what does work for me. Of course, there are days that I don’t always do what I should do, which is okay. I have learned that I don’t always need to put 100% every day. My best self is not going to be there if I’m exerting myself 100% every single day. Some days I put in 110%, some days I do the bare minimum. I am still learning how to balance everything, but I’m learning which is the most important part.

Life is short. I’d rather spend my time learning about myself and cultivating my best self than killing myself for a career, doing everything for everybody I can, or pleasing everyone around me.

The most important person in your life is you.