I’ve written my fair share of blogs about self-care or self-fulfillment, particularly as it  relates to women and have found that even though WE talk a good game, most women–typically place ourselves last on our to-do lists. Nightly schedules filled with dance and soccer practices, weekends filled with birthday parties and play dates, the responsibility we feel to others is endless.

But what does it truly mean to honour our ourselves? In many ways, the central philosophy of Eat Pray Love, is embedded in a “me-first” kind of attitude—without feeling any guilt or shame. It’s about self-fulfillment, self-discovery and more importantly self-acceptance.

The Transformational Journey To Finding One’s Self…

Personal growth and development is a transformational process, in which improvements are made in our physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, social, and/or financial states. This processes is often triggered by an important life event that inspires us to improve and empower ourselves by discovering where our full potential lies. The result is a more satisfying and meaningful life, which is evident in our relationships, self-image and self-confidence.

I had my own Eat. Pray. Love. moment when I decided to leave my career as a teacher back in 2012. As much as I enjoyed working with kids, I felt unfulfilled, unchallenged and if we’re being totally honest– a little bit depressed. Even though I was scared and a little bit unsure, I decided to choose possibility over comfort and haven’t looked back ever since.The decision to choose my own happiness over societal ideals, helped shape my understanding of what it really meant to put oneself first. Often times we mistakenly think of self-understanding as self-indulgence rather than a means of self-discovery. The greatest and most important adventure of our lives is discovering who we really are. And that can’t be realized if we spend every second of everyday planning our lives around weekend weddings, hockey practices, birthday parties, baby showers, bridal showers and so on.

Whereas finding yourself may sound like an inherently self-centered goal, it’s actually an unselfish process that is at the root of everything we do in life. In order to be the most valuable person to the world around us, the best partner, parent etc, we have to first know who we are and what we want. It is a process that involves breaking down – shedding layers that do not serve us in our lives and don’t reflect who we really are. Yet, it also  recognizing who we want to be and passionately going about fulfilling our unique destiny – whatever that may be. It’s a matter of recognizing our personal power, yet being open and vulnerable to our experiences. It isn’t something to fear or avoid. So, my challenge to you this weekend, is to take your own Eat. Pray. Love moment or two. Take 24-48 hours of complete alone time to rediscover who you are in the absence of your kids, partner, family and friends. Write in your journal, go for a hike and explore nature. I guarantee you’ll begin to feel more self-actualized.