Taking Care of Myself

In my fast today, I asked the Lord to help me be a better servant. To know what I could do to be more effective in helping people around me, fulfilling my calling, being a student of life and a better friend. I went to sleep last night exhausted, but convinced that the Lord would help me find the answer.

This morning I slept through my alarm. 

I woke up to sunlight and knew I had missed the first of my meetings. A quick check of my phone revealed two things: 1 - It was definitely 8:10. 2 - I had somehow turned off the alarm in my sleep. Five minutes later I was out the door, dressed in a suit and tie, wondering if anyone would even still be there.

As I drove and shaved (electric razor - I'm not that crazy), the Lord had a candid conversation with me - one that had begun during my short morning prayer. 

"Mormon Guy, you want to be a better servant, right?" 

"Yeah. So I can be a better missionary and help the people around me."

"You need to take care of yourself, physically."

"But I don't have enough time. I don't have time to sleep right now - and people who need me are more important, right? I try to exercise and eat healthily, but it's hard. Things just chip away at my time. It's all I can do to stay spiritually strong. I read my scriptures every day, pray, and attend the temple. Where am I going to find more time?"

"You wanted the answer. You need to take care of yourself."

And then I realized why I had slept through my alarm.

I haven't been getting enough sleep lately. I don't have time to make healthy food. And I find myself working until 11:30 at night, then realizing that I never went to the gym and it just closed. It's time to reset my alarm clock - to re-prioritize my time.

The issue isn't just being able to accomplish everything in my life. In my mind, I still believe I'm Superman. The biggest issue is ensuring that I take time for myself, along with giving away my time to everyone around me. Sleep, healthy food, exercise, and time to relax. When I take the time, I'm able to be more effective and accomplish more.

So I made the promise. I'll get eight hours of sleep each night. I'll eat a healthy breakfast and make food to take with me for lunch each day. I'll exercise six times a week. I'll take time each day to relax and unwind - time when I pull myself away from the demands of life and can simply think about who I am and who I want to be. I promised to take better care of myself, and, in return, the Lord promised to help me become a better servant, a better friend, and a better son.