Spoil yourself 1

What? Yes, you’ve heard it right. I’m asking you to spoil yourself! But it’s not as easy as you might think!

I grew up in a very rigid catholic rural environment and leaned, that I have to work and achieve before I’m allowed to rest. So I often don’t allow myself to get spoiled, because I haven’t worked hard enough, or because the results are not as good as I hoped for, or the house is not cleaned yet, or because the hedges in the garden have to be pruned first, or because of many other reasons.

I don’t ask you to ignore your duties and obligations. But once in a while you just need a break, what evern duties or obligations are still waiting.And this break can best be taken by spoiling yourself, by spoiling the inner child in yourself. Go and play ball with your children or get the great colored pencils you fancy. For me it works, when I go to the bar around the corner with a book to enjoy a cup of fresh mint tea. Baking cakes works too, or start knitting the scarf you always wanted to knit, or visit a church just to listen to the silence, or take a stroll along the riverside.

You know best how you really can spoil yourself. And it’s always different than how you are supposed to act. All feelings of duty or obligations are opposite of spoiling yourself. Spoiling is like playing, just for fun, and often it’s supposed to be silly. So please don’t care that others might think that you have become crazy, they all have their own silly ways of spoiling themselves, if they would allow it to themselves.

It’s important that you take all the time you need. And than it doesn’t need to be fancy or expensive. And it works in funny ways, because during these moments of spoiling ourselves we often get the greatest idea’s and lots of inspiration. Because it’s playful and not dominated by duties or obligations.

Summer has arrived in the Netherlands, and I’ll spoil myself this long weekend by enjoying it as it comes, and maybe take a terrace outside, with a book and a great cup of organic green tea. And next week I’ll work out the great ideas that will come to me this weekend.