Why am I spending my own money to go on a solo bachelorette party? Because I deserve it.
For years, even after I paid off my debts, I felt like I could never treat myself to anything "big" because I needed to focus on "more important" things like retirement, a home downpayment, or even just groceries for the family.
As I continued to ignore my current needs to focus on things for other people, I felt my energy being depleted. I think as women we are all too familiar with the idea that we're here to serve, but we need to start investing in ourselves just as much as we invest in others.
Why women need to put themselves first
Every time I talk about my solo bachelorette party, my comments get flooded with women saying how this is inspiring them to take a solo day/trips for themselves and that's exactly what I wanted.
We do enough for other people, so let's start prioritizing ourselves. This doesn't make us selfish.
When our batteries are at 100%, we're able to give more of ourselves to other things in our lives without sacrificing our sanity and happiness.
Putting yourself first teaches people how to treat you
The most important reason you need to start caring for yourself is that it sends a message to others on how they should treat you.
If you're constantly disrespecting yourself and walking over your own boundaries, how could anyone else respect your boundaries?
Putting your own finances in order
There are other areas of your life where you should put yourself first, and one of those includes your finances.
It might feel selfish, but you need to make sure your own house is in order before you can run out and save the world.
If you're drowning in debt, how can you possibly help your family or close friends?
When you are financially stable, you're able to give more attention, focus, and sometimes even cash to the people around you without worrying if you can pay your bills next month.
Our emotional and physical banks are the same. When they're depleted, there's nothing left to give.
You set your own standards
Going on a solo bachelorette party is certainly not "the norm". However, when you put yourself first and start to get in touch with what matters to you, you don't care about what other people think about your choices.
Even when it came to paying off my six-figure debt, a ton of people had their opinions on how I should go about it.
If I had listened to everyone else, I might have spent more time than needed debating my options instead of just diving in to pay it down.
Investing in yourself prevents burnout
Since 52% of workers are reported feeling burned out, it's more important than ever before to take care of ourselves.
Don't get me wrong, a simple face mask isn't the solution to dealing with a dead-end job, a questionable economy, or socioeconomic stress.
However, making sure you're doing things like getting enough sleep instead of doom-scrolling on TikTok will give you the energy to help your situation and get involved politically and in your community.
You decide what matters in your life
YOU are the only person who should be deciding what your priorities are and what matters most to you.
When you're filling your own bucket, it's so much easier to hit your goals and start to see change in your life.
If you give all of your energy and focus to other people, at the end of the day you're going to end up with an empty bucket. That's where burnout, bad decisions, and other traps prevent you from reaching your goals.