One thing that’s becoming clear to me at the moment is this idea of looking after yourself first. Seems conveniently selfish initially, but I tend to find messages that keep repeating themselves to me, might warrant further consideration.

One of the principles of first aid is to attend to yourself first and look for hazards to your own safety. Because let’s face it, rushing in, tripping up and knocking yourself unconscious ain’t gonna do anyone much good is it?

And when I started my life coaching training, the first (and hardest) module was all about assessing myself and applying the values of coaching to my own life.

This morning I joined The Money Gym (because I always had this feeling that there must be a much more sensible way of making money than simply to slog harder or for longer, and would love to be proved right!) and found myself reading about the idea of paying yourself first, which in my novice understanding is basically taking money regularly out of your pay packet to pay yourself first – to create the things we really want from money, like financial security and freedom – before paying everybody else, like Sainsbury’s, Starbucks, Shell, Superdrug, Sony, Sky�

Even a close friend of mine, who often puts herself out for others to a frightening degree, has found the first step of her church leadership training to be learning to first strengthen her own spirituality and relationship with God.

And actually it does make an awful lot of sense, because when you get your own house in order first, you’re coming from a place of greater strength, fulfilment and energy to back up your wider intentions.

What about you? In what areas of your life could you put yourself first? What difference would that make?