Date Yourself

July 2, 2012 in Creativity, Dreams, Life, Quick Reads with 27 Comments

Photo by Sharla Sava (Creative Commons)

You need to go on a date.

Seriously, you do.

Regardless of your relationship status, you need to spend some time getting to know you.

Go for a walk in the park.

Take a drive.

Gaze at the stars.

Visit a coffee shop.

Do something you’ve been wanting to do.

Or something you have not done in a while but would like to do.

And do it by yourself.

You are CONSTANTLY changing and growing everyday.

Set aside some time aside specifically for your date, and focus on some “you time”.

 

When is the last time you just spent some time by yourself doing something you wanted to do?

If you do this from this post, please share what you did in the comments. I’d LOVE to hear what you did and how it went.

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  • http://aglowingember.blogspot.ca/ Carolynn Anctil

    I’ve always enjoyed my own company and, in fact, alone time is integral to maintaining my peace of mind.  If I don’t spend some time in quiet solitude on a regular basis, I tend to get twitchy.  I think it’s a much overlooked ingredient for good mental health in this fast pasted age where information and noise is a constant. 

    The last time I intentionally took myself on a date was when my husband went out of town to work.  I lit candles, made a nice dinner, put fresh cut flowers on the table and let Nora Jones serenade me.  It was pure bliss.

    I’m visiting from Jeff Goin’s blog.  I like your style.  

    I AM a Writer and an Artist.  

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  • http://bestoked.blogspot.com Luke Stokes

    Surfing. Every time I get in the water, it’s some serious “me time” that reconnects me with who I am. Having lived in Nashville for the last 6 years, I’ve been missing a part of myself. Like an arm that’s just gone… it’s nice to get a part of me back.

    Knowing yourself is key to knowing how you can be used by your Author to make a difference in the world.

    • http://unknownjim.com/ Jim Woods

      I TOTALLY understand Luke. Sounds like you need to spend some time at one of the lakes when you get back to Nashville.  I’m the same way with basketball. I LOVE playing by myself outside just soaking up the sun and the quiet other than the rhythm of the ball bouncing. 

  • http://twitter.com/AmyinWanderland Amy Dane

    What a great post! I read this yesterday, then I went to Starbucks ALONE and read for awhile. Must make this a habit because it was heavenly. (Love your blog, by the way.)

    • http://unknownjim.com/ Jim Woods

      Thanks so much Amy! Glad you did it and the experience was heavenly. That’s FANTASTIC!!! Thanks so much for your kind words. I really appreciate it!!

  • http://www.atlumschema.com Andy Mort

    I like to take myself off to the gym. It’s a great opportunity to think and you really get under your own skin when you put yourself through the pain of rigorous exercise. Always feel great afterwards too. Important reminder, thanks Jim, I’m gonna hit it now!

    • http://unknownjim.com/ Jim Woods

      You bet Andy! Hope you got a good workout in and you are able to feel like a million bucks!!!

  • http://denisedilley.blogspot.com/ Denise Dilley

    I think you might be right – I do need a date night, with me!  Hmmm… wonder what I’ll do?!

    • http://unknownjim.com/ Jim Woods

      Awesome. Something fun I hope!!

  • http://twitter.com/elramey debra elramey

    Yeah, it’s about time for another artist date with myself.  It’s been forever…

    • http://unknownjim.com/ Jim Woods

      I encourage you to do it Debra!! And please tell us all how it went! 

  • http://KatieAxelson.com/ Katie Axelson

    A lot of my self-dates involve being behind the wheel of the car. It’s great processing time. It’s also an expensive hobby (especially if you don’t know where you’re going… or crash). Luckily this weekend I was in a wedding two hours away. Although I was exhausted, I enjoyed the drive back because it was a great time to mull over life. Conversation to be continued.

    Katie

    • http://unknownjim.com/ Jim Woods

      Driving can be AWESOME for your self-dates. Especially if you have the right soundtrack and you are not afraid to sing along very, very loudly!! :)

      • http://rebootingworship.com/ Jamie Kocur

        Oh, this is so me. :) I love road trips and my favorite CDs. It’s like my own, private little Broadway show.

        • http://unknownjim.com/ Jim Woods

          Do you take requests too? I think some 80′s hair metal like White Snake, Warrant or Poison could be worth the price of admission :) haha.

  • http://twitter.com/BruceVH Bruce Van Horn

    Jim, I totally agree!  This is one of the main reasons I love being a long distance runner.  I get up at 5:00am at least 3 days a week and go for a run.  Sometimes I listen to music, sometimes I listen to audiobooks and sometimes I just unplug and think while a run.  Being a husband, dad and business owner, this is about the only time I get to myself.  I do some of my best creative thinking while running.

    Thanks for this creative way of reminding us to reinvest in ourselves!  Keep up the great work!

    • http://unknownjim.com/ Jim Woods

      Thanks so much Bruce. I appreciate it. I personally play basketball myself and it I know it has the potential (when its not 108 like it’s been lately in TN) to re-energize me. Thanks so much for the comment!!

  • http://www.zahndrew.com/ Andrew Zahn

    I do this often! Julia Cameron has a whole book about artist dates (The Artist’s Way) that incorporates this and a few other techniques to have creative breakthroughs. 

    Shameless plug: here’s my artist date, chronicled with a video retelling ;)  http://zahndrew.com/artist-date-vlog

    • http://unknownjim.com/ Jim Woods

      Oh yeah, I keep meaning to read that book! Thanks for mentioning it again Andrew and thanks for the comment!!

  • http://thomasemason.net/ Thomas Mason

    Nice concept. Sometimes I think it’s a bit selfish of me to do this which is probably why I don’t do it very oftten. When I do date myself it’s usually to a movie. The last time I did this was to go see The Avengers. I am going to do it again, hopefully this week, to go see my favorite Superhero Spider-Man coming out tomorrow!

    • http://unknownjim.com/ Jim Woods

      Sounds like fun Thomas. I agree it sounds a bit selfish on first glance, but you need the time alone to get any sort of balance. Even more so if you are an introvert IMO. Hope you have fun seeing Spidey. That movie does look really fun!!

  • http://chrystalmurphy.com/ Chrystal

    As a stay at home mom…you don’t have to tell me twice!! I KNOW I need quite time all by myself. It’s just hard to pull off. :)

    • http://unknownjim.com/ Jim Woods

      I absolutely understand. Don’t be afraid to tell your spouse you need some alone time. This will actually STRENGTHEN your relationship more than you can imagine!!!

  • http://deuceology.wordpress.com Larry Carter

    Just thinking that I definitely need this.  Badly!!!

    • http://unknownjim.com/ Jim Woods

      Sounds like someone needs to go see Spiderman just like Thomas :)