Many of us have done it. Set the alarm at 5:00 a.m., skipped meals, answered emails at dinner, and poured every ounce of energy into being the most reliable, available, high-performing employee in the room. The problem isn’t that you work hard. It’s that you’ve been taught to give your all to something that would replace you in a week while you struggle to give half that effort to yourself.

You’re Not Lazy, You’re Conditioned

We live in a culture that glorifies overworking, especially when it’s in service of someone else’s bottom line. We celebrate exhaustion when it comes from corporate loyalty. But, taking a nap mid-day for mental clarity? That’s called “being unproductive.”

This conditioning is especially deep for women and people of color—those who’ve often had to prove their worth twice over to be taken half as seriously. It creates a loyalty complex that trains us to ignore our bodies, silence our needs, and put everyone else first, our employer especially.

You’re a Person, Not a Position

Here’s the reality: the same job you’ve sacrificed your health for will extend a higher base salary to your replacement before they extend a lifeline to your burnout. Meanwhile, there’s only one of you. One body. One spirit. One brilliant, complex and unique mind navigating life and living.

So, if you’re willing to break your back for a deliverable, lose sleep for a client, or emotionally suppress yourself to keep the peace in a toxic workplace, ask yourself: Why can’t I bring that same energy to my own peace, health, and personal and financial growth?

Make You the Priority Project

That same dedication you bring to work? Turn it inward as well. Here’s what that might look like:

• Block time on your calendar for rest like you would for a Zoom meeting.
• Take yourself to therapy (massage therapy included) like you take yourself to 1-on-1s.
• Invest in your personal growth like you’d invest in a certification or degree.
• Build your own thing on the side with as much seriousness as you build their brand.
• Set boundaries as firmly with your employer as you would with someone disrespecting your time.

It’s not radical. It’s required.

You’re Not a Cog in The Machine

Employers love to talk about being “like family” until budget season comes around. That job is not your legacy. Your life is. So, why do we sacrifice ourselves like our health, dreams, and sanity are expendable?

Let this be your reminder: a job can be replaced. Your life cannot.

You should be able to unplug without guilt. You should be able to rest without apology. You should be able to say, “I’m unavailable because I’m taking care of me”—and mean it.

You Are the Asset

Companies protect their assets.
Start treating yourself like one.

That means managing burnout before it starts, protecting your time like it matters (because it does), and showing up for yourself with the same consistency and intentionality you show up for work.

This isn’t a call to abandon your career. It’s a call to stop abandoning yourself for it.
And for those whose work feels like purpose, not just a paycheck, this is your reminder that even purpose needs boundaries and rest.

Final Thoughts

You already know how to be reliable. Committed. Resilient. At least, one would hope.
Now, do it for you.

If you can give your all to someone else’s mission, imagine the legacy you’d leave by showing up for your own. I’m just sayin’~