Monday, September 12, 2005
Extreme Self Care
If you were too busy to take some time this summer, when do you think you might be able to? Not sure, don’t think things are going to slow down any time soon? Great! But, how long can you carry on working this hard? A year, two? If you lived another 5 years at this level of intensity where will you be? Probably on a forced vacation in the hospital.
Being overscheduled isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. It’s not impressive; it’s sad. “If you can’t be a good example, you’ll just have to serve as a horrible warning,” Catherine Aird wrote. People are looking for leaders to emulate. Leaders, who enjoy life outside of work, spend time with their families and pursue leisure activities. The President managed to spend 5 weeks in Crawford.
It’s easy to over-identify and become what you do. Wayne Dyer said, “When you are what you do – then when you don’t, you aren’t.” You are so much more than what you do for a living. Knowing who you are outside of work is very freeing. The pressure to be perfect is diminished, the highs and lows are easier to manage and, perhaps most important of all, you discover synergies, connections and opportunities you missed being so busy.
Can’t go ‘cause you can’t say No? When you say Yes to every work request remember, you are saying No to something else. What are you saying No to? To your relationships, time with children, your health, your ability to live fully and joyfully? To a hobby or sport that is part of who you are? Have you given up on dancing, singing, skiing, painting … is there something else you are supposed to be doing?
Recharge and re-create yourself. Take a break and get a fresh perspective. Invest in yourself – take a vacation. You deserve it, it’s what you’re working for.
Being overscheduled isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. It’s not impressive; it’s sad. “If you can’t be a good example, you’ll just have to serve as a horrible warning,” Catherine Aird wrote. People are looking for leaders to emulate. Leaders, who enjoy life outside of work, spend time with their families and pursue leisure activities. The President managed to spend 5 weeks in Crawford.
It’s easy to over-identify and become what you do. Wayne Dyer said, “When you are what you do – then when you don’t, you aren’t.” You are so much more than what you do for a living. Knowing who you are outside of work is very freeing. The pressure to be perfect is diminished, the highs and lows are easier to manage and, perhaps most important of all, you discover synergies, connections and opportunities you missed being so busy.
Can’t go ‘cause you can’t say No? When you say Yes to every work request remember, you are saying No to something else. What are you saying No to? To your relationships, time with children, your health, your ability to live fully and joyfully? To a hobby or sport that is part of who you are? Have you given up on dancing, singing, skiing, painting … is there something else you are supposed to be doing?
Recharge and re-create yourself. Take a break and get a fresh perspective. Invest in yourself – take a vacation. You deserve it, it’s what you’re working for.
