Rest is sometimes best.
We live in a society in which grinding is considered a virtue. Sustained effort and stick-to-itiveness are lauded. Working hard and steadily is considered to be normal and desirable.
And yes, we likely won’t achieve anything without putting our energy toward our goal. But there are different ways to focus on our energy. Hard effort isn’t the only means to an end and sometimes is counterproductive.
When we continually push ourselves—nose to the grindstone—we don’t have time to pause and reflect. Reflection can lead to helpful re-evaluation and effective course correction.
Downtime also offers us a valuable opportunity to visualize and put positive energy toward what we want. Confident imagining of our desired end likely will yield more progress than continued subpart efforts on our part.
We don’t perform at our best when press on continuously. Actions taken when we’re mentally and physically exhausted aren’t likely to be useful. They may in fact be counterproductive. Mistakes and errors in judgment can be more easily made if we’re tapped out.
When we feel tired and choose to honor ourselves (and our efforts to this point) with downtime, we acknowledge that we and our well-being are worth more than any achievement. We matter in and of ourselves. We don’t have to prove ourselves to anyone, especially not to ourselves.
Today’s message invites me to rest without guilt when I feel tired. When I nurture myself with relaxation and sleep, I allow my dreams to progress naturally without me continuously pushing them.
Please reflect and share. When was the last time you allowed yourself downtime?