Holy shit! I don’t know what is happening this year, but it is moving at lighting speed! And to be honest I’ve never felt so busy.
Be honest: are you busy? And is it working for you?
In today’s world so many of us wear busy like badge of honor. If you’re not busy, it may mean that you are lazy or not successful. It’s an evil trap we all fall in to. I know I’m guilty sometimes.
So here I am, in this photo – lying in the crystal, clear waters of Great Keppel Island. What a stunning place! I took a week off with my family and we travelled in a motorhome up the Queensland Coast. The timing was terrible!
Wholesome Bellies has totally ramped up, the other business I’m a part of just launched a new division and to be honest, taking time off really wasn’t ideal. But hey, is there ever a perfect time to take a break? So, I did it, I took eight days off, I didn’t work, I unplugged from social media, I read a book or two, I played with my kids, I talked with my husband and I connected to nature.
I’m learning (and it’s a constant work in progress) that grinding and churning only leads to burnout, anxiety and stress. My tolerance for stress is extremely high. I am a freak like that. Mentally I cope well under pressure and when I’ve got a lot going on, in fact I thrive when I’m busy! The truth is that this strength can be my downfall. Anyone relate? My mind may be strong but eventually my body shuts down. It’s happened before, more than once.
Now, I force myself to slow down, even though my head says “keep going Fi, you’ve got this”. Until recently, I worried that if I worked less, or took time off I wouldn’t achieve my goals. I was constantly pushing myself.
LIGHT BULB MOMENT: What if the solution to being productive and achieving success lies in the very thing we fear will inhibit it: slowing down?
Believe it or not, there are benefits of doing nothing. Slowing down can be a great productivity tool. When we give ourselves the time to unwind and re-fuel, we are better placed to achieve greatness when our energy is restored. You’ve all heard the saying “re-charge your batteries”. Well, I think it’s time we took this more seriously.
The last 12 months has been a huge period of transformation for me. I’ve had more going on that ever before and yet I feel more at ease and calmer than ever before.
My one valuable lesson….
WE HAVE MORE TIME THAN WE THINK!
I remind myself every day that there is no rush, I am not in a race! I’ve got nowhere I need to be. And when I sit in that mindset, my days are filled with joy, my work has purpose, I feel relaxed and I breath more deeply.
Some perspective though – I’m human, which means every day I struggle to be present. I have not mastered it. What I have access to now is awareness, and that’s the first step towards change. I catch myself, and remind myself that slowing down makes so much sense. And that I can achieve more than I could ever imagine possible if I slow down more often.
