This past summer, I had a real epiphany.
Although we’ve been renting this cottage for the past 9 years, this year really hit home for me.
I need to unplug and be “off” – for real.
As entrepreneurs, we are passionate about what we do because it’s our baby! We work into the wee hours of the night and wake in the (very) early hours of the day so we can get ahead of the game in our pursuit of happiness, fortune and success.
Until you crash and crash HARD.
Not sure if it’s age or what but the crazy working hours of someone self-employed eventually catches up with you and you have to start making choices.
Do I slowly (but surely) begin to dig a grave for myself while I finish “just one more thing”, or do I look at the big picture and say “hmmmmmm…if something doesn’t give soon, it doesn’t matter how successful I am if I’m not around to enjoy it”.
I work with a business coach who insists I take time off on a regular basis. Whether it’s an actual vacation or a self-induced long weekend, giving my brain a chance to turn off and re-charge is a necessity in the ongoing search for the ultimate dream.
And what about exercise?
There is no question that exercise is a must for my daily mental health but there comes a point (for everyone I think) when it’s just not enough. The build up of constantly being “on” needs something more drastic than an hour in the gym.
Just like when I train clients, there are “hard core” days and days when you need to scale it back. Let your muscles repair so they can perform even better. You can’t continue to go linear without eventually hitting the wall.
Time to start a new….
So after 5 years since the birth of Core Expectations, it has finally hit home for me. To completely disconnect from the outside (and online) world has proven to not be as traumatic as I thought. Once I did check in on my emails, there were a few fires to put out but nothing catastrophic by any means. My business still ran and I survived.
As for me….I came back renewed with a fresher outlook and cleaner gas in the tank. I’m ready to forge on to the second half of 2013 and take no prisoners.
Just you watch me.
Samantha – I totally agree with this. I am in the middle of the crazy conference season. I feel a lot of pressure but I decided this weekend that I had to take some considerable time off over the weekend (Yes I do work usually one day over the weekend) to unplug as I was really tired! It did me a world of good – I came back Monday morning (today) excited to see my work and not dreading it! Great post!
Thanks Leigh. It's really important for me to remember the bigger picture here and when I just "do nothing", it makes me appreciate what I do, that much more.
So often we hear ourselves and others saying things like "I have no time" it's as if having no time for yourself is some kind of badge of honour. Well it's not and no one feels good when they're running on fumes! So important to let yourself recharge! Thanks for this great reminder Samantha.
Agreed, There's some kind of trend that if you work "to death", you've earned your keep. Not worth it in my book.