Route 66 - The Journey Toward Success
Recharge Your Batteries
Living in our rush - rush culture can be crazy. To succeed in our jobs we must put in long hours and then we come home to other important responsibilities. Everyone I know has more things scheduled into their calendars than our parents generation, and therefore we are constantly in a hurry to get from one place to another.
The list of things I try to accomplish on a daily basis is daunting. Juggling work and family could easily take up more than 24 hours. There always seems to be more things I could do in a day than there are hours. This constant buzzing about can be exciting, but it can also take its toll. Many folks I know do not get enough sleep, rarely eat the right foods and do not get exercise. They just go go go.
Sound familiar?
I know that when I get into the groove of this constant activity I love the high that comes from accomplishing. It can be a self-satisfying kick in the pants to notice your personal mastery of the calendar items. To achieve is a badge of honor. Then the perpetual motion of additional scheduling takes over and you get into the loop of crazy busy. There seems to be no end to this roller coaster. Like George Jetson you just want to scream, "Jane, STOP THIS CRAZY THING"
If you are like me, you can get cranky to those around y0u, and insensitive to their needs when you are over scheduled. When I can't find time to get to the gym, I feel below capacity. Lack of proper nutrition and not enough sleep coupled with a constant barrage of emails and other stimuli means that there is never any down time to recharge the mental batteries.
There used to be downtime built into people's schedules. Before cell phones, laptops and blackberries we were forced to rest our mind during parts of the day, now we can be plugged in to the collective world all the time.
I suggest that you regularly carve out a little time away all of your responsibilities. What you do will vary depending on what you enjoy doing, but you need to get away from it all. This means by yourself. No blackberry, no cell phone. Nothing. Just relax and allow your mind to think for 90 consecutive minutes. Not 60 minutes, 90 minutes!
Rent a kayak, go for a hike, get a massage, or go to a park and sit by a fountain. Whatever your choice, just do something without the input of media or other people. This is not a time to read a book or listen to your ipod.
This might seem impossible to someone who cannot find any time in their current schedule. A waste of precious time? I think more of an investment in your future. If you cannot get away from it all, then you cannot preform at your peak. You will eventually hit a mental wall and become less effective if all you do is pop from on activity to another. Why do you think the bible talks about the Sabbath? From the beginning of time having some down time was important. Those who lived 2000 years ago did not have the same type of hectic lives (they had their own levels of stress), but they were still encouraged to take a day off.
Relax. Enjoy. Think. Plan. Hope. Dream. Let your thoughts soar.
Have A Great Day.
thom
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