Hitting the reset button
It’s funny how easy it is to just keep going.
To send one more email, to make one more call, to finish one more load of laundry before we can relax. But, like whack-a-mole, as soon as we finish one thing, the next one pops right up in its place. And we think – if I can just finish this one more thing, I can finally be done; I can rest.
Brutal spoiler alert: you will never be done.
We don’t ever finish, we simply choose to be done.
And that is the hardest part. Because we’ve been trained to always be productive: always on, always available, always ready for the next thing.
But that’s not where our creativity emerges. There’s no room for big thoughts when we’re knee-deep in our never-ending to-do list. New ideas don’t spring forth when we’re doing the same-old same-old.
We have to make space for it. It doesn’t have to be a lot of space. Just enough to let the cracks of light in.
A reset.
Maybe it’s as overt as a weekend away in a mountain town, like I did this past weekend, breathing in the fresh air, going for long walks, letting my mind wander unconstrained.
Or maybe it’s as simple as turning your chair away from your computer, closing your eyes, and taking big breaths that fill your belly.
It doesn’t have to be extreme (although I do highly recommend that mountain town vibe…), but it does have to happen. The world will never stop asking for your attention and your energy, so it’s up to you to choose to hold it for yourself.
