When setting a sustainable pace, one crucial area to be exceedingly mindful of is how you invest your energy. There is only so much of you to go around. You really are a finite resource. Don’t overcommit. Don’t allow dysfunctional people or situations to drain you of the energy you need to carefully protect for your most important priorities. Make sure you conserve your energy by taking time out from all the hard work and have some fun. Go to a ballgame, take the kids to the park, play with the dogs, surprise your spouse with a candlelight dinner, or whatever else will rejuvenate you and build the most important relationships in your life. Remember a huge reason you are pursuing your dream is because of them. If they are supporting you, and they are gracious enough to cheer you on, then you owe it to them to be self-disciplined enough to build in break times with them. You want to look back and say you did right by people while you were accomplishing your goals. You want your support people to feel as good about the process you followed as they do about the finished product. Taking time to refresh yourself will be of great benefit to your team as well. The more rested and happier you are, the more of your best self you can bring to them.
You also don’t want to ruin your own health. Some of us with Type-A personalities have to learn this lesson the hard way. Sometimes it takes a serious health scare to get our attention and show us the wisdom of a more sane pace of living. The human body was made for cycles of rest, work, and play. It wasn’t designed for non-stop effort. Chronically pushing it beyond the pace of what your particular body can tolerate spells disaster. Eat well, exercise, and get enough sleep to feel rested. If your dream requires you to put in extra-long hours for a period of time, that’s fine. But take a break when you need to and know when to get back to a more normal routine. You want to be alive and well to enjoy the fruits of your labor!
Until next time my beloved fans, I will be praying for you. 🙂
