I recently experienced the most unplugged 3 weeks I have had in my professional career (no, the pandemic doesn’t count because that was trading one set of stress for another). However, what I am really learning (the present tense is specific choice there) about rest is that it is not a singular vacation or day off. It is part of the rhythm of life and some entire eras, or seasons, of life are meant to be slower than others.
Honestly this scares me.
This scares me because if I am not where I want to be in life my first thought is “well what else do I need to do?” I am “whatever it takes” kinda gal. I don’t have something I want? Well that’s on me. And I have no problem doing what I need to do to get what I want (or at least I strive to be that person). My over-active self awareness has convinced myself that like Taylor Swift I am always the problem therefore I can always be the one to fix it. I am mortified of being the person who just complains all the time without doing the work. So I must “do the work” all the time.
But the reality is that isn’t how the world works. We can check every box, take every piece of advice and things will still not go accordingly plan. Other people’s decisions impact your world. Societal collapse happens. And the good news and the bad news is that often times you are not the problem. But that means you can’t always fix it. That is not an excuse for inaction, however it is a reminder that you can’t always barrel through your problems like offensive linemen as you aim to tackle your quarterback of an obstacle.
Your career and your life is not a sprint. It’s not even a marathon. It is a journey. It ebbs and flows. It’s uphill sometimes and downhill other times. There is sunshine and rain. And you adjust for all of it over time. It doesn’t mean you aren’t making progress and it doesn’t mean you won’t arrive at your intended destination exactly when you were meant to arrive.
And much of it is mean to be enjoyed too. Crazy, right?
I can tell, through a variety of changes lately, that it looks like I will be entering a new era of life after a season that felt like I had been doing nothing but sprint from one crisis to the next. I can focus on myself and other things besides my immediate “day job.” With that realization, I felt fear mix with my excitement because I was so afraid to take the hands off the wheel and off the gas pedal and trust everything would be okay. Slowing down for a moment, trusting that I’ve laid the groundwork enough to step back and enjoy the things that make me happy doesn’t make me inferior and doesn’t mean the things I want in life will be delayed.
What it may mean is that I will be happier and healthier long term. It will mean, even if those goals take a little longer, I will be able to enjoy and excel in those moments instead of push through more and more mounting burnout. I cannot dictate the timing of my life. I can only live the best practices that set me up for success when the time is right. And that is a way of consistent and sustainable living; not constantly working myself to the bone until I “get what I want.”
Being able to recognize the season you are in and what your mind, body and soul need in that season will be crucial to your personal and professional growth and how effective you are as a leader. You can have advisors, mentors and friends help you, but ultimately it is your job to recognize what is best for you in that season.
Whether you are in your busy girl era or your healing girl era, be in that era and that moment and recognize when it’s time for a new one and evolve. If it works for Miss Taylor, it’ll work for you.