Please, Give Yourself Permission

I hope you get some time this holiday season to kick back and relax a bit before the new year hits at 123MPH.
Listen, I know you have lots going on. I know you are most likely behind on some projects and tasks. You probably also have stress surrounding everything you need to get done and are scared to take time off knowing what you’ll have to come back to. Sometimes the actual cost of vacation hits the week you get back to work and realize the tradeoff was not worth it.

But, in all that, you have to take time to relax. If you don’t break every now and then, you’ll eventually break down. You can’t redline your engine over time and think it won’t internally combust at some point. Unfortunately, too many leaders flirt with the line of internal destruction.

Would you please give yourself permission to embrace your downtime? I want you to know it’s alright and necessary to recharge and have a life outside of tasks & projects. You have family, friends, and at least yourself to take care of. What is life if all you do is work, work, work? Remember, no one has ever said on their deathbed, “I wish I worked that extra day in the office to get project x done!” No, they say things like, “I wish I had spent more time doing what really mattered with people who mattered to me.” Most people wish they had more time with people, not projects.

So, my challenge to you this holiday is to give yourself permission to relax and be fully present with those you love and those who love you. Don’t sacrifice your life to money, projects, and guilt that you’re not doing enough. Instead, be human and embrace the joys of what life is all about…people!

Work will always be there, and there will always be more to do than you have time for. So stop saying, “I’ll relax once I get caught up!” Why…because you won’t! Not only will you not relax, but you’ll never get caught up because there is always more to do. So embrace the tension and be fully present in the moments that give you rest and perspective!