We have one of those fancy beds that allow you to adjust the comfort level to suit your preferences. I like it a lot. Okay, I love it. What I love about it is that after a long day of supporting organizations and leaders, taking and making calls, and flying from meeting to meeting, that bed offers me a chance to dial my comfort level and fall into some of the most excellent REM sleep I've ever had. The app for the bed makes sure I have the data to back up this claim. I'm getting some good sleep, friends - but sleep isn't rest. Hear me out: sleep is necessary to recharge the brain and body and restore our batteries for the next gauntlet of greatness the tomorrows we're blessed with bring.
Rest is pausing from the gauntlet itself and allowing your very being a break from the tension associated with the grind of the day-to-day. Call it a sabbath or a mind vacation - pausing from building your thing can be good for you, the people around you, and the goals you're working to achieve. This kind of rest allows us to enjoy the fruits of our labors, such as an actual vacation. My wife and I recently took a weekend away to Las Vegas, where we went to a show and ate some great food. We spent some time reflecting on our relationship and what we need to stay friendly while building our businesses. Well worth it - those seats at the Adele concert weren't too bad either.
Making time away from the grind also provides meaningful perspective and creative streaks for your work. I believe that for many of us, there's not a lot of space to fully "turn it off," and in the course of meaningful time away from the grind, we have a chance to perceive the world around us and allow ourselves to be influenced and inspired but what we take in. Returning to our workspaces, we're full of new ideas, energy, and perspectives on achieving our goals. I want these FridayFocus installments to be of value to you, so I'll share some ways I believe you can implement each FridayFocus in real life. Here goes:
Plan It:
I’m grateful to my wife, Merissa, who is also an entrepreneur and far more creative than I am. She also creates bucket lists of artists and destinations for us to visit and experience. While I’ve never heard more than two Adele songs and struggled to follow along (it was a great show - Celine Dion was there, too), I benefited from focused time with my wife and the benefits of planning for our time away. Research shows we get as many restorative benefits from planning a trip as we do from going on it. Planning doesn’t have to be hard; there are many sites with trip packages and fabulous destinations for you to check out. It doesn’t have to be far - planning a staycation where your primary goal is to be away from the hustle and grind and recharge works just as well, so long as you aren’t tempted to hop online and start working. Making time to reach the Consider This…blog is acceptable.
Follow Through:
Journal:
Reflect and Implement:
I pray you've gained something helpful from this installment of FridayFocus. Do you have any insights? Share your rest routine in the comments below.
Rest well & Happy Friday!
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