By nature I’m a mover and a shaker. I like to move quickly, finish projects and hit goals. You might call me an overachiever.
For the past several months I’ve been training for a marathon, hosting a telesummit, writing articles, creating programs, newsletter and blog content, connecting with potential clients…and making very little progress.
What happened? I was on fire the beginning of the year, and business just popped! I’ve invested in two mentors to teach me the correct marketing and proper mindset, do what I’m told, practicing, listening, going deep.
I didn’t know what I was doing wrong.
If my skills had increased, which I felt they had, why had my business stalled? So I invested significantly into some private time with my business mentor. I knew she’d be able to pinpoint exactly what I was doing wrong, course correct, and I’d pop again.
She pinpointed it, all right. And it completely shocked me.
“You’re burned out,” she told me. “And you need to take off three weeks and get a life.”
Are you kidding me?? It turns out, she wasn’t.
I’d been focusing too closely for too long. And that kind of energy causes burn out. The fix was quite easy: clear my calendar and watch fun, lighthearted movies. Spend time connecting with my kids. Read books not related to business. Get a massage, go shopping, go to lunch with girlfriends. Get a life!
Even as my rational mind wanted to argue with her, inside I knew she was right. I was tired. But my whole life I’d just pushed through the tired, figuring it would go away. It never did.
I’m learning a new way to think now, and if my mentor told me to take three weeks off, I would take 3 weeks off. This required trust on my part. But I knew she was right because of the relief I felt when she gave me the instruction.
We’re rescheduling our private time in 3 weeks. I’ve rearranged my schedule, pre-recorded calls, prepared newsletters and blogs in the last two days to be prepared to relax and live. Thank goodness for automated programs! My kids are thrilled beyond belief at the thought of Mom not working for 3 weeks. I’ve never done this before. I’m grateful beyond belief to have a business that allows me to do this so I can recharge.
So, I’m quitting. I’m quitting ignoring my body and mind when it tells me to slow down. I’m quitting running past my endurance. I’m quitting pushing when things continue to push back. And I’m trusting that when I come back my energy will be high and vibrant, and I’ll pop bigger than I even imagine. After all, I’ve got some big dreams to catch!