The Bar Is Low
Sometimes I need a very low bar.
So low that success looks like this:
Crossing mundane things off my to-do list - ( ✅make a to-do list )
Adding something to my to-do list after doing it just so I can cross it off 📋
Counting a handful of granola as a legit meal 🙋♀️
Sharing a cute YouTube video and triumphantly announcing it as my newsletter! (it is very cute) 🐸
[Also, remind me to tell you about the time I faked out my watch’s “Stand Reminder” by staying seated, waving my watch-wearing arm around, and winning another point towards my daily move goal. (Go me! 🙌)]
Wait….time out! ⌛️
When I’m caught in this cycle - driven to succeed when I have zero drive - I’m disconnected to my true need. Instead, I’m bowing to busy-for-busy's-sake culture. 🤹♀️🗓️📥🗂️
What I really need is rest.
Lately, I've noticed a pattern: most of my coaching clients are talking about their deep yearning for rest. They arrive exhausted, depleted, describing themselves as "dragging" through work and life.
Understandable and relatable.
It feels wildly radical - if even doable - to choose rest. The pull to seek external approval (for working hard, being productive, doing, doing, doing) can be relentless and is largely unconscious. The problem is, external approval, if ever given, isn’t really satisfying and it never fulfills the real need.
This isn’t brain surgery, right? If what we need is rest then we need to rest.
I understand it can feel utterly impossible! But the body will win the day. In it's allegiance to basic survival, my body will take me down if I refuse to go willingly.
“Willingly” is used loosely there. There will be internal objections. My inner worker-bee is going to have a toddler's meltdown on the way to a nap. I can accept that and rest anyway.
and now…
Quote this Genius:
Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.
– Anne Lamott.
One last thing before I rest, I have a question for you…click on the poll below to give your answer:
Rest up, my friends!
This was fun. Thank you. I love this: "This isn’t brain surgery, right? If what we need is rest then we need to rest."