"Would Everyone Just Leave Me Alone?"

We talk a lot around here about something we call “sharpening the saw”. It is actually a term we borrowed from author Steven Covey in his book “The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People”. Habit 7 in the awesome book is taking the time to sharpen the saw. Here is the story in a nutshell: two lumberjacks challenge each other to a tree cutting contest. The strapping, buff young buck chops wood all day with vigor and fervor. The older and more experiences lumberjack chops for a while, and then stops to sharpen the saw occasionally. Guess who cut down the most trees? That’s right, the experienced one. How can that be you might be asking? I was taught to work as hard as possible every single moment of the day. After all, idle hands are the devil’s workshop, right? Well, sort of. Steven Covey knew that the most successful people in the world didn’t let themselves become burned out and overwhelmed with exhaustion. By renewing the four dimensions of your nature - physical, spiritual, mental and social/emotional, you can work more quickly and effortlessly. To do this, we must be proactive. It takes work to rest. Here’s what some of the brightest and best have to say about rest:

“Sometimes the most urgent thing you can possibly do is take a complete rest” Ashleigh Brilliant, English author and cartoonist

“Rest when you're weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work.” Ralph Marston

“The best of all medicines is resting and fasting” Ben Franklin

“Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” Ovid

“Rest is a fine medicine. Let your stomachs rest, ye dyspeptics; let your brain rest, you wearied and worried men of business; let your limbs rest, ye children of toil!” Thomas Carlyle

Even Jesus advocated rest for his disciples after they had done some great work in Mark 6:31-32 “Jesus said, "Come off by yourselves; let's take a break and get a little rest.” For there was constant coming and going. They didn't even have time to eat. So they got in the boat and went off to a remote place by themselves.”


If Rest Is So Good For Us, Why Don’t We Do It?

1. We Can’t Say “NO”. We have learned to be “people pleasing” individuals. The bad news is that there will always be plenty of people vying for your time and energy. I’m not saying to neglect the kids and never return phone calls. But there comes a time when we have to say “no” to some of the people who want our time. We can’t be all things to all people. So we need to learn how to prioritize our time and efforts. The Startup Essentials Goal Setting Manual has great tools for learning to prioritize our day, discerning between urgent and non-urgent things to do, and getting our roles in order. If you haven’t downloaded a copy, do it now.


2. We think we don’t deserve it. Many people think they don’t “deserve” a vacation or even a day at the Spa. We’ll lie to ourselves and say things like “the company can’t afford to have me gone even for a day”, or “I really can’t afford to take a vacation now”. Both of those are utter nonsense. Are we really so valuable to a company that if we left, they would come to a grinding halt? And aren’t there plenty of free things to do that will sharpen the saw? It doesn’t cost much to take an hour and soak in a bubble bath with a good book, or send the kids to a sitter and have a date night with our spouse. We say we are too busy to exercise or eat right. You and I both know that is not true. Both of those are elements of self sabotage, but let’s not go there in this article.

3. We Don’t Realize It Takes Work. Believe it or not, rest takes some planning. There is the kind of rest where we sit down for a minute, or put our hands on our knees. And then there is the kind of rest that recharges the soul. That takes some planning. I love to travel internationally, and when I return to America I am fired up to get going again. There is something about the Grand Canyon that will cleanse my soul also. What is your rest situation that tops off your tank? Maybe it is the beach. Maybe it is a weekend retreat, time with relatives, locking your self in a room with a good book, or singing karaoke in a dumpy restaurant. Whatever your fuel pump is, use it. Do it, go there, be it, have it, whatever it takes to get your strength back and feel strong, alert, vibrant, and supercharged again.

And lastly, do you want to know the best advice bodybuilding coaches give to people wanting to build massive muscle size? You would think that it is to stay in the gym and pump iron nonstop. Wrong! It is to work with serious intensity, and then rest your muscles. The way to build strength is to give your body adequate time to recover and rebuild. And that is also the way to build a strong, successful, profitable business. Focus and rest aren’t yin and yang. They are actually partners in achievement.

Work with fierce intensity, and then take some time to rest. Sharpen your saw, and then get back to the forest. Rub your feet, and then get back to the race. Fuel your body quality fuel, exercise your mind, strengthen your will to succeed, nourish your heart to love those around you, and never forget that sometimes you need to say “Give Me a Break”. And then take it. You deserve it.