I don’t know about you, but when the pressure mounts and I get overwhelmed, I sacrifice myself.
It starts by skipping a workout, yoga practice, or time to read a book. It seems I’m quick to ditch the activities that make me better, like reading, training, or taking the downtime I need to just be.
Do you do this, too?
Sacrificing our downtime has some dangerous consequences.
We need downtime to repair and recharge.
Downtime lets us invest in ourselves. It’s where we build new skills, gain new insights, and rebuild the capacity we need to handle unexpected events.
Yet most of us are running right now with no slack in our schedule – and no end in sight. We’re operating at or above surge capacity. We have no downtime.
This is precisely the situation that disconnects us from our value. We rob ourselves of the time to invest in our growth. We lack the time to see our value.
When we don’t see our value, we don’t show or contribute our value. We miss out on earning recognition for our contributions. Friction creeps in and as our own sense of value erodes, we find trust decreasing (if only in how we trust ourselves) and we burn out.
Here’s the thing: it doesn’t have to be this way.
We can make small, consistent investments for big payoffs.
I find short, consistent sessions — sometimes just finishing the work without seeing a big gain — are enough. It feels good to finish. Once you get going, don’t give up the gains!
Take a moment to consider your week.
How did you invest in yourself this week? If you didn’t, what got in the way? What can you do differently next week to make time to invest in yourself?
What if you started with 15 minutes? What will you do?
Let me know what you’re going to do. And then schedule it and make it happen.
The key: take the first step. It’s worth it.
You are worth it.