Take a Timeout and Recharge
We all have those moments where we are literally hit over the head with what we need most. That moment when we recognize the disruptions and translate them into a clear message received also known as the aha moment.
Like so many, my life revolves around a schedule to accomplish everything that needs to be done in any given day. As dictated by my schedule, off I sprinted to achieve everything on my fully committed to list whether the tasks were significant or not.
Part of this day required the use of my car and when I reached the parking garage it was connected to a charger to recharge the battery (the disruptive moment). The first thought that came into my mind was this wasn’t on my schedule and I don’t have time for it today. To still accomplish the day’s tasks, the adjustment was made to the schedule and off to the car dealership I drove.
Stewing in this inconvenience of the day, the all too familiar feelings of being irritated, frustrated and tired began to set in. The longer I sat waiting the more irritated I got so decided to change my thoughts around the situation. I decided to be grateful around the fact that if my car needed attention that I was glad to be taking care of it today and not the following weekend which would have been a greater inconvenience (the attempt to understand but not fully recognizing the message just yet).
While the waiting continued, I sat next to a power outlet to recharge my cell phone. Keeping your phone charged isn’t something that needs questioning but rather is second nature (the recharging message is coming through but not in the way needed just yet). Finally, my name was called about my car and was told they ran the necessary tests and found nothing wrong with the battery. I didn’t know whether I felt grateful or even more irritated of this waste of a day.
What I eventually came to realize later that night was this was a big fat hit me in the face wake-up call moment to “recharge” my own batteries (and yes finally the aha moment). I’m sure there had been other less disruptive reminders to take a timeout and take care of myself for the past week or so which had clearly been ignored so a more obvious and direct approach was required to get my attention.
Life Lesson: It’s important to take a timeout to recharge your own batteries. It is easy to get caught up in the “but it’s on my list so it must be done” mentality. Think about the good that will happen if you loosen up that schedule just a little and make recharging yourself a priority … just like your cell phone.
Time for reflection and recharging will also help you gain clarity around the path you are going down and provide the opportunity to course correct if that is what is most beneficial for you.
Put it into Practice: Start right now by “scheduling” time to recharge and identify changes that will help you move forward in a more fulfilling way. The important thing is to think about where you are spending your time and energy and how making changes will benefit you.
Write down your answers to the 5 actions below specific to what changes you choose to make. It’s important to write it down to make them real AND as a check point to monitor your progress.
Stop
Do Less
Keep Doing
Do More
Start
Take charge of where you are putting your energy, live in the moment a little more, and make time to reflect and recharge a priority.
Start small and celebrate your wins along the way which will only provide you a boost to Stop, Keep Doing or Start more of what will help you stay charged, energized, and moving forward in all areas of your life. Evolving Matters!