We’re a generation of do more, be more, experience more. Almost everyone I see online is chasing some big goal or dream. We’re all pursuing 92 different passion projects and we’re pushing ourselves to the very limits. I think big goals and accomplishing your dreams is awesome. I am sooo here for it. I’m one of those people with 92 different projects at all times. BUT I’ve had to learn the hard lesson that you can’t expect yourself to go on forever like that pink bunny without some rest. You’re not going to accomplish your dreams if you can’t sit still enough to take a break.
It’s Exhausting
All that going and doing and big dream-chasing can be exhausting. Not to mention the general state of our world. I hear so many people say that they’re feeling super overwhelmed and worn out these days. I’ve certainly been feeling that myself some days too. Who can blame us?? There’s so much going on and so many people and things needing our attention. If you’re anything like me and most of the people I know, you have a million big dreams on your list and still want to take care of everyone around you. It’s freaking exhausting.
As a long time over-doer, I’ve found a little trick to make me more productive, better at my job, and get me eons closer to accomplishing all my big goals and I want to let you in on the secret.
The Secret Sauce to Accomplish Your Dreams
So, you want to know how to be more productive, accomplish your dreams, and not totally feel wiped out? The answer: do nothing.
Do nothing?
Listen, I know this sounds crazy, especially if you’re Super Type A like me and if your to-do list is also 6 miles long. Doing nothing sounds like the opposite of what a “goal-getter” should do. I know. I fought it for a looking time myself, but just trust me here…there’s a method to my madness.
My Big Sigh of Relief.
I spent an entire day this weekend doing absolutely nothing. I needed a break. Sure, I was physically tired, but more than that, I was mentally and emotionally exhausted. It was a long week of work and even doing awesome things like leading moon circles takes a lot out of me on the energy front, so I needed rest. So I rested. And you know what was the most amazing thing about this self-imposed day of rest? The fact that I decided to not feel guilty for it. I’m forever like “I need to get up and do something, chase this goal, work on a task, etc” and this time, I just didn’t. It felt awesome.
A Day of Rest = How I Accomplish Dreams
You might think I’ve reached a breaking point or finally tapped into my inner cool surfer dude attitude, but that would be a big ole lie. I didn’t decide to have a do-nothing day just because I was tired or because I literally couldn’t do it anymore. I chose to do nothing because it makes me better at the things I want to do. It resets my energy and my creativity, it clears my mental clutter, and frankly, it makes me less of a raging monster when things don’t go my way.
Taking time to rest had major bonus effects. When I jumped back into my to-do’s, I was not only more clear and creative, I actually felt more excited to tackle the list and more energetic around returning to work. I’m not wound nearly as tight because I gave myself the time and space to think and process everything that’s going on in my mind.
So while this seems like a perfect day of relaxation and nothingness (it totes was), it was also a key to creating big things and reaching my goals. Again with the secret: doing nothing has a lot to do with accomplishing your dreams.
Stay with me here, I brought the logic…
It’s nice to be needed, but…
We live in a world of constant demands – demands on our time, our energy, our emotions. You’re constantly inundated with Instagram and Facebook, the news, jobs, families, etc. and allllll of it asks something of you.
I think for women, it’s often seen as a badge of honor to keep giving and giving of yourself. To keep showing up for others and think nothing of what you need. That’s what’s expected of us, right? (Yes…the patriarchy is real…)
To be clear, I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing to care for others or be supportive, loving, and kind. It may even feel like your life’s purpose. That’s great. I totally get that. You can be a great friend/mom/sister/wife/leader, etc.; that can give you joy and purpose and there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s magical and amazing and a total gift to the world.
The problem comes, however, when you do all of that instead of or at the expense of caring for yourself.
How many times have you been asked to do something and you felt totally wiped out but said yes anyway? Because you thought you should or because someone else expected it of you…
Yuck.
You keep giving until your cup is dried up and empty. Then, you’re exhausted and can’t do any more. Or, worse, you feel resentful of the people in your life because now they’re another drain on your already sparse time and energy.
Not only does the constant go go go keep you from digesting information and giving your brain a break, but it also keeps you from really aligning with the energy of the universe and creating something on an even deeper level.
Changing Your Life
When you’re so busy going and giving you don’t give yourself the space to think, create, align. You spend all your time in your head or outside of yourself entirely. That’s no way to accomplish your dreams, to make big moves. You have to rest, you have to get still, you have to learn to listen to YOU and that brilliant little voice inside.
It’s also important that you give the universe space to help you with the things you so dearly want. You have to get quiet, listen, and align. Then you show up and wait.
Constant motion and control don’t necessarily get you closer to your goals, but they do get you closer to burnout and overwhelm. So, give yourself a break. Explore what it feels like to rest, to let your mind relax, and see if you don’t come back even stronger.
TLDR
Rest is good for us. It’s good for our goals, our productivity, our work performance, and our magic. Give yourself permission to rest so that you can get busy reaching your dreams. Hell, start right now – schedule in an entire do-nothing day. Make downtime a priority. Give yourself permission to take a breath, to do nothing, to listen to your inner wisdom. Then, wait for it…there’s magic coming.
Stay tuned for my next post about how to align your energy and your do-nothing days with creating big, magical goals! Until then, tell me how you’ll work in some good ole self-care downtime for YOU!
PS If you’re not sure what your big dreams are or how to create the space to make them a reality, schedule your FREE one-hour Clarity Call!
[…] couple of weeks ago, I talked about slowing down to do more and create your big dreams. Sounds crazy, right? It’s not, I promise. That was part 1 to my […]