Doing work that I love in ways that I enjoy is not the same as resting.
When I was growing up, it was easy to tell the difference between work and rest. Work was what you would not do unless someone paid you to do it. Work was hard, draining physically and emotionally. The reward for work was financial.
My father told me to stay in school so I did not need to work for a living.
The balance was that you worked as long as they told you you needed to work, and then you rested.
I did stay in school, and my work is different now. Work is less demanding physically for me, and more demanding emotionally and intellectually. There are many rewards for my work, including financial. It is a challenge for me to find my own balance of work and rest.
I am learning that my rest shapes my work. It is the time I spend listening to silence and breathing in the Sacred that allows me to listen to people and work with them well. I revel in the amazing truths all around us, and am better equipped to help people working to find their deep leadership, organizations, and selves.
I like to work, and to work well. I am invested in doing a good job and accomplishing meaningful results. I am learning that rest is as significant as effort, and that not everything depends on how long or hard I work. There are times when rest is the best thing I can do to contribute.
We each sort out the relationship between work and rest. Slowly but surely we each find our own balance.
How do you balance work and rest?
When do you know that you need more rest?
[Image by Cherice]
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