A rest-stop on the way to success

Aug 14

2 min read

Society has conditioned us to believe that every moment we spend not working hard is a moment somebody else is using to steal our opportunity for success.

Success is treated as though it has an expiry date and that it is a tangible object that can be lost or stolen if you take your eye off the ball for a split second.

So many get caught up racing for “success” that they end up experiencing burnout long before success actually enters the picture.

Burnout is what happens when you lose sight of what really matters: the journey.

Working yourself to the point of burnout derails you from your success much more than you think.

Success is not a destination; and when you realise this, everything stops feeling so urgent – you finally give yourself permission to take a break.

Don’t get me wrong, hard work is important, but regular and intentional rest periods are an equally, if not more crucial part of the journey.

This is what we call working smart.

It’s a delicate balance between short bursts of focused hard work and wilfully productive rest periods.

You can accomplish so much more in the same amount of time with intentional periods of rest.

After all, without sufficient rest, any “success” you attain will only be short-lived, because you won’t even have enough energy left to truly enjoy it.

There is a time for work and there is a time for rest, but you have to be in-tune with yourself enough to know the difference.

Putting in the work only when you feel motivated won’t allow you to build discipline and focus. By the same token, choosing only to rest when you feel completely fatigued also upsets the balance.

Understandably, there is sometimes this anxiety and guilt associated with taking a break. We may fear losing momentum and the motivation to stay on the journey.

But when you are intentional about it, every rest that you take will actually replenish the passion for what you do.