The Rhythm of Rest

I've been thinking a lot about our conversation on Monday.

Remember when I shared that my best friend reminded me, "No." is a complete sentence?

I'll admit, I laughed.

Then I looked at my calendar and realized she wasn't just talking about saying no to other people.

She was talking about saying yes to myself.

Somewhere along the way, many of us started believing a lie.

If I'm not producing, I'm not valuable.

We'd probably never say those words out loud.

But we often live as though they're true.

        We fill every open space on our calendars.

                We answer emails during dinner.

                        We check one more thing before bed.

                                    Then we wonder why we're exhausted.

Can I ask you something?

Who taught us that being busy is the same as being important?

Because nature certainly didn't.

        The tide comes in and goes out.

            The moon has phases.

                The seasons change.

                    Even your heartbeat has a rhythm of work and rest.

Everything healthy has rhythm.

Why do we think we should be the exception?

I've noticed something in my own life recently.

The decisions I'm most proud of didn't come while I was pushing harder.

They came after a walk with Cali and Eire... while Lola quietly supervised from the bushes.

They came while sitting in my garden with a cup of coffee.

They came after giving myself permission not to have the answer immediately.

Maybe you've experienced that too.

Maybe what you're looking for isn't another productivity hack.

Maybe it's a little breathing room.

Coffee Conversation

Before we finish our coffee together, I'd love to leave you with three questions.

Not to answer right away.

Just to carry with you.

What is making you tired?

Not just physically.

    Emotionally.

        Mentally.

            Spiritually.

Now take one more step.

What are you carrying that doesn't actually belong to you?

Someone else's expectations?

        The pressure to prove yourself?

            The guilt of saying no?

Finally...

Imagine someone handed you one uninterrupted hour this week.

No obligations.

No guilt.

No agenda.

How would you spend it?

Notice I didn't ask what you would accomplish.

I asked how you would spend it.

There's a difference.

        One fills your calendar.

                The other fills your soul.

This Week's Reminder

Don't try to earn your rest.

Protect it.

Because the healthiest leaders I know aren't the ones who never stop.

They're the ones who know when it's time to.

Until next time, keep leading with strength and living with purpose.

-srt

#ThursdayThoughts #LeadWithStrength #LiveWithPurpose #ReaCoachingandConsulting

Rest Isn't the Reward. It's Part of the Work.

At the end of May, my best friend reminded me of something I apparently needed to hear.

"No." is a complete sentence.

She also reminded me that "no" doesn't require an explanation.

Say what?

Cue George Michael's "Freedom!" playing in the background.

As my calendar started shifting and commitments kept piling up, I realized something had to change.

So... I began establishing healthier boundaries.

In my coaching practice.

In my personal life.

And last week, even within one of the nonprofits I love serving.

Here's what I'm learning.

We live in a world that applauds hustle.

Busy has become a badge of honor.

But what if rest isn't the reward for hard work?

What if it is part of the work?

    The strongest athletes recover between competitions.

        Muscles grow during rest.

            Fields become fertile when they're left fallow.

                    Even nature understands that growth requires rhythm.

Maybe we should, too.

I've discovered that every time I say no to something that drains me, I'm really saying yes to something that matters more.

• Yes to my health.
• Yes to my peace.
• Yes to being fully present with the people and work I care about most.

This Week's Reminder

Every "no" creates space for a more meaningful "yes."

Happy Monday, friends.

Until next time, keep leading with strength and living with purpose.

-srt

#MotivationalMonday #LeadWithStrength #LiveWithPurpose #Boundaries #Rest #ReaCoachingandConsulting

Growing Beneath the Surface

On Monday, I shared that life has become a little quieter.

After two years of serving as President of Soroptimist International of Lincoln, I'm discovering that slowing down isn't as easy as I imagined.

I've become so accustomed to movement that quiet almost feels unfamiliar.

As I've been reading Wintering by Katherine May, one idea has stayed with me all week.

We spend much of our lives believing that every day should feel productive, joyful, energetic, and full of momentum. When it doesn't, we assume something is wrong with us.

But nature tells a very different story.

·       Nothing in nature blooms all year.

·       Forests have winters.

·       Fields lie fallow.

·       Bears hibernate.

·       Trees appear lifeless while quietly strengthening their roots beneath the frozen ground.

Yet somehow, we expect ourselves to keep producing, smiling, achieving, and giving without interruption.

Perhaps that's where so much of our exhaustion begins.

I've come to realize that winter is not the opposite of growth.

It is part of growth.

Some of my greatest lessons didn't arrive during seasons of success.

·       They came through disappointment.

• Grief.
• Uncertainty.
• Betrayal.
• Unexpected endings.
• Moments when I questioned what was next.

At the time, I wanted those seasons to end as quickly as possible.

Looking back, I can't erase them.

                                                But I also wouldn't.

Those winters taught me patience when I wanted certainty.

They taught me compassion when I had become too quick to judge.

One lesson surprised me more than the others.

• Winter taught me that I can protect my heart without hardening it.
• I can establish healthy boundaries without building walls.
• I can become wiser without becoming cynical (which may be one of adulthood's hardest lessons).

Those seasons also reminded me that my worth isn't measured by how busy I am or how much I accomplish.

Strength doesn't always look like pushing harder.

    Sometimes strength looks like resting.

        Sometimes courage looks like asking for help.

            Sometimes wisdom looks like waiting.

As a coach, I often meet people who believe they've somehow fallen behind because they're in a difficult season.

They're comparing their winter to someone else's spring.

But that's never a fair comparison.

Everyone carries unseen winters.  

    The leader you admire. 

        The friend who always seems positive.

            The business owner who appears successful.

                The neighbor who looks like they have everything together.

None of us are exempt from seasons of loss, transition, doubt, or quiet rebuilding.

Winter has a purpose.

It slows us down long enough to notice what really matters.

And perhaps that's its greatest gift.

Coffee Conversation

Before we finish our coffee together, can I leave you with one question?

What season are you trying to rush through because it feels uncomfortable?

Don't answer it too quickly.

Sit with it.  

Finish your coffee.

Sometimes the question is doing work inside us long before we discover the answer.

Spring always comes.

But when it does, it arrives because winter first did its work.

Until next time, keep leading with strength and living with purpose.

-srt

#ThursdayThoughts #Wintering #Leadership #Growth #LiveWithPurpose #ReaCoachingandConsulting