Since starting this blog, I have found that every few months I run out of things to say. I run out of creativity and inspiration. It becomes necessary to take time out – to hibernate until I felt rested and energised again.
Over the past weeks, I have taken time out from blogging. It’s been a time of change for our team, and a challenging time for my family. I needed to divert attention to our clients, my people, but also to myself. I also simply needed rest.
Somehow, though, it still feels like defeat to admit that I need this time out. For someone like me, who has a lot of her identity tied up in productivity, it feels like failure.
After all, there are bloggers, like inspiring Seth Godin, who has produced a daily blog for years.
Why can I not do that?
Perhaps because, as I have come to realise, it is not what I want for my life.
Talking about rest is not popular. You don’t often read biographies that espouse how the famous got to their positions by resting. Even diverting attention away from driving forward and increasing productivity, to instead, nurturing people or protecting your health, are not common business strategies.
And yet, we wonder why we have a global health crisis. This is especially true in countries that have adopted Western standards of growth at all cost. Too often, we see that cost play out in substance abuse, obesity, and mental health problems - all of which are on the increase globally.
It’s not how I want to live. I have not come to this conclusion easily. This counter-cultural stance is the result of a determined turnaround after a near burnout years ago. I’ve come to understand that sacrificing my health, integrity, creativity, and general joie de vivre for material gain, is a short-sighted strategy. I want to live intentionally, slowly, in tune with my body, with time for my people. Those include my clients, friends, and family.
I am back. I feel refreshed. I hope to inspire.
How are you?
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Kind regards,
Sunél