Restore So You Can Do More
In my last column, I discussed driving and how using the gas pedal and brake requires effort. We also talked about how not doing either could be referred to as coasting and how coasting is the equivalent of giving yourself enough time for all your work to catch on. Well, today, I want to look at it from a different angle. I want to compare the difference between being in motion and being at rest.
Last time, I also mentioned how we’re taught that doing more is generally accepted as a good thing. Now that burnout and mental health have become “popular,” self-care and rest have become top of mind.
So being in motion is great because, typically, it means progress is being made. However, have you ever gotten to a place where your effort didn’t match the results? This is a great time to start looking at slowing down, stopping, and resting… at least for a little bit.
My friend, Micaiah Gill, who owns Restore and Rework, does some amazing work. I don’t personally understand how it’s done, but I see the posts and the beautiful pieces she creates. What stands out to me is the fact that time is spent on removing the outer layers and getting to the original piece that it was, then maybe adding color to it.
What does this have to do with rest? Well, when we’re constantly in motion, layers get added on as a result of that motion. However, over time, if we don’t stop to recalibrate, we may end up adding things we don’t want to do. At that point, the only fix is to completely stop and sand it off or get rid of it completely.
This actually happened to a business person I followed on social media. She sent out a newsletter recently that she was taking a sabbatical for an undetermined length. She had been in business for a few years now and had built it up to over 7 figures… but now she needed to completely halt operations because she realized what she built wasn’t something she wanted to do forever.
This is actually my fear for most people, including myself. What if I put my head down to do the work, but I never take the time to stop and realize I started going in the wrong direction? So I realized all this talk about self-care and resting… isn’t really about rest. It’s about resetting yourself so you know you’re going in the right direction. It’s so you know what your true north is. As your coach, my genuine hope isn’t that I make lots of money but that I help as many people as possible find their true north.
So, when can you find moments of rest? How can you find some ways to reset yourself? Please share your ideas with me! What is your true north? If you’re not sure, please check out my Wheel of Life tool as a starting place at https://www.kevinkoocoach.com/wheel-of-life1. If you’d like some direct support, book a call at https://calendly.com/kevinkoocoaching/cvforum.
Coach Kev helps people gain clarity on what they want in life, craft a plan, and keep them accountable while checking his compass for true north. Contact him at kevinkoocoaching@gmail.com
