Working from your rest. What on earth does that mean? It means first rest enough to the point that you actually feel rested in your body, spirit and mind, and then work from that place of rest. It’s backwards to what society tells us. It says just drink a Redbull, get an extra shot of espresso, push through, and work hard play hard. I want to teach you how to think differently here.
I first learned about this new way of doing from my friend Tatyana. She told me that her mentor taught her it a few years ago, and she felt led to share it with me. At first it perplexed me like I’m sure it did you. It’s so opposite of how I’ve done it all my life. In grade school I’d work really hard during the school year and then rest during the summer. In high school I’d do my homework every night, leaving projects until Sunday to do and then go into school on Monday feeling tired from working so hard on the weekend.
In college, I subscribed to the work hard play hard mentality. I worked really hard in school, taking adderall as needed to focus. If you know anything about adderall, it is a powerful stimulant. I would take it whenever I needed it, sometimes in the evening, and I’d lay in bed wishing I could fall asleep with my heart racing and brain fully active. I also partied really hard on the weekends (meaning Wednesday through Saturday). This meant that I was up really late and not getting enough sleep and nutrients. After college, I moved to LA and I’d do whatever work I could get. I did a lot of extra work which meant 13 hour days on set sometimes pretending to dance for six hours in a club scene surrounded by foam. My entire life was go, go, go. I was told “you have to stay busy in LA to keep the momentum going.”
The last phase of my life that was spent working like a mad woman ended a few months ago. I was going to school, working and doing an internship. I had Sundays off when I would spend the day trying to maintain my marriage and friendships. I prayed that God would help me with my schedule, and he provided me with a wonderful one week work opportunity that paid really well and allowed me to stop worked for seven months. I know- it truly was a miracle. Since then, I have had Fridays and Saturdays off and what a difference that has made. I go to school twice a week and I see clients twice a week. Then, I have three days off. I can use the three days to do some homework, catch up with friends, spend time with my husband, write a blog, or literally do nothing.
I have noticed that I am using Friday, Saturday and Sunday as restful days. Sure I get stuff done here and there, but when I am back in the swing of things come Monday, I don’t feel exhausted! I have energy to spend. Even right now, I feel like writing, not because I have put pressure on myself, but because I got a full night sleep and spent the morning doing quiet time with the Lord. I challenge you to rest as well as you can next weekend, and notice the difference come Monday.
Connection Addict 