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Recharge Your Battery: How to Relax!

By Tim Connor

Few people can go a hundred miles an hour -- day after day after day -- without a break of some kind. I don't care how invincible you think you are, sooner or later we all need to step away from the plate and take a different view of our life, career, day, year or whatever.

I heard an executive recently say that he hadn't had a vacation in 5 years. That, my friends, is brain damage. How can we keep a proper perspective if we never look at life from a different vantage point? How can we maintain our creativity, imagination and energy if we never take an emotional or physical break?

I am reminded of the old Earl Nightingale story about the two lumberjacks who were cutting down trees. One lumberjack took a break every few hours while the other one chopped away only stopping for lunch. At the end of the day, the one who took the breaks had cut down more trees than the other one. In exasperation, the less productive lumberjack asked, " how are you able to cut down more trees than I while you are always taking breaks?" The other one replied, " Did you notice that while I was taking a break, I was sharpening my ax?"

There is a great truth in this simple example. We all need to sharpen our ax on a regular basis. Refusing to is to invite burn-out, poor judgment, less than our creative best, and a general lack of productivity.

How do you relax? How often do you step away from the plate to rest your mind, spirit and body? I am all for pouring it on. I love to work, and I love to play. I love to do nothing, and I love to create. My last book, Peace of Mind, The Greatest Gift You Can Give to Yourself (140 + pages, over 23,000 words -- and trust me I don't type very fast) was written in less than ten days, during a number of marathon writing spells from midnight to 4 and 5 am.

When it was complete, I had a book that I like, I am proud of, and is really quite good -- maybe even one of my best yet after 42 tries to get it right. But, after it was done, I took a few days and relaxed in ways that are beneficial for me. Went hiking in the mountains outside of Asheville, spent a lot of time in my yard getting ready for winter and read 2 books by two of my favorite fiction authors. Then it was back to work at 200%.

I have friends who work hard and then play hard, and I have friends who only work hard. Life is more than our work. Our work is a reflection of our purpose and destiny, but it shouldn't consume us. Take time out to have some fun, play, relax, do nothing. It won't kill you to spend some time meditating or in quiet reflection. Take a walk in the woods for several hours. Enjoy nature. Enjoy yourself. You might find that when you get back to the grindstone, you are more refreshed and capable of better results in less time with less effort.

Time to go, I have been at this computer writing since 4:30 this morning and I need a break. I am having a long lunch with a friend.

Tim Connor, CSP
USA: 800-222-9070 (voice) 800-222-9071 (fax)
International: 704-895-1230 (voice) 704-895-1231 (fax)
e-mail: [email protected]
web site: www.timconnor.com

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