Rest is the Revolution...

"When you realign your decisions to your desire and adjust your actions to your natural rhythms, clarity of purpose will peek through the clouds. Let her know that she is welcome here "

- Bspokeit the Poet

Making the decision to leave a job is one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make, and I've had to make this decision 5 times in my career. As a hyper-independent over achiever, running fast and working hard has been what I've considered a hallmark of my success since grade school. My ability to learn fast, stay steady and out-work those around are traits that I thought for sure would be the wind in my sails as I scaled the ladders of success wherever I found an opportunity to work and grow. With every new job, I envisioned a future where my dedication to the team and the mission, skills and conviction, charm and optimism would be all I needed to be "successful". These were the tools I came to adulthood and the workplace with; these were the bootstraps I knew how to pull myself up by.

What I have come to understand in my decade plus of professional "big girl job" experience is that these tools and skills, while important, are not the tools for the success I was looking for. They are the tools the present systems tell us are necessary to succeed according to what has already been built and what currently exists. In reality, and what I came to learn after much trial and error, is that in the wrong hands and environment, this drive does not lead to success; at least, not the type that I was seeking. It leads to burnout and potentially trauma.

After 11 years of pushing myself hard and fast to build the visions and foundations of several organizations and countless projects and programs, life and health have forced me to slow down and take stock of the last several years to determine the following:

• What have been the areas of scope creep and misalignment in my own life?

• Where am I out of step with my natural rhythms and desires?

• Are my actions and decisions aligned with what I say I believe?

• What do I really want most and WHY do I want it?

• What do I need to do to realign with my core purpose again?

The key to getting these answers is what I often preach to friends, family and clients but have consistently ignored for myself - hitting the snooze button on the alarm of my own inner warning system. The blaring sound of my mind, body and spirit telling me what I've known for a while but have pushed away out of fear of what will happen if I slow down long enough to feel my own exhaustion; the key is that...

I need rest...

It's too easy to respond to the stressors of the my life and this world like a shark in the ocean; just keep moving. Don't slow down! Just keep going. While forward motion is important, it's often difficult to discern the source of such a command. And the source is the difference between sustainable success that you can feel proud of in the long-run, or a tire blowout on the side of the highway that leaves you stranded, depleted and losing more than you expected - burnout.

When the source is panic and fear of what happens if you stop, burnout is imminent. When the source is rest and the inspiration that comes from taking a step back, taking a deep breath, reconnecting with your truest energy source and giving your reinvigorated yes to what matters most to you, then the way forward is limitless.

Our modern job/work and grind culture often shames those of us who "can't keep up". Today I'm happy to say that I'm proud to be one who is choosing to leave this mentality behind in pursuit of something better. To push off the demand to ignore my natural rhythms for fear of being left behind by a system that was not built for me in the first place.

If you've made it this far, then welcome to the revolution! Where working and showing up from a place of rest and wellbeing is the hallmark of success. Where taking breaks, a nap, or whatever you need to be well is not shamed but celebrated. I do not write this from a place of mastery or authority on the matter. I write this as someone on a continuous journey to live this one life I have as freely and authentically as possible. If that resonates with you, I invite you to journey with me.