There has been a recent trend both in business and on social media where people love to talk about how much they have sacrificed for success. Whether it’s only sleeping 4 hours a night, spending their last few dollars to invest in stocks, or sacrificing time with their children in order to spend more time in the office.
Not only do some industries reward this way of thinking, but after seeing these stories gain mainstream media attention it can be easy to think that the only way to transform your life is to suffer. But when we buy into these beliefs we push down what is authentic to us and start following a process that is rooted in a hypermasculine approach to business and success, one that doesn’t factor in our current lifestyles, or aspirations. It’s a philosophy that holds end results of burn out, resentment, and self-sacrifice. Ones where we lose our sense of self.
So what other choice do we have?
Self-care may have been a buzzword showing up everywhere in 2020, but the reality is, that self-care is an integral part of peak performance. Self care is one of THE single most important factors in maintaining our ability to operate at our peak levels while maintaining our sense of self, our sanity, and our wellbeing.
But the reason we fail to do this, is we often get stuck in the mindset of, “I’ll rest when this is finished” , “I only need to make it through this week.” But when this becomes a pattern for every week we never get the rest and recovery we need to truly thrive.
If you have been stuck in the pattern, where do you start?
Start with just 10 minutes. 10 minutes a day where you hold space for yourself no matter what that looks like. For some people it’s a bath or a shower, or meditation, or being mindful of their emotions without judgement. 10 minutes is manageable, and when you take these 10 minutes you’ll notice your performance increase as a result, more so than if you had just spent those 10 minutes working.
The outcome of these 10 minutes is that self-care becomes a habit rather than a bandaid to ease the stress and mental fatigue of an overly busy lifestyle. It becomes an act of self-love and self-nourishment. It also allows you to recognise your value and really step into the next level of your self-mastery journey.
If you want to reach a state of being that is productive, efficient, and successful then you need to nurture yourself first. Our strength comes first from gentle practices that set us up to be truly ourselves and respond in the best way possible.
If this feeling of burn out and hustle resonates and you want to learn more about how you can nurture yourself, and create space for your vision this year click here to access a copy of my Welcome In The New Year Ritual.
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