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Rest itself Is a Turnaround for Me

Horse in the snow
Everyone needs rest.

I’m a Bit Like a Horse – I Like to Run

And I don’t mean running physically, but rather running, doing, and accomplishing. I take satisfaction in doing things. And I’ve got pretty good stamina to go and go.

But there is a limit.

Especially when I am working on several projects at once, all of which require deep, abstract thinking and planning. These kind of projects are like lifting heavy weights with my mind. Working on curriculum development is a good example of this.

Some Projects Just Take More Mind Power

And that’s great. I love to exercise my mind. I love to develop courses. It’s one of my favorite things to do. But I hit my limit last week.

I was simultaneously developing The Work 101 curriculum and working with my friend, Aileen Cheatham, redesigning the Basics curriculum for ITW. I have basically been in this mode of curriculum development since the end of October.

And Here’s What Happened

I started burning out. It was like I was using this mental muscle over and over and over without rest for weeks and months. And eventually it was too much.

I felt growing tension in my neck, back, head, eyes, and jaw. I didn’t want to go to work in the morning. I felt emotionally cranky and pessimistic.

Simply because I was overusing that muscle.

I Didn’t Do The Work on This

Not formally, anyway.

But, I noticed it wasn’t working for me, and I turned it around.

I simply started doing the opposite. I gave myself a break. I slept. And I stepped away from the jobs mentally a bit. Conveniently, one job ended. And I re-thought how to manage the other job.

I sat with my calendar and improved my schedule. I put more breaks in. And I opened up some time. Just doing that helped me relax, knowing that I can continue to have an added element of rest in my ongoing routine.

I still have some more resting to do to fully catch up, but the tension is way less now. And I’m not feeling grumpy anymore. I love this simple turnaround for me to rest when I’ve been running like a horse for too long.

Have a great week,
Todd

“There’s a natural balance in things. If you go too far to one extreme, life kindly brings you back toward the center. What goes up must come down, and what comes down must go up. Up and down are different aspects of the same thing.” Byron Katie, A Thousand Names for Joy

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Todd Smith has been doing The Work of Byron Katie on an almost daily basis since 2007. He is just as excited about this simple process of self-inquiry today as he was when he first came across it. He also enjoys writing about The Work, and training others in the subtleties of this meditative process. Join Todd for The Work 101 online course, private sessions, virtual retreats, and his ongoing Inquiry Circle group.