Hottest Success Formula EVAAAAAA!

I’m writing to you from the sky. I’m on the plane to Mexico. These words are the last minute wrappings of any professional duties before I completely surrender my brain and body to a much craved winter vacation. Yes it’s 6am and I just got a little rowdy. I ordered a Bloody Mary to pad the transition from work to play. Caution: this could go rogue any minute.

Once upon a dream there was a diligently devoted Dame of Duty (and let’s get honest, it was drudgery). She was a gold medalist, breaking records and hearts on her conveyor belt of everlasting toil and tasks. A first world entrepreneur, (wow “first world”? Nothing existed before us? Such a mix of arrogance, privilege, and pathetic, and yeah, I’m going with it anyway.) she was beholden to a bold but bizarre work ethic. She would stop at nothing to get the job done. Wearing her badge of workaholic faith, she abandoned family, friends, entertainment, even food and sleep She probably even passed up sex just to check that one last thing off her to do list before retiring for her 4 hours of beauty sleep.

In the midst of her magnificent flow of fierce productivity, out of nowhere swung the inevitable cosmic 2x4. You know the one. It lays you flat on your sweet ass. It was the mirage in the desert she was galloping towards that turned out to be no mirage at all, rather a quite tangible solid brick wall.

Only as she lay in the wreckage of her shit and shock did it all begin to make sense. There were signs along the way she refused to see.

Like when she missed her brother’s wedding because with the flight and all, the timing just didn’t work, or the fact that she hadn’t been out with the girls in oh… two and a half years? Really, had it been that long?

The lazy Sundays of sleeping in, cuddling, watching movies and strolling to the coffee shop were either distant memories or something she watched in a Nicholas Spark movie. To put it bluntly she had put all her eggs in her fancy, hope gilded career basket. She failed to recognize that in her efficiency and fast tracking she’d been riding the crazy train.

If you’re reading this and haven’t connected the dots back your self; I’m here to burst your blissful bubble of naivety. The rest of you have a self-signed copy of this tragic novella on your internal bookshelf.

The spiritual sledgehammer comes in a variety unrelated forms, bodily injuries, divorce, disease, maybe depression, whatever it takes to get your attention. In the end it kicks your ass regardless. Its not so subtle message boils down to this: “Bitch, slow it down. I mean NOW”.

Demonstrative grand sweeping displays of flagrant self-care might be just what your inner lady is calling for.

I’ve concocted an infallible formula for this imperative.

I call it the holy art of rest and play.

1.)  PLAY

Most of us don’t even know how to play. In classes I lead, I often ask students to share how they play. What I most commonly hear are things like, “I read books, I go for long walks, I work out, I watch a sunset, or I meditate.”

So if you took a pack of 5 yr olds and told them these were on the menu for playing, they’d burst into to tears and want to go home.

Oddly enough playing takes effort. Most adults suck at it.

Ask yourself how do you play? I mean really play! Can you put away agenda, restrictions, logical objective, or strategies and just play? Be silly, laugh, explore, be nonsensical and outrageous!

2.)  RELAX

Sleep is usually first on the list. It’s good and totally necessary. I give it two thumbs up. As a matter of fact I’m a total nap beast.

 In the vast spectrum between work and slumber there are heaps of relaxation variants I invite you to explore. How do you relax without totally checking out? I’m not talking about mindless internet browsing, Netflix, or snoring. After your inner child had been let out to frolic and romp let the pursuit of relaxation begin!

Okay that being said, my plane is about to land and I’ve got some boogie boarding, Frisbee playing, and hammock lolling to do. 

(finishing this post 2 weeks later...)

When my ladies arrived for our retreat, my head was clear and my heart wide open. I got to resume the amazing work I do in this world with a fresh appreciation and perspective.

Are you postponing self care, relaxation, play, and restoration? What’s your excuse? Is it money, time, or an endless task list that is sabotaging you? Please check in with your body. Take even one day and devote yourself to yourself.  This is the key to sustainable success…Trust me I’ve had to learn the hard way. Yep I still have the scars to prove it!