Sometimes you just need a break. It’s easier to justify a break when you’re tired because you’ve been overdoing work, household stuff, running around, social events, or sports.

But there are other times when it is equally important to back off and rest.

Many years ago, I was coaching a sales team and I had them clearly state their goals.

They were choosing both professional and personal goals. Two people on the team chose to quit smoking as one of their main goals. But as I poked around to see why the goal was on their list, I found out that they were only quitting because they thought they should.

They actually felt resistant about the goal and were sad about it. I said, “Give that goal a break!”

If you’re not totally invested in a goal, give it a rest. Come back to the goal when it feels like a “hell yeah” vibe. Otherwise, you’re just shoulding all over yourself.

If you’re truly enjoying something, why make yourself wrong? That only increases the negative emotional charge and compounds stress.

So after some coaching, the smokers decided what would feel good is to only smoke when it felt good, instead of from boredom. When smoking from boredom, they’d felt like they were numbing out. This was a great distinction!

Another thing you may want to give a rest is nagging, controlling, and manipulating.

It feels like crap to be harping on your mate, children, or employees about the same things… over and over. If you already stated the problem, solution, and your request several times, why would you keep on and on? It drives both you and the other person crazy!

A constant riff between my husband and me used to be his tardiness and non-communication when he knew he was going to be late.

One night he came home a lot later than he said he would so we weren’t able to go to the gym as planned. We also didn’t get to eat dinner together.

I have a high desire to keep each other informed of our timelines and plans so that we both get to have our needs met. When I finally saw him that evening, I didn’t say a word about him being late. I listened to his description of his day and decided to give the “You should be more courteous talk” a rest.

He thanked me the next morning for not saying anything.
You attract what you focus on. If you keep harping about a problem, I guarantee it won’t go away anytime soon.

Do you have a goal that gets put on your list every year but you don’t seem to do anything about it?

What if you took it off the list?

If it feels like a black cloud looming over you or a big pressure to continue to see it on your list… it’s killing your self-confidence.

Wait until you’re truly excited to go for it. Then you can take it out of the waiting room.

Have you been trying to figure out something and the answer isn’t coming? Give it a rest! Chill out. Let the answer find you… later. You can’t force a solution or idea into existence, but you can create the space for it.

You’ll find that taking a break from anything opens up doors of possibility, elevates your mood, and improves your health.

Have you ever gotten out of your head and into your heart? That brain can get into overdrive… and needs a long rest!

How do you know when to stop resting? When it feels good to do so. I think I’ll go kick my heels up right now. 😉