Feel the wobble? Is something important about to topple?
I think God’s going to come down and pull civilization over for speeding.
— Steven Wright
Sometimes we overdo. Sometimes we have too many plates spinning, too many demands stuffed into too little time and, the next thing we know, we’ve slipped into mindless busyness and something important is on the verge of toppling. Maybe we got into the swing of something, doing and doing until we lapsed into a workaholic-trance. Maybe the abyss of our To-Do-List’s administrivia kept us working, working working. Perhaps deadlines loomed large… Or, perhaps we actually fell under the thrall of an awesome condition known as Flow:
Flow is being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz.
— Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
But, regardless of what’s brought us to this brink, we owe it to ourselves to intervene before something important takes a topple! Continue reading » Life Lessons 101: Topple Proofing
 Photo credit: BouncebackCafe.com How can YOU grab hold of that “vacation feeling”?
There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.
— Nelson Mandela
I just got back from a delightful and low-key vacation – a road trip up the California coast. Beautiful!
And now my brain is having a hard time getting a grip on “real life”… After a relaxing eight days of being detached from all the comings and goings and doings that enrich and envelope my usual days, I’m rev’n in neutral – quietly enthusiastic about doing nothing, going nowhere! Thankfully, either I didn’t leave myself a bunch of to-do lists or I hid them from myself – either which way, it’s a good thing.
I imagine I’ll get back in the swing of things soon, probably mañana. I guess that’s when I’ll get down to business and figure out what I should be doing. (Right after I Continue reading » That “Vacation Feeling”
In [people who are] producers, loafing is productive; and no creator, of whatever magnitude, has ever been able to skip that stage, any more than a mother can skip gestation.
— Jacques Barzun*
* (I’m happy to report that loafing worked for Jacques as he was born in 1907 and still seems to be among the living. – PattiAnn)
A week ago I wrote about the 5 Signs That it’s Time to Take Time for You – largely because I am feeling in need of a break. So, what was the major event in my life last week? Adopting a kitten. To be honest, the two just don’t go together.
Although he’s a sweetie, he’s very demanding, and like all very young creatures, in need of attention – the attention he would have gotten from his mother, but which now falls to us to provide. Admittedly, this is a short-term requirement, but it feels like a lot more than it is because I already felt that I needed a break.
Mixed Blessings
Malibu (that’s the name that was picked by the neighborhood because he was found in the engine compartment of a Chevy Malibu) may be the classic definition of Continue reading » Gone Loafing
Every now and then, go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen.
— Leonardo da Vinci
I don’t know about you but no matter how much I “want to change” these days, I’ve figured out that I don’t necessarily want to change, I just want to have different results from my current behavior. Actually, I feel as if I’ve been trying to “change” forever and the more I change the more things stay the same. As I think about this feeling, I realize that I am deep in my bones tired. It’s not a physical feeling, it’s an emotional feeling. I also know that if I work at it, I can get myself into a better state… I just don’t feel like working at it right now. I’m deep in my bones TIRED. One of the problems with writing a resilience blog is that, at least in theory, I should never just wallow until I feel better. (There’s that dang “should” again!) You see, I know that when I’ve overdone it what I need is a reading/movies/napping vacation. Depending on what’s going on at home, I may or may not need to run away (literally or figuratively) but I do need to take a break. So just in case you’re not sure if you need a break or not, here are five signs that it’s time to take time for you.
Continue reading » 5 Signs That It’s Time to Take Time for You
Or Maybe You’d Like to Play…
PattiAnn reminded us yesterday that alternating work with relaxation can actually make us more productive – and that a little struggle is a good thing. The WhyDoWork.com forum reminds us once again that challenge and persistence play well in both work and play:
Continue reading » Our week in review: Use it or lose it through deep practice of structured procrastination – or better yet, you deserve a break!
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