I’m off.
This means no work (but work continues to hound you) and spending some quality time with family. In my years of working, I usually don’t take breaks. As the job required back then, we worked holidays, weekends, and even during typhoons. Worked doesn’t stop, as it was and still is our duty to report what’s happening around the world. As a journalist, you don’t pause that much. Your mind races with thoughts of, “What ifs.”
But we are all human and we bleed (and we get tired). When you hit a certain age, we often get tired easily (mainly because of our sedentary lifestyle and high-stressed environment).
I recently asked one of my colleagues what does he do to recharge. He looked at me, stunned, and said, “Um, whatever it is that you do, just find a way to recharge.” Hmmm, he didn’t answer my question. So what should I do to recharge? For some, they take a sabbatical. They go off to an island or another country and devote themselves to doing something else –charity or any good deed. Others take a vacation (but this is not exactly stress-free). Will it take a week, a month, a year to get that mojo back? Depends.
As my current mentor told me, take things one step at a time. One of the more recent lessons I’ve learned is never multi-task. Stick to one task at a time. Tick that off, then move on to the next. Little wins will translate to big wins. But there’s another school of thought: don’t sweat the little stuff. Go for the big fish. Easier said than done.
In today’s current environment, big wins mean getting all stakeholders to agree to your idea. One “No” will eventually tip the scales, and you end up with nothing. I saw this movie last night where a Wall Street lawyer was telling his son-in-law-slash-partner that their lives are like tightropes. It is a balancing act. Some acts will do good, while others will lead to harm. His philosophy was to do good so it will outweigh the acts that lead to harm. I think that movie is titled, “Changing Lanes.” You know how that movie ended.
Life is indeed about making choices. And decisions are made everyday, every second, every moment, every breath. If you break it down, you only need to think of three answers: yes, no, maybe then what? The third is often a compromise, but to who’s favor? In my case, the third answer seems more evident recently. And this has caused headaches. Saying “No” also leads to headaches, but this is often short-lived. That’s when you make a stand and you stick with it.
As children, we’ve often been told “No” too many times. And we often are frustrated, not understanding the context and the consequences. A psychologist I read once offered a suggestion: Always say Yes, but…(then explain why you said it).
So, yes, I’m taking a long break. Yes, I’m going off the grid. Yes, I need a break, a long one. Yes, I’m tired but I’m going to find my mojo. It’s just there (inside the brain), waiting to be unleashed again. Yes, no one can help you do this but you. Yes, you!
Timeout!