Eat right and exercise. Refresh and recharge. Go home at 5:30. Remember the Sabbath.
It’s unanimous – everyone’s telling us we should take better care of ourselves, have life balance, and take breaks. So why do we Americans work so hard?
I think I know where it comes from. In corporate life, it’s often part of the company culture – the ones who work evenings and weekends get the “atta boys and girls” and the promotions. As entrepreneurs, we convince ourselves that we have to grow our business fast and it’s up to us to make it happen – now. Socially, it sounds more important and admirable to say, “I’m working seven days a week” than “I didn’t do a darned thing yesterday!”
So, being busy and stressed becomes a habit. One of the things that hits home for us now is when clients apply for life and health insurance. Sometimes, the client’s health has suffered over time due to work priorities. It’s a real wake-up call to discover that insurance underwriters think you’re more prone to death and disease – and want to charge you extra for it.
We can’t keep this up. Our businesses and families need us to be healthy and 100%. It’s counter-intuitive, but the older I get, the more I realize that breaks are one of the keys to business productivity. We need to give our eyes, brains, bodies, computers and phones a break. Take quick breaks during the day, walk away at the end of the day and rest on the weekend. Laugh. Breathe. Pray. I feel like it’s a smart business strategy disguised as a “selfish” personal strategy.
So, gimme a break – literally. Have a relaxing break this weekend! And someone please remind ME about all this on Monday . . .
Edward Livesay
