Want a secret to reduce burnout + anxiety?

Everyone is burning out because most of us don't understand the importance of putting our own well-being on our to-do list.

Note: I said ON the list...not FIRST on the list like we deserve to be. That's some mastery level stuff, and I'm just sharing some baby steps here.

So for those brave souls who actually have themselves on the list, KUDOS!! But also, how often do you actually make the time to do the thing you said you were going to do for you?

Yeah, I thought so!

So our BIGGEST issue:

We* are an afterthought.

Like we'll get around to taking care of us later.

Look in your calendar right now and show me where "later" is?

Exactly.

IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT, IT'S PERVASIVE

There are 3 problems with our collective work culture right now:

1. We have glamorized the hustle + grind ideology for far too long. I'm not saying it doesn't work well for some, but many, many people are simply not wired that way.
2. We put arbitrary deadlines and pressure on ourselves to make sure we can "under promise and over deliver". Plus we're easily distracted and not doing half the work we think we are. Busy is NOT productive!!!!
3. We all believe what we do is far more important than it is and if we delay the delivery by even 3 hours bad things could happen.

Let's focus on point number 3 for a moment...

Think about it, like really think about what would happen if something serious and unavoidable happened right now. I mean take you ALL the way out of work for 4 whole days serious and unavoidable.

~ Would you have people to cover for you?

~ Would those folks waiting for you to deliver the thing be understanding?

~ Would you beg for forgiveness or ask for permission?

Here's what that will really sting...would they even really notice you were gone??

The reality is most of us aren't brain surgeons, nor do we actually work in life or death situations (this message absolutely changes for those who do).

Once we reset our minds to the proper importance level of the work we're churning out, we become far more willing to ask for, and give grace to both ourselves and others.

GRACE MATTERS

Let's socialize and reward the idea of giving grace.

Here's a sentence that we should be absolutely more accepting of:

"Hi. I wanted to let you know that this /offer/post/session/response/meeting is going to be delayed for a few hours while I handle some very important personal business."

No begging for acceptance. No apology. No long drawn out excuse or reasoning. Just a simple resetting of an expectation.

Imagine getting that message and being totally okay with receiving it. Because YOU KNOW that one day, maybe sooner than you'd like, you may need to send someone the same.

Let's move to a society who is more concerned with the well-being of our team, our partners, our clients, and our suppliers than we are about arbitrary timelines.

What do you think?

Are you in??

NEXT TUESDAY LUNCH AND LEARN

*We are an after thought is even more true for females than males. We HAVE to take care of ourselves, people!