Sometimes life has strong messages for us doesn't it. Like, really strong messages. This week I've been making some pretty big decisions about my future and I'm excited. A couple of weeks ago I decided to work a little bit over the weekend. Nothing major; just tidy some things up so I'm free to focus on the next chapter.
Well that was a mistake wasn't it. Or was it? The social media platform we all love to hate, Facebook has been a bit glitchy lately since the last upgrade. Of course it's not only the app, but also the user (namely, yours truly) getting used to the new changes. Sadly, I'm finding this more and more. I'm certainly not as sharp as I was eight years ago when it comes to this sort of thing. It's Friday afternoon of Easter, I'm working away, scheduling some posts on my page, sorting out other pages I no longer use and thinking I'm doing fine. At the same time, I'm aware of a tiredness, of a frustration with the app not behaving how it should (that was definitely the app). And, I hear that quiet voice saying, maybe you should call it a day... maybe it's time to relax. But, I didn't listen. Pressing on, I decided I'd delete a page I no longer need. So, I just deleted it. Bam! Gone. Easy. Right, on to the next task I thought. Until I refreshed my other page that is. To my absolute horror, I'd deleted the wrong page. I'd deleted the page that goes with this blog. One panic-stricken message to one of my fellow business owners in a Facebook group and I began to relax. There is a process for retrieving deleted pages that is available for 14 days after deletion. Oh boy did I heave a massive sigh of relief. Every single day in our lives there are lessons. What was it here? Listen to your gut, and rest when you feel tired or frustrated. Pushing through never works out to be the best decision. Ever. I've been in business, and around, long enough to know that when things get hard they start to fall apart. And they don't get any easier either. The very best thing I know to do at those times, is walk away. This is something my business coach taught me a few years ago. I remember in the early days of building my business, Upcycled & Co. I'd be exhausted. And, of course, there was always a bigger than big task list to deal with. At these times, she would ask me to identify only the things that needed to be done that day. Having done that, she'd instruct me to do those, and then take the rest of the day off. In particular, she'd recommend taking a walk, going to the beach or doing something for myself. It always worked. Now, what I need to do, is remember this. Then I need to make sure I take the appropriate action when I'm feeling tired, frustrated or overwhelmed. The outcome then will be more positive I'm sure. One thing I remember my Dad saying to me in his latter years was this: Make sure you get your rest Kathryn. I loved to get out to see him mid-week, but it wasn't always possible with work pressures. If I couldn't, he always reminded me that my rest was more important. Question: What are your favourite ways to get your rest? Let me know in the comments, I'd like to hear how you manage this.