“Exhaustion is not a status symbol.”

—Brené Brown, research professor at the University of Houston

Image of a hand holding a candle burning at both ends

Image from andtodaysidiomis

Do you ever hear yourself or others making statements such as:

I work 24/7
I work 60, 70, 80 hours per week
I only need 4-5 hours of sleep
I can’t remember when I took all of my vacation time
I usually eat at my desk, and sometimes in my car
I bill more hours than anyone else in my firm
I’m burning the candle at both ends

Somehow, many of us took the idea of hard work, and got carried away. Some of us have gotten to the point that our self worth and value equates to “giving it my all,” taking it to the point of endangering our very lives.

The evidence that we need to conserve and recharge our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energies before it is too late is overwhelming.

EXERCISE:

Select at least one personal or professional activity that you will do less of or stop entirely, so you can step back from the ledge of exhaustion. See if you can reclaim at least one hour each day, and then consider reducing or eliminating a second activity.

I highly recommend reading The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr if you want to take this concept further.