Take The “Rest” That Rules Them All
Today is the mid-point of summer (already, I know!) and what better time to rest and reset?
Maybe you’ve taken your family vacations, enjoyed time outside, had the BBQ fired up… but have you really taken time for yourself to reset?
There’s tons of great research I was looking through online about the different kinds of “rest” we all need, but I think there’s a particular kind of rest that rules them all. Perhaps different than what you might expect…
The kind of rest that I think is most important is fundamental. It’s foundational to who we are and how we live our lives. It’s a kind of rest that gets to at least part of the source of why you even need rest to begin with. It’s a pathway to not just rest and recovery, but real peace.
Ok, that’s enough buildup – are you ready for it?
Telling the truth.
That’s right.
Telling the truth.
Confronting what is.
Exactly how it is.
And exactly how it isn’t.
And then surrendering, accepting, and coming to terms with all of it. There’s superficial rest and then there’s the peace from telling the truth. There’s no middle ground.
There are three key areas to consider.
Yourself. What’s true about who you’ve become? The good, the bad and everything in between.
Others. What’s true about those people around you? Those on your team, in your company or even in your family?
And the world. What’s really true about what’s possible in the world and how it works?
Are your perspectives in these areas THE truth? Or, are they A truth for which there’s a greater truth to uncover? It’s sometimes hard to see what is, especially when caught up in the day to day of summer activities and everything else. It takes time for some real reflection to assess your views that are working. And those that maybe aren’t.
You wouldn’t create an investor presentation to share it with a preschool class. And you wouldn’t put on a nice suit to go to crossfit. That wouldn’t make much sense. Just like it doesn’t make sense to nurture yourself fully and then go engage with a bunch of different untruths. It’s just overly exhausting and ineffective.
Once you confront the truth… you no longer have to fight against it. Pretend things are / are not happening. Cover up your feelings or numb them out. And when you’ve come to terms with the truth, you’ll find peace. And a deep rest that’s way beyond taking days off. And somewhat ironically, the more truth you confront, the fewer days you’ll “need” off to begin with.
I go through this process myself regularly and make sure to do it every summer. Stepping back to re-evaluate my own views in opening to a greater understanding of what’s true. If you want to join me for part of it, it’s not too late to check out the workshop I’m running in collaboration with Rythmia in Costa Rica, August 20-27. We’ll be getting out of the way the untruths that are in the way of your real rest and aligning to your true purpose beyond it – hope to see you there. If you have any questions about it, DM me on any of the socials.
To be clear, I don’t want to diminish the need for other kinds of rest. There’s great research on the necessity of physical rest, mental rest, emotional rest, social rest, creative rest, sensory rest, and even spiritual rest. Do those things for sure.
But do them while confronting the truth to experience the kind of rest that rules them all.