From the Bottom of the Bucket

Swaying

"Men's natures are alike; it is their habits that carry them apart"  - Confucius

One of our cultural themes that the so called The Protestant Ethic offers that only activities that are "productive" are worthy of our Energy.  "Idleness" is to be avoid and is characterized as "the devil's workshop". It is drilled into young minds from the time they can comprehend the message. We find ourselves in a universe that rejoices in work and goal oriented lifestyles.  Little room for Thoreau's quiet time.

The idea that our capacity for full engagement depends on our ability to periodically disengage has been referenced many times in the column.  In their book The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, they state " We grow at all levels by expanding energy beyond our ordinary limits and then recovering." The Tao Te Ching preaches "do-without doing",   Ah, Grasshopper, there is the essence!

While there are thousands of books, courses and seminars on how to "get ahead", when did you see a learning opportunity for how to purposely fall behind? It is our bodies that send the early messages that rest time has arrived.  Ignoring them will only serve to heighten the volume of the following messages.  Recovery is a non-activity that is an art form. It  takes an iron sense of determination to transcend the years of cultural productivity messages and sink back into guilt free revival, yet this activity is a necessity for living a full life. In an era of energy in a bottle (really?), when was the last time you saw a bill board that said : Tired? Get Some Rest !!!.

Part of my program is to have a full commitment to exercise.  Over the past eight months, out of the ninety six scheduled workouts, I have only missed five, and in the last five months only two. BUT, I now have developed a chronic lower back ache and after dealing with it for a month, I have decided to take one week completely off and one week with a reduced routine.  So what, you say. Well it took me a month of messages to get it. Time to step back and take a look at my "normal"!

I suggest that we all must take time to ask the question "Is this path still appropriate?" Not to do so is almost guaranteed to assure you will be sidelined.

 

Until next month, I wish you fulfillment.

Bob