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Catching up with yourself

Running your own business is a mixed blessing, but one thing is that you don’t need anyone else’s permission to take time off.  However, it is remarkably hard to allow yourself to stop working when it is your business.  It is ever so easy to say “I’ll just do this then I’ll stop…”  and yet somehow one never does! 

Be that as it may, I knew I needed a break and really did take things much easier for the last three weeks and I can feel the benefits.  It is a little bit like being in the Starship Enterprise, going into warp drive and on arriving at the destination only to discover yourself there waiting for you to catch-up (an admittedly bizarre image, but an apposite one.)

Sometimes I think we run so fast we don’t realise that we are getting nowhere.  Stopping is challenging.  It is an act of surrender and an act of faith.  The prize is that you find yourself reconnected and re-energised. 

Sometimes a change of pace can be one of the hardest changes to make.  If you haven’t got round to it yet I suggest that you give it a try.

“We know that leadership is very much related to change. As the pace of change accelerates, there is naturally a greater need for effective leadership.”   John Kotte

 

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 at 20:21 and is filed under General, Hints, Tips & Techniques, Personal Change. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Catching up with yourself”

  1. Clare Evans @clareevans says:
    8 September , 2009 at 21:07

    Couldn’t agree more Richard.

    So many people seem to have a head down and get on with it approach to their business, thinking that the more they put in, the more they’ll get out. However – often that’s not the case. Sometimes less is more. Particularly when it comes to taking breaks.

    After a break – no matter how long or short – you’ll be refreshed and re-energised and able to do more. Take frequent short breaks throughout the day as well as longer breaks. Have a day off during the week every now and then to do exactly what you want (nothing to do with business). Make sure you have a complete break when you go on holiday – leave the laptop and Blackberry at home!

    And if you think your business won’t survive without you – maybe you ought to take a look at how you’re working.

    You can check your working pattern with my free Time Audit.

  2. richardderwentcooke says:
    8 September , 2009 at 21:13

    Clare,
    I couldn’t agree more. So often when you stop and change your focus you find your answers ‘magically‘ coming to you, and problems can just melt away.

    The longer I do this, the better I get at realising when to ‘give up’ and walk away for a bit… but it is always a challenge

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