Obama made sports headlines again today when he submitted
his bracket for the NCAA tournament.
Earlier this year people were outraged when he maintained
his regular golf appointment while ISIS raged horrible unethical warfare
against Christians on the other side of the world.
How can a national leader engage in fun while the world
around him begs for his involvement?
Because Obama has figured out something that all great
leaders and influencers need to figure out.
We were not designed to work 24/7.
We were designed to work.
And designed to rest.
And designed to play
And designed to have relationship.
When we get out of balance some things start to happen.
1) WE START TO CONSIDER OURSELVES MORE IMPORTANT THAN WE
ARE.
If something that we are involved in cannot function without
us, than it’s not a sustainable thing.
Any great project that rests solely on the shoulders of one individual
is fatally flawed in design. Humans are susceptible to break down, to shift
focus, and move on. If what we are doing is truly essential, it should be
carried and supported by a group of people with different skills, abilities and
capabilities. True greatness cannot be owned. It’s to be shared.
2) WE PERFORM LESS THAN OUR BEST.
Each of us has limited energy and focus. The longer we go
without taking proper time to refresh and relax, then less ready we are to
perform at our peak. If we truly want to be able to give our best to the things
we feel most strongly about, that might mean we need to take some time away
from working. If a job is going to take ten good solid days to complete, working
10 days straight with declining performance for days 7, 8 , 9 10 is a bad way
to go about it. The job will end up incomplete or poorly completed. Better
planning might say work two sets of five days with a break in between. That way
we’ll maintain peak efficiency on all ten days. The job gets done in a similar
time frame and is done well. What’s more important is that it’s completed
without destroying the life of those that worked at it.
3) WE FORGET WHY WE ARE WORKING SO HARD.
The reason most of us work hard is to create the best
experience we can for those we love. If we never stop working and enjoy life
with those that we love, why are we working so hard? If we never allow
ourselves to experience the fruits of our labour, we rob ourselves of one of
life’s pleasures.
Some things would never get accomplished without the focused
efforts of the driven Type-A personality and we should all be thankful for how
hard they work. Yet at the same time, taking regular breaks from our job to
enjoy life is not a character flaw. The large issues in life aren’t solved in a
day anyway. If we break for an evening to watch a game or walk by the lake or
read a good book, that issue will still be waiting for us tomorrow. We can
tackle it tomorrow.
Some of the worlds greatest societies have figured out that
rest and fun are just as important as hard work.
* Greece and Italy developed the culture of the siesta; a
break in the middle of the day to rest up and function better for the remainder
of the day.
* England doesn’t stop to sleep, but they do stop for tea. A
mid-afternoon snack and time to relate to one another trumps pushing through
work for a few more hours.
* France works long days, but takes 2-3 hours for the
evening meal to be shared with loved ones. Pulling a shift long into the night
is not seen as bravery, it’s viewed as robbing yourself and others of one of
the most pleasurable times of the day.
* Sweden gives it’s new mothers over a year and a half of
maternity leave from working, acknowledging that investing it’s youngest
members of the country will ensure the long term health.
So slow down. Do an NCAA Bracket.
If the president has time to do it - so do you.
Comments
Post a Comment