Navigating! For Success in Life, Destress! Can You Find Serenity Square?

Navigating! For Success in Life, Career and Business Pursuits: Destress! Can You Find Serenity Square?:   A rope which is pulled for a long time, breaks. Kaonde proverb, Zambia                I’m a fan of the Shrek movies and ...

Destress! Can You Find Serenity Square?

 

A rope which is pulled for a long time, breaks.

Kaonde proverb, Zambia

 

            I’m a fan of the Shrek movies and have a few of them in my video library. In the first movie, my favorite scene is toward the end: Shrek is in trouble, held by guards in a castle under the direction of the aspiring King of Far-Far-Away with whom he’s embroiled in conflict over their mutual love interest, Fiona. Shrek’s friend Donkey bursts onto the scene through one of the castle’s elegant windows, riding a dragon (his new found love). He says, “All right, nobody move! I got a dragon here, and I'm not afraid to use it! I'm a donkey on the edge!”

             Donkey had been traversing the kingdom dealing with his friendship with an ogre and a mission he’d joined him on. They’d shared many trying moments.

            This rescue effort was the final strand!

             Sometimes we’ve just had it.

            There’s too much going on with work, family, community and the world. Maybe we’re trying to do it all, or experiencing anxiety over money, or wondering if our jobs will be there tomorrow— these issues can start to take a toll. Our tolerance level for all things wrong and crazy has hit a limit. 

            How do we stretch our 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?

            There’s no doubt that burnout is real. We’re tightened up and our ropes are fraying. Questions to ask ourselves might be:

            Are we using structure and flexibility to manage our rigorous schedules?

Have we identified priorities? Do we have hobbies that help relax us?

Are we able to get help from others at work or home?

             Answering these questions and giving ourselves some slack, we realize whatever the cost is— it’s worth it for all that matters. Then we decide to lasso and reel ourselves in from the brink. Taking an inventory and giving ourselves a much-needed break can sometimes give us a whole new perspective.

            De-stressing within the lines of reason will help with our time management techniques. Tame or train the dragon as our partner!

Excerpted from my motivational autobiography, Navigating Life’s Roadways: Stories of Insight from My Odyssey and Inspiration for Your Journey in print and Kindle eBook http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008FQDPYE