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
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