Monday, June 16, 2014

June 16, 2014 Focus Point

A Ship is Safe In The Harbor!

"Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer." ~William S. Burroughs

"Don't mistake activity with achievement." ~John Wooden

"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." ~John Lennon

"I feel like I'm too busy writing history to read it." ~Kanye West

"The time to relax is when you don't have time for it." ~Sydney J. Harris

A ship may be safe in the harbor but it is not built to sit in the harbor and it will never fulfill its purpose by sitting in the environment where it is safe. It must go out into the rough unprotected water in order to accomplish anything. But after a long voyage it also needs the harbor in order to get proper cleaning and maintenance. We to must go forward in order to move forward, success is yet to be found within our comfort zone. To make a good living or to reach higher and bigger goals, to fulfill more of our potential, it may take everything we can give. But in the process of all the work and giving, we must also receive. Not receive as in take away from someone else who we think "owes us" but rather receive as in give to ourselves the proper balance of rest along with all of the work.

Someone once asked Zig Ziglar which of all of the words is most important. Zig thought for a moment and he said "balance". The most important word is balance. In order for a ship to make use of its purpose it must leave the harbor, but what if it never came back in and got cleaned or maintained? I am sure you would agree that eventually without the proper care it would become less able to fulfill its purpose and begin to wear down and deteriorate. We to must take the time to reflect, recharge, reboot, and refresh. Most people would not think of going even a day without charging their smart phone, but do we charge our minds and bodies? 

This message is more for me than anyone else. I have always been of the opinion that you can accomplish just about anything with hard work and discipline. But I am becoming more aware of the growing body of evidence which shows that taking regular breaks from mental and physical tasks actually improves productivity and creativity and that skipping this kind of proper care can lead to stress and exhaustion. Just like a muscle is developed from hard work followed by proper rest, so it is in life. The key here is balance.

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