I'm writing this on a Friday night (Saturday morning now, it's 12:08 AM) having spent most of the day reading a novel. Did I have a million other things to do? Absolutely. Did I accomplish any of them? NOPE.
And that's ok.
As a creative type/small business owner, I can never really shut off "The Grind". If you're like me, and I believe you are, The Grind is what gives you direction and purpose. The Grind is in your DNA. It's in almost every waking thought, it keeps you up at night, it gets you up in the morning.
But there is a point where you will feel ground down.
You are human, there is a physical and physiological limit to just how much YOU as an individual can Grind before there's nothing left. Speaking from experience, you can work yourself into a serious illness... and you don't have time or the patience for the ramifications of that shit.
You have empires to build. You have ideas to manifest. Deadlines to meet. Prototypes to test, hell you likely have an email to write.
Just take a minute, slow down, shut off the constant stream of to-do's and appreciate the moment, take a self care day. Play with your kids, pick up a favorite treat or book, zone out to your favorite movie. I know how hard you've been grinding, don't let yourself be ground down and become the catalyst to your own failure.
Look back at where you've been, it's been a hell of a ride huh? Remember when you had this crazy idea to strike out on your own? Don't tell me you thought it was going to be easy, nothing easy is worth it. The hard things, they'll give you stories to tell, they'll give you the best experiences you can look back on and smile.
I thoroughly enjoyed my novel, I had a much needed day of rest, and I'm dying to get back to my own Grind tomorrow.
If you made it this far in the article tell me in the comments just how you take a moment for yourself. I've also compiled a small list of some of the things I look to when I need to shut off.
-W
Top Five Movies
Aliens (yes the second one, although I own the first four movies the sequel is by far my favorite due to a certain Space Marine)
Pride & Prejudice 2005 (don't judge me)
Batman Forever (DON'T JUDGE ME)
Jaws (I'm the weirdo that watched this movie while camped on the beach and became obsessed with sharks)
The Mummy (wildly underrated movie in my humble opinion)
Not everyone has the palette for motivational speeches, however, Eddie Pinero and his podcast Your World Within has pushed me and given me hope when life felt rather bleak. It still boggles my mind just how reassuring his words have been some days.
Your local library may have a free audio book platform, if you're a local to Idaho Falls, like me check them out here.
I break from the grind by trying to dissappear in the mountainss