Brian Dyson, former vice chairman and COO of the Coca-Cola company was giving a commencement speech at Georgia Tech in 1996 and said, Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them – work, family, health, friends and spirit and you’re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls – family, health, friends and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.
There are 3 major disadvantages to not letting the work ball drop.
Stress – When you are constantly working stress is built up causing outburst against loved ones, sleep deprivation, gray hair, weight gain and the worst of all…wrinkles.
Priorities Get Out of Line –There will be times when you have to choose between work and your son’s football game or your girl’s concert. Look through your family photo albums I can bet you that you will not find one picture of you working late at the office.
Skills Lose Their Effectiveness – I did not say you would lose the skill only the full impact of your efforts. On his way into town an older man walked by a villager who was vigorously sawing a large oak tree. Several hours had past and upon his return he noticed the man was still sawing the tree? The old man yelled out, “Your saw is dull and needs to be sharpened.” The villager responded, “I do not have time to sharpen my saw I have to get this tree cut down.” Taking time to sharpen your saw will enable you to get more done in less time.
However, if you are courageous enough to relax take a vacation and let the rubber ball known as work bounce you will experience:
Fresh Ideas – A lot of times we cannot see the forest for all of the trees but when you take the time to get away from your situation you are able to separate your emotion from your problems and recognize a reasonable solution.
Enjoy the Fruits of your Labor – Taking a vacation is your reward for working so hard throughout the year and during the relaxation you will remember why you work in the first place to provide for the people whom you love.
Health Benefits – Your body is a glorified machine and just like a machine if you are constantly putting stress on the engine and internal parts that machine will begin to break down faster than the one that is driven with care.
So how do you relax in a world full of stress that demands that you drop everything except work? How do you go about getting the stress off of your mind and the demands off of your back? Remove yourself from your usual environments. Take the time to get away. I like to separate my time away in three different segments.
At least once per year take a week long vacation. Get away. Every year without fail my parents have taken a vacation whether their budget was big or small, or even if the boss threatened to fire them or not. My dad’s boss once told him that he could not go to the beach and my dad responded by saying, “I am going to the beach. Whether I have a job or not when I get back from the beach is up to you but I am going to the beach with my family.” By removing yourself from your physical location that reminds you daily of your responsibilities you will be able to relax your mind and set your emotions at ease.
On a weekly basis take at least one day off and enjoy that day by doing nothing that is work related. Yes, that means chores as well. You will go into the next week energized and trust me you will begin to look forward to those days of rest.
Take at least one hour for yourself everyday to do something that you enjoy. This will relax you on a daily basis to sustain your mind and body until your one-day vacation.
When you are always driving yourself to do more without relaxation or reward you are like the man who was sawing the tree with a dull saw. You are still making progress in your business and on your job but you are not experiencing the full impact of your efforts. Remember to comment on this article so I know if the information that I am providing is helpful to you.