Ceaseless productivity or strategic rest

We live in a world where you're applauded for being busy all the time, where productivity is some sort of god that must be satiated, or you are found wanting, worthless. I feel the same compulsion to be useful, constantly contributing... yet when I turn down the noise from the world around me, there is a different rhythm at play...

In Luke 8:23, Jesus was on a boat with his mates. Instead of feeling compelled to help them with it, he did what he needed and took a nap... bear in mind that a bunch of his mates were fishermen, so he was also staying out of their way, but how many of us have felt the urge to look like we're contributing, even when we're likely more hindrance than help?

Now in that case, when a storm kicked off and even the fishermen used to these waters were getting scared, they did wake him up and he calmed the storm, but he napped until then. He needed rest, he took it.

On another occasion, the only reason a village got to hear about him was because he was tired and he RESTED. He decided to take a pit stop by a well while his mates carried on into town, and because of that, he met a woman who was functionally an outcast (hence she was going to get water in the heat of the day and alone). From that conversation, she not only got a whole different revelation of herself, she got to be the one who raced off and told her village about Jesus.

So when you're feeling wrecked, rest is a valid answer. It's not weak, it's not lazy... it's good enough for Jesus, so perhaps it's good enough for you too. 

The metrics of this world will judge you for rest- not least if you're female and there are still jobs to be done- but I find it helpful that Jesus of all people didn't conform to society's expectations and pressures, but modelled taking care of his well-being and taking a rest or a nap when he needed to. It's one of the quieter ways he was radical, but it's one I really like.

Relentless Productivity & Profits

One danger this world lays out for us is the belief that we only have worth when we're productive... for us in business, that expands to being worth dependent on how much you're making money and focusing all your energies on constantly making more of it. Nothing is ever enough. When that is the case, how long is it until you're having to cut corners to increase profits... to cut staff... to lower quality... to work on your day off?

At no point is there a place to say 'enough'. In fact, the very idea of saying 'I've got enough' or 'I'm happy where I am now' is anathema. Say either of those phrases in a business group and you'll have countless offers to help you work on your 'money blocks' and 'limiting beliefs'.

Yet WHY should you never be satisfied? TO WHAT END must you always strive? For my competitive clients, winning even a world championship is only another stepping stone, immediately that they're expected to eclipse with future wins. When are they - or you - ever allowed to feel like you've arrived, like you can be content, that you truly have enough? 

According to the demands of this world, the answer is never. Ceasing to strive is cast as failure, weakness, obsolescence or a lack of desire to 'do what it takes'. Again I ask, TO WHAT END? What is the point??

A Safe Place To Land

I work differently. My vision for you is a version of success that does not require you to sacrifice your relationships, health or values. When we work together, we are building a culture that ripples out from your deliciously paced, joy-abundant life and impacts those who work with you and the subculture you work in.

This is not just about you, but about approaching life and work with a different PARADIGM, one which incites cultural change for the generations to come, because let's be clear: the patterns we don't fix get repeated and exacerbated in the generations coming up behind us.

I invite you into radical peace, success that satisfies and cultural impact that will long outlive you. 

And yes, I invite you to a rhythm with rest at its heart, because if it's good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for you- whether you're a person of faith or not.

That doesn't mean you won't be wildly successful: you'll just know why you're doing it and how to do it in a way that is life-giving for you instead of draining and soul-destroying. You'll do your best work yet, at a pace unique to how you are wired and what matters most to you in this life. That has a potency you won't get anywhere else.

My clients don't merely watch the 'bottom line'. Whilst their profits usually increase, that metric is just one and not even the most fun one. Helping clients understand the ripples and magnitude of impact they can have in their spheres of excellence is vibrant and energising for them in a way that money alone can never hope to match. They change not only their own lives, but those who work with them are also transformed.

To experience this paradigm shift for yourself, start here: Let's work together