When was the last time you were really rested and relaxed? Was it at the end of a holiday or maybe when you had something cancelled at the last moment and had some unexpected time for yourself. How did you feel – more confident, less stressed, clear-headed, even creative and more energised?
You will need to feel all these things if you are going to set out the life you want to live, and then have the courage and determination to make the changes needed to see it happen.
Take some time to answer the following questions:
What stops you from taking time out to rest, relax and get creative?
- Is it that you would feel guilty because you have so much to do and it wouldn’t be getting done?
- Or do you not feel worthy of taking time out for yourself as you have to keep going to meet the demands being placed on you by everyone around you?
- Could it be that if you took some time out, you might just really get to see how your life is and that’s not a nice thought for you?
So, go on and answer the question – what is really stopping you from taking time out to rest, relax and get creative? We can’t change something unless we know what that something is. You need to first identify it. Only then can living these traits help you overcome what is holding you back. What would help you now to take some quality time out, giving yourself the space to reflect on and set in motion ways of becoming a self-leader in your own life and working towards the life you want to live?
Might it be getting up a few minutes earlier in the morning or just switching off the television a little earlier in the evening to give you some quiet time to answer the questions and do the exercises in this book? Would buying a writing pad or a Dictaphone (if you prefer not to write) to record your thoughts and ideas help you? If so, just go and do it. We all have our own strategies for how best to do this – see what works best for you. Once you have identified the best strategy for you – go for it!
Is it that you don’t know how to take time out to rest, relax and get creative? It might take a lot of trial and error to discover what does work for you when it comes to resting, relaxing and getting creative. Only it really is worth putting in the time and effort to truly discover what it is that does work for you.
Taking time out will allow you to keep on learning how to live and make the most of the life you are living. Self-leaders allow themselves the time to be silent, and so they begin to cultivate the power of the imagination, which helps them move towards what they want their life and work to be about. For you, this time out may only be ten to fifteen minutes once a week. This is a great start and will give you something solid to build on. Make the most of this time and use it constructively. It is not about looking back over the past and digging up regrets and mistakes or just day-dreaming about the future. Look at where you want to go and what you are doing about it.
So, with this in mind truly am grateful for the opportunity to be here in Vilnius to launch The Six Traits Of Self-Leadership, give a presentation on Personal Leadership and Goal Setting as all as to get to take some time out to relax, get re-energised, upbeat and creative for the year ahead.