You know, training people on personal development issues can be overrated. Especially when it gets turned back on me...
Inevitably what happens is that I'll share what's going on in my life with one of my students and they'll look at me and say "you know a wise woman once told me..." and then they proceed to quote me to myself. Yeah, yeah, I know - I need to practice what I preach. And I try to. I really do. And most days I do pretty well. But like you, I'm human and occasionally I forget or I just don't have enough perspective on my own life to see the forest for the trees.
So I've been spending a lot of time in the last couple of weeks working really hard getting ready to roll out a new product and revamping some of the existing ones as well as getting ready to create some cool new marketing materials. All in all, it's been good work to do. But I've been exhausted. I'm not sleeping well, I've been depressed because the man I was so excited about dating turned out to be not so great, and I've been overwhelmed after putting down on paper all of the items on my to-do list and realizing it was 200 items long. So I've been putting my nose to the grindstone and trying to power through. The problem is, that "powering through" isn't what I needed.
I needed some downtime. I needed some time to be depressed and overwhelmed, to sit and snuggle with some of my friends and to have them tell me that they loved me and that I am a great person. I needed someone to say they were sorry the relationship I had such high hopes for didn't work out. I needed someone to help me realize that not all of the 200 items need to be done today and that some can in fact wait for 6 months. I needed some time with my friends who love me.
So today, while talking to one of these friends, she suggested that I come out and repeat a workshop that I had done before and loved. She even offered me a great deal on it since she had a couple of last-minute cancellations. And so, rather than spending the weekend poring over my work, I'm going to be sitting in a room full of lovely people who want nothing more than to share themselves with me.
I'm so relieved. The tension level in my body has dropped dramatically. My shoulders no longer reside around my ears. I am breathing easier. I have decided to take care of myself first. I know that when I come back I will be far better equipped to handle anything that life may throw at me with grace and equanimity (two characteristics I am ashamed to say I have been missing for the last couple of weeks).
It's just a weekend, but what I difference a weekend can make.
When was the last time you really took care of yourself? I mean turned the cell phone off, ignored your email, and allowed someone else to take care of you for a change? I recommend it highly.
I'll see you on Monday.
Kelle Sparta is the author of The Consultative Real Estate Agent - Building Relationships that Create Loyal Clients, Get More Referrals, and Increase Your Sales, as well as being a speaker and trainer specializing in the real estate industry. Kelle is the founder of Sparta Success Systems, a real estate training company that provides tools, products, and training to empower agents and brokers to create lives and businesses they can love. For more information, visit her website at http://www.spartasuccess.com/. © 2007, Kelle Sparta.
