A Morning Can Be Just A Morning

I’ve heard about the book The Burnout Society and, though I haven’t read it yet, the title alone is speaking to me.

Recently, I heard a retired couple talking about how, now that they’re no longer working, “a morning is just a morning.” Meaning, it doesn’t have to accomplish anything. It doesn’t have to be productive or purposeful. It can simply be the passage of time.

What a radical idea.

We are a society of achievers, producers and maximizers, where every moment is expected to be useful, optimized, purposeful, or pushing us closer to our potential.

And it’s all just a little too exhausting.

The thing about potential is that it’s always just out of reach. Who can honestly say they’ve reached theirs? There’s always more to do, more to become, more to improve. It’s like an endless to-do list where, as soon as you cross one thing off, three more appear. You’re never really at “end of job.”

Even rest, downtime and play can start to feel like they need to serve some larger goal. It seems we can’t even take a little nap without feeling the need to justify it.

Ellen Langer, Harvard psychology professor, encourages us to ask, “Who says?” Who is making up all these rules we’ve quietly bought into? It must be “them,” except we can never quite name who they are.

Whew. That was exhausting.

I think I’ll go take a little rest now, without apology.

Try this ONE thing

Are you pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone? Are you tired all the time? What if you simply admitted that to yourself, closed your eyes and rested for a few minutes?

Go do that now.        

Let’s Connect!

If you’re ready to talk about creating a better, more joyful life—or if you simply want to share your thoughts—leave a comment below, repost this blog, or reach out to me directly. I’d love to hear your story, answer your questions, or help you take the next step toward the life you want. Sometimes, one conversation is all it takes to spark real change. Reach out to karen.laidlaw.theONEthing@outlook.com. Until then, enjoy the blog and keep moving forward

keep moving forward