Hard work creates opportunity and results, restlessness creates stress and anxiety.

I used to think restlessness, or the need to find excitement in many activities, was an ally. In my 20’s, the result of this thinking was often working two full-time jobs and throwing projects on top of those to “get ahead”. Now don’t get me wrong, hard work was an asset. Those years allowed me to gain lots of experience that would come to help me down the line - but at what cost?

I realized that restlessness was a problem during my down times. I could not relax. I always had to find the “next” thing to do. I was being productive, right? This all came to a head when my children were young and I realized I was actively looking for work to do at night. Sometimes it was due to an unjustified need to stay busy, and other times I was subconsciously trying to avoid the challenges of raising a toddler. One night I was in my office and I realized I generally missed my kids (who were downstairs). That’s when it clicked. I stood up from my desk and went downstairs and spent time with them. From that day forward I made a pact with myself that, when possible, I would spend as much time presently focused with my kids as I could.

How does this apply to being patient at work? Hard work and restlessness are not the same things - but in my 20’s (and prob younger) I couldn’t separate the two. Had I known what I know now, I could have continued to work hard while choosing projects more carefully. I also would have allowed for more time with family, friends, and personal development. I would have calmed my mindset down thus saving me a lot of stress.

With all this said, I believe there are people younger than me that understand this and I believe there are people older than me who don’t. This is just when I discovered it on my journey and I wanted to pass it on to anyone that needed to hear it. Like most things we speak about here, it’s something that I still work on today - practice makes progress, not perfection.

I believe in you, you should too.

Share this episode with someone who you think should hear it, and let others know that you believe in them when deserved. It’s a small thing we can all do to leave this place better than we found it.

I believe in YOU, your friends, your family, your team, and the power of belief in each other, and you should too.

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