Take a break. Make a pit stop. Do the unplanned. It will all be waiting for you when you’re ready to take flight again.
I received this wisdom from the three ducks in the photo. These ducks aren’t from around here. In fact, I’ve never seen ducks like these before. (Check out the crazy coiff on the gray duck!) It was obvious they decided to stop and enjoy the cool water amidst the grasses and wildflowers before continuing their journey.
The message was well timed, though I was a little slow on the uptake. Early in the week I was in a pretty serious funk, feeling uninspired and unmotivated to do anything even though I have a handful of projects in various stages of progress. One project is ready to launch and yet I couldn’t put the words together to get it out into the world. I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to get this done because I have another project hot on its heels, waiting for the space and time to open up so I can pay it some attention.
Finally on Tuesday, when I couldn’t push anymore, I gave up and gave in. I walked away from my work and just let myself rest. I have done very little since then, only those things that feel loving and nourishing to my tired soul.
I wish I had paid closer attention to the nudges from my soul and caved early. Instead, I kept trying to push ahead because time was a-wastin’ and I was falling behind. At least that’s what my inner dictator, my ego, kept telling me.
The truth is there is no falling behind. Although the world moves in chronos (sequential) time, our souls operate in kairos (opportune) time. There is only ever the right time for you. I keep a Danielle Laporte truthbomb card next to my desk to remind me of this. It reads:
“You’ll do it when you’re ready”
I know this about myself. I really can’t do anything before I am ready. Still, I need regular reminders. And sometimes, the universe needs to turn up the volume until I get the message. Cue the ducks.
Too often we don’t know when we’re exceeding our physical and energetic limits, because we don’t recognize the signals from our souls. Being able to discern when you need a break is essential to being the innkeeper of your soul. As with everything, it takes practice. You can do that by taking a few minutes and by asking yourself this question:
How do I feel when my soul is depleted?
Be specific about what you feel and where you feel it in your body.
Next, ask yourself:
What would be different if I replenished myself first?
You may be surprised by the answer. It may inspire you to take a different action than what you were previously pushing yourself to pursue. But it will be the right action at the right time for you because the guidance is coming from your inner wisdom, not your inner dictator.