The louder the world's noise gets, the more I want to seek out quiet, solitude, and rest. There are places and spaces we can continually create, regardless of the circumstance, and when we learn to walk in these regularly, I believe we can become great leaders - in our homes, workplaces, with friends, and with everyone around us.
Every one of you reading this leads someone. Someone is or has looked to you as an example, and you have more opportunity than you realize to exemplify peace, understanding, a listening ear, and a rhythm of rest.
Rest can look different to all of us, and it can look different throughout the seasons of our lives. I often talk about two types of rest - active rest and passive rest, and I believe both are needed for us to recharge, generate new ideas, and encourage those around us.
Active rest is anything you enjoy regularly: listening to podcasts, going for a walk or run, bike riding, hiking, working out, being outside, making music, and the list continues. So what are the things that make you come alive when you do them? Write them out, and start doing them a bit more. Create space for them. Active rest will re-energize you, inspire and encourage you, leaving you in a place ready to welcome the next thing.
Passive rest is sleeping, taking a nap, sitting on the couch doing nothing, letting thoughts float by on a cloud, breathing, meditation, prayer, silence, and more. Passive rest allows our minds to "reset" - to clear out and begin again. It gives you tremendous clarity, and that clarity is critical to all areas of life as you figure out your next steps in business, in your home, with relationships, and more.
We need both, and as leaders, we must practice these "habits" of rest regularly - because we're not machines, we're humans, and we have limits. Acknowledging these limits is the first step in making more space for these rhythms.
We will have to fight for rest, but it's worth the fight.
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