You've heard about the work/life balance but are you taking any notice? This presentation, taken from Sharing the Journey by Peter Mulraney, is a timely reminder of the costs you will pay - if you refuse to regularly pause and recharge. Take a moment to assess whether you're running on empty and do something about it.

1. Peter Mulraney
Running on empty. A Reflection.

2. We all know what happens
to a machine when you
forget to refill the fuel tank
or to a smartphone if you
forget to recharge the
battery: it stops working.
Running on empty.

3. You know what I mean.
You get up each day and just keep going despite the fact that
you come home exhausted at the end of the day.
And how well do you relate to those you claim you love when
you are in that state?
Yet how many of us insist on pushing on when
the tank is empty or the batteries are flat?

4. Not taking a break has
become such a chronic
problem in some
workplaces that the boss
insists that you take your
annual leave, if you
happen to live and work in
a country that provides
such benefits.

5. Especially those that work for themselves.
You're the one setting the hours and you're the one most
likely to be running on empty - simply because you believe
that you are indispensable and that it will all fall over if
you are not there.
But what about those of you who are the boss?

6. I'm here to tell you that it will all fall over if you don't
take the opportunity and the time to recharge your
batteries, refresh your mindset or relax your muscles -
including the worry muscle.
If you don't pause, whether you do that through daily
practice, weekends off or a vacation away from the
workplace unplugged and offline, you will stop
involuntarily.

7. We can all rationalise why we have to keep going. We
have bills to pay, things have to be done, others are
depending on us etc etc etc.
You can keep going if you want. That's your call. But be
aware that every choice has consequences.
If you are a grump to live with when you have been
pushed to or beyond your limit - ask yourself whether you
want your family or loved ones to spend quality time with
you now - or if you'd prefer them to visit you in the
hospital or turn up for the party after your funeral?

8. Even the President of the USA is replaced every four years.
The next time you hear yourself telling yourself that you
are indispensable, go and look at your image in the mirror
and ask yourself whether you want that person in the
cockpit of the plane taking you to your next meeting, or
controlling the drill excavating your dental cavity?
No-one is indispensable.

9. You are not Atlas.
You are not holding up the sky. All those people that you
think depend on you being there - they will find someone
else to lean on while you take a break to recharge and
refresh.

10. Peter Mulraney
Sharing the Journey
Reflections of a Reluctant Mystic
www.petermulraney.org
This reflection is an extract from:

11. Peter Mulraney
Peter Mulraney
Creative Commons|unsplash.com
Image Credits