Success. It’s hard to put a label on it, but my personal definition is this: it is a culmination of ingredients – physical and intellectual – that we have the ability to control and influence if we choose to. There is no doubt that the mind is a critical part of vision creation, plan development and new thinking. When it is overlaid with a healthy body, feeding the ever present (and ever-thinking) mind and a happy, thoughtful and rested heart, the power of each of us individually to achieve our dreams is not only intoxicating but inspiring.
Sounds simple right?
And yet I constantly come across many business owners and thought leaders who will happily invest heavily in their mind and their work output – and yet fail to invest equally in their overall well-being. The result? Burn-out. Exhaustion. An inability to think clearly. Total overwhelm. Reactive emotions. Maybe a feeling of “this isn’t what my life is all about”.
Maybe a feeling sometimes of “there has to be more than this?”
I had the pleasure of hosting the annual LBDG Business Vitality Retreat in Noosa this weekend with the fabulous Nikki Fogden-Moore. During the four days away, the camaraderie created left me smiling ear to ear. The conversations left me inspired and in creation mode; the general change of scenery, the sense of being challenged to try something new and the constant engagement of mind, body and spirit left me rested and rejuvenated.
I am an absolute believer that true success involves a 360 degree investment. It’s a long term strategy for an ever educated mind, a healthy body and a rested soul. In his book, ‘The Power Of Rest‘, Matthew Edlund argues that there is more to rest than sleep. He states that if we can combine the physical, the mental, the spiritual and the social the results are extraordinary.
That combination was something experienced by the LBDG retreaters this weekend.
A winner’s attitude is critical to success. A winner’s attitude is critical to achieving our business, career and personal goals – those big picture dreams that we have for ourselves. A winner’s attitude also is one of being brave enough to step out, re-group and re-set the hard drive to increase capability and capacity.
Part of that is admitting when it is time to say ‘enough’.
I appreciate it’s not always easy. And yet I believe that time to stop and re-set is critical for us all. It’s not always easy to get away for four days, but it is easy to book a regular walk in the fresh air, have a coffee date with yourself and simply find time to stop.
Go on. Give it a go. Be brave.
