The Thought: Rest is an undervalued but necessary process in life we should honor if we want to have sustained success and enjoy that success.

The Context: I’ve burned out dramatically twice. Once in 2018, when I had a 7-figure business, and in 2022, when I left my previous businesses.

Burnout is real and too familiar, and I believe it’s partly because we don’t honor the rhythms of rest.

In our Western society, we value MORE. More everything.

More money.
More assets.
More business.
More cars.
More clients.
More houses.
More vacations.
More, more, more… feed me. 🙂

We can’t be satiated, and it’s a problem. The result?

Burnout. Broken families. Broken relationships. Broken businesses.

It’s not okay.

I wanted MORE-everything because I thought it would give me everything I needed. Which, of course, you know… it didn’t.

A while ago, I was sitting in on a mastermind session, and my big win for the year I shared with the room was…

… “I RESTED.”

The room went wild!

“What?!”
“How?!”
“What was it like?!”

The fact of the matter is WE DO HAVE LIMITS. Even though we buy all the nootropics to make us “limitless.” 🤣

My problem was that I DID NOT honor those limits and was miserable and then burnt out, didn’t have peace and joy, and lost a lot of the stuff I DID have.

Everybody celebrated me because of my “success.” But was I successful? Partly, perhaps.

So I think REST becomes RESISTANCE to a system and economy that says YOU MUST HAVE MORE TO BE MORE.

If not, “What does that say about you?”… is what we carry on our backs with that devil-in-ear to accomplish more.

It’s good to set boundaries, honor our limits, AND rest.

If we can’t find a way to build rest into our lives, we’ll never operate from a spirit OF rest.

A spirit of rest means peace, joy, and contentment—the powerhouse.

I’ve had enough of living in anxiety and fear that I’m far behind.

Using the processes below to slow my life down and utilize rest as resistance to everything that has bogged me down has been life-changing.

If you wrestle with worry, fear, anxiety, angst, and all the ick (you know what I’m talking about…), this CAN help. It’s helped me. However, it is a process and practice.

And one quick note. Feeling guilty or ashamed about any of this defeats the purpose, so none of that 😉

Here’s what I recommend.

1. Let GoThis is a challenge and takes work. We push so hard as a common theme because we feel like we’re less, so we utilize our work, business, and success to make up for it.I’ve found out in the last several months that when I’ve let go of that perspective, I’ve walked in incredible peace. And it’s fantastic.

   There’s no rush.

   I’ve talked to “successful” people riddled with insecurity and anxiety. It’s not worth it.

   I think we can hold both if we’re “open-handed.”

2. Don’t Compare YourselfI’m dragging out #1, but this is true and should be reiterated.So what if it takes you six months or years “longer”? If you’re building something great and love it, that’s MASSIVE.

   Comparison is a GREAT thief of joy.

3. Take 24 Hours Once a Week to Disconnect FullyIn our house, we disconnect entirely from Saturday night to Sunday night. We use those 24 hours to connect, rest in gratitude for all we have, ZERO screens (other than Kindle), and ZERO work, even housework, errands, etc.That might seem significant, but it’s fantastic, and we look forward to it every week.

   We live in the most efficient, productive, and abundant age, yet most burnt out and strung out. Maybe more productivity isn’t the key? Maybe rest is? Resistance, man.

   We lounge, eat, drink, play games, read. No work. No decisions. No worrying. No shopping.

   We stop. We practice gratitude and celebrate the goodness of life and the plentiful challenges.

4. Don’t Check Your Phone For 30 MinutesIt’s wild the barrage of messages and pings and dings come into our world as soon as we wake up.This is an excellent process that slows my mornings down so that I can get my head right before all the ish tries to invade my soul.

   So, first thing in the morning, leave your phone on airplane mode (away from your bed), practice gratitude, and don’t forget your coffee.

   This is amazing but also hard. I usually like to get that new-message dopamine hit. But that’s not a great way to start the day.

5. Value RESTThere’s a perfect chance you are not a slouch. If anything, you’re a crazy entrepreneur who can’t-stop-won’t-stop.We commonly feel ashamed of taking minutes, hours, days, or weeks off.

   But what if we valued rest as an integral part of our success??

   Some studies show the contribution and importance of resting.

Rest is a level of resistance to the things that DO NOT serve us or our families.

When I don’t honor the boundary of rest, I quickly find myself overwhelmed, burnt out, and burning down a business (again).

This is my plan forever.

If I can build FROM rest, something has to change.

REST IS A CONSTRAINT.

Here’s to rest,

Chris

p.s. speaking of rest, I’m heading to the mountains today to go fishing for my birthday. Enjoy your weekend. And by the way, people have asked me why I’m not making offers here. I will be, and it will be awesome. I’m getting some ducks in a row over the coming weeks.