Do You Suffer From “Holding Up The Sun” Syndrome?

Feb

2012

I have this quote hanging up where I can see it every day, "At worst a house unkept cannot be so distressing as a life unlived." Rose Macaulay already had that figured out back in 1881. She was way ahead of her time!

Now seems like a great time to follow Rose's lead and really start living your life. If you can't remember the last time you really had fun, it's time to play hooky! The work can wait, skip the meeting, let the laundry pile up one more day, and take a break.

I have a friend who used to say he would never take a day off because he was sure the company couldn't function without him. He told everyone he was the guy holding up the sun. Well, it turns out after he finally took a long vacation the company miraculously went on without him. And the sun still managed to come up every single day he was gone.

I think a lot of us are convinced we are the ones "holding up the sun." Many of us are convinced that our job, our family, and our friends could never manage without us. Do you suffer from "holding up the sun" syndrome?

I was guilty of having this syndrome when my company was in the start up phase. I didn't dare take even an afternoon off for fear all of my hard work would unravel. Over time it became increasingly clear that a sleep deprived CEO wasn't actually doing anyone any good. I learned to delegate. I learned to take time off. I also earned that my company was much better for it. A CEO that is rested has more focus and creativity.

Your world - even your own company - will get along just fine without you for a few days, even weeks. In fact, I truly believe it will benefit from your absence. You have much more to give when you take some time off to recharge your batteries.

Women especially seem to have forgotten the being part of human being. We somehow bought into the human doing theory. It is easy to forget that we are multidimensional women, and we need to nurture all aspects of our lives. And that includes pleasure, restoration, and having fun!

You are the only one who can schedule down time for yourself.

Put down the sun and enjoy the sunsets!

jpg_-_LisaHammondBunny Guest author Lisa Hammond is The Barefoot CEO, former CEO of Femail Creations. Since selling Femail Creations in 2010 Lisa's focus has been writing and living out her Life List. In addition to her inspirational blog, she has written Dream Big, Oil for Your Lamp and Oh, Thank Goodness It's Not Just Me!