There he was. My 14 year old lazy, tabby cat, sprawled out in front of our patio doors watching every move of the world, while my fingers feverishly typed away at my computer.
In the center of my work space, the artificial light shined on my desk. To the right, sat my coffee cup, drained dry, and to the left, my never ending cell phone pinging and dinging with the demands of the world.
I wanted so badly to trade places.
As my gaze hit my kitty’s full sprawled out belly, I happened to look down at mine, and I couldn’t help but wonder.
What am I missing?
As a wellness and business coach, I eat right. I exercise. I sleep, (most nights that my four year old doesn’t interrupt from a potty training accident, or I awake from my husband’s snoring). Besides coffee and the Friday night wine and pizza, family movie night, my drink of choice is good old agua.
I read personal development books, and listen to podcasts that fuel my brain. I’m a savage learner of all things content, technology, launches, marketing and digital strategies in the online space.
How could my body and mind be so full, yet I felt so malnourished?
To have nourishment is to have food or other substances necessary for growth and health. To be malnourished is to be a victim of famine of shortage.
Just what exactly was I short of?
It’s almost as if one of those pings and dings on my phone was my soul calling.
“Hello, Mrs. Pezik, you haven’t connected with the earth in awhile. You haven’t slowed the pace to fill your cup back up. This is your warning and you’ve been ignoring it.”
As many high performers do, we rate many things in our life. We are on a constant search to always “one up” our energy, clarity, productivity, and purpose. Despite being in amazing shape, my energy rates each day around a 6/10. And that’s a dangerous, comfortable zone to be in.
I’m not nearly dead, drugged, or depressed, but I’m also not as vibrant, productive, or focused as I could be.
It made me think about my shortages. We take 4 weeks vacation a year, but I couldn’t help but wonder, is it enough for my high preforming body and mind?
Is it enough for my soul?
When my computer or phone is at a the red warning, 10% line, I make sure to plug it in, and not just for an hour.
I can’t expect a quick charge to sustain the work I want to use it for and the things I want to create. So how can I expect 4 weeks out of 52 to do the trick?
I realize I need a daily charge.
A charge outside of water, and food, and sleep, and learning.
I needed sunlight. I needed nature, and family, and intimacy. I needed a hot bath and a good book. A comedy movie, or just permission to relax and rest my eyes.
I realized that my soul needed the simple things and I needed more connection or sometimes disconnection, to be the best mom, wife, coach, leader, and entrepreneur that I could be. What about you?
What more could you do and be if your soul was nourished?
These days, it’s less about feverishly producing or training and more about learning from my sun bathing kitty. He’s my constant reminder to stop and enjoy the sunshine.
For help with managing your time, so you can relax, go for a walk, take a bath, and connect in nature, head here: