Quotes of the Week from Me:

“Work on knowing yourself.”

“Work on challenging the self you know.”

Quotes of the Week from Others:

“Beware of over concern for money, or position, or glory. Someday you will meet a man who cares for none of these things. Then you will know how poor you are.” – Rudyard Kipling

“There are two types of tired: one that requires rest, and one that requires peace.” – Unknown

Quick Optimism

Take a break.

Take a break from digging deep and pushing yourself, but only in preparation for the next phase of challenge and pursuit of improvement.

In the weightlifting world, it’s called a “de-load” week. Not “de-effort” or “easy” week. De-load. There are a few ways to go about it, but in general, think, “lighter weight than usual, for higher repetitions.”

A de-load week is a reset. It is giving your body a break from lifting certain percentages of the heaviest you can go. At times it can feel harder than a workout with heavier weight. But it creates an opportunity for a different type of mental challenge while maintaining proper form and technique.

When you take a break in any way, make sure you still continue to work toward something. Especially something that brings you joy.

Growth requires rest, but rest still has a purpose.

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Falling Awake

I fell out of bed this morning.

I had this whole plan to talk about trusting the direction you are currently heading and to talk about the ups and downs of certain things in life… but today started off in such a funny way that I just wanted to talk about it.

The whole story could be told in about ten words, but where’s the fun in that?

My wife and I are gearing up for “busy season” at my job. I am starting my fall travel cycle for work and September is a heavy hitter. We have had several work trips looming combined with the fun, but busy logistics of two weddings and other social events.

All of these adult things going on and then I fell out of bed this morning.

I am not really sure how it happened. Well, in a literal sense, I jolted awake, like every morning, to my alarm. I am usually successful in clicking it off after one ring so I don’t wake anyone else up.

But today I was closer to the edge of the bed than I realized and when I reached for the ringing headboard, my entire body slipped down into the abyss of our air-conditioned bedroom.

It is probably my least favorite spot in our house. When I drop the TV remote or need to search under the bed, I have to twist and squeeze my way down between the mattress and dresser and typically end up stuck or in a weird position. The pros and cons of upgrading to a king-sized bed!

So, this morning when I fell down I just sat there for a couple minutes. My blanket fell with me, making it cozier than usual. I checked for any scrapes after feeling my knees smack against a few things.

I can’t believe I fell out of bed this morning.

Funny enough, I think it got me back on track. I haven’t been waking up as early as I normally do. More sleep sounds nice but I have been grumpier than usual. I really need the extra time in the morning. The extra quiet.

It just happened that this morning’s quiet began with some loud. I don’t plan on falling out of bed tomorrow, but this morning it woke me up quickly. I don’t recommend it but the whole experience made it easy to feel awake and to start the day early with a laugh. A quiet laugh of course.

Hope you slept well and hope you are having a nice, long weekend.

Make this Monday a jolt!