The Art of Recovery
Do you think of rest as recovery? You’d be surprised how powerful the switching of a word could be. In today’s fast-paced world, we are bombarded continuously with the message that ‘hard work pays off.’ And by hard work, they mean working 24/7 - the glorious grind, the hustle, the lie!
Let me tell you, as someone who spent ten years “grinding”. . . there is no glory in it at all. There is no badge of honor for being run down, overworked and under-nourished in every way possible. When I became an entrepreneur, I quickly realized that I couldn’t continue that way. I decided then that it was my chance to rewrite my life and make a switch. I have found that the most impactful way to change my mind about something is to change my language about it! I have done this in so many areas of my life. When you think about it, our language is super powerful. We use our words to not only communicate with others but to paint our realities. That’s the idea behind affirmations and positive self-talk. The words you speak either out loud or silently to yourself lay the framework for how you view and shape your world. So choose your words wisely and set yourself up for success. I mean it! To change your mindset, start by changing your words. When I became an entrepreneur, I stopped saying that I was “busy” and instead started saying that my days are “full.” Just that small reframe changed my mindset and how I began booking my clients.
In my mind, ‘busy’ meant I have someone in my chair every second of my workday . . . that I never stopped moving. But ‘being full’ paints a completely different picture for me. Now I take breaks after each client, and I make time to eat, drink water and use the bathroom. As crazy as it may sound, I used to go almost eight (8) hours without going to the toilet because, even though I had an assistant, I double and some times triple -booked my clients. By changing how I booked myself, I benefited from my slower, more “present” pace. My client-relationships also have grown. Now my clients have an hour or more of my undivided attention. Now, we talk about real life, not reality TV. We laugh together, cry together and share ideas about everything! I’ve gotten to know and love them as people and not just clients. All while creating a workflow that I love.
I did the same thing with my workout schedule. By switching the word “rest” to the word “recovery,” I have changed my mindset towards rest days. It also has inadvertently caused me to change my behavior while I’m recovering. On a typical rest day, I used to lay around eating snacks feeling bad about not working out. Rest days made me feel like I was in time out. So that is how I treated them; I’d make myself lay around and do nothing. In my mind, that was resting. But now, on recovery days; I meal prep, drink plenty of water and get a good stretch because that’s what my body needs to properly recover. When I’m at the gym, I go at it 100%. I try to reach new milestones, push myself harder, run faster, and lift heavier. So when recovery day rolls around, I take the time to do just that . . . recover! mentally, physically, emotionally.
As I said earlier, there are so many areas where switching your language can be very helpful. I encourage you to see where you can change your language. See how you can rewrite your narrative by making a small, seemingly insignificant change. If you don’t think it’s possible, go back and read my blog “infinite potential.” I know from experience that a small, seemingly insignificant change can completely change the trajectory of your life.