You Can't Pour From an Empty Cup

              We want to climb the ladder, get that corner office, and bring home the bacon.  All of this while wanting to have a spouse, watch your kids recital, and go to SXSW.  It’s impossible.  No, it’s not impossible to have it all, but it’s impossible to think you’re going to get it all if you leave nothing for yourself.  I’m 28 years old and my career has been quite lucrative until now, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.  There’s been times when I’ve worked 10+ hour days, slept 4 hours, and skipped my lunch break all to get ahead and stay ahead.  Then one day, my body stopped me.  I couldn’t seem to sleep enough, couldn’t stay motivated at work, and was not trying to be clever with office politics.  I realized then, I’m too young to be burnout.  Somewhere along the way, taking a mental day or a vacation become taboo.  It became that the person with the most vacation and sick leave built up was a great worker; ideal worker.  WRONG.  How can you give your best to the world when you’re not taking care of yourself?  How do you think you’re going to be fresh and charismatic when you don’t take care of yourself?  You can’t give the world everything when you have nothing left to give. 

               I believe wholeheartedly that the person you need to take care of the best is yourself.  Normally I do a list of some sort, but I wanted to provide you with two letters.  I’m kinda going rouge here:  

5 Ways to Advance Your Professional Self Over the Holidays!

The holidays are my favorite time of the year.  In my family it's a mix of spending hours upon hours listening to old R&B Christmas songs, watching football, and devouring the best banana pudding the tri-state area has seen. Although this is great and I love it, by Friday, I'm ready for a little alone time to get back to myself, especially if I've been feeling a lull in my career.  Here are 5 things you can do to pull yourself out of the job lull this holiday:  

Burnout:5 Steps to Reeling in the Chaos & Avoiding Burnout

I stared at my laptop for hours; let's be honest, days! I kept writing then deleting, writing then deleting, over and over. Finally my husband closed my laptop and handed me Pinterest.  He knows it’s my Fall night preferred relaxation tool. It’s something about all the recipes, décor ideas, and career posts that suck me in. After letting my brain wander, I realized; I just need a break.  Have you ever felt too drained to think?  Still irrationally dissecting a project at work?  Too drained to wash clothes when you get home?  Yea that's me right now.  The holiday break couldn’t have come at a better time. Feeling like Rhonda Rousey after a Holly Holm monster neck face kick thing. (PS.  I love Rowdy Rousey, but I was not ready!)  

We get so ambitious, focused, yet almost foolish at times.  We sometimes forget that life is a marathon and think we need to get everything right now.  That if we don’t have whatever fantasy by some fantastical time, then we’re off track.  So, we work that 14 hour day, erase work/life balance, volunteer for more projects, and still think we aren’t doing enough.  In turn, we barely sleep, find humor at the bottom of a large glass of grown up juice, or troll through the multitude of engagements, baby showers, and extravagant trips our Facebook friends just seem to have the mysterious time and money for.  So we increase our projects in hopes to be noticed and climb the ladder.  Except we just pile more and more on until we have a small chaotic cloud  we can't seem to get quite under control.  We’ve convinced ourselves this is normal; it’s what we have to do to get anywhere. But success is not measured by how fast you get there, but by how long you can sustain it.  I always fall victim to ‘doing too much’.  I know at 5:31 PM I need to leave my work at work, but I end up thinking about program logistics on my commute home anyway. 

Relax & Recharge

Orange and red leaves. Crisp fall air. Football. Pumpkin Spice Tea.  

MMM, what doesn't sound relaxing about that?  Did you prepare for a big presentation, have a bunch of meetings, study for graduate courses, or spend 2+ hours commuting?  Sometimes we don't realize how much we're taking on in a work week. Let alone finding time for personal; anything!  I hear so many YP's/Millennials say 'The grind never stops'; or my personal fave:  'I'll sleep when I die'. Insert eye roll!  Studies show without proper rest and meditation, you are not at your best; you haven't given your brain a change to RECHARGE.  So, whenever you leave work today; unplug from work.  No answering seemingly urgent emails, no stressing over that big presentation on Monday; NO!  Grab a book OR an 80's movie marathon Or a group of friends and just relax