Wait!

What?

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because I am so swamped that I do not have the time.”

Ok. I call Bullsh*t.

She is not making time to do lunch.

She does not feel like she has the right to take lunch when there is so much work to be done.

She is not sure who or how or what she can/should delegate.

Her boss is not aware of all that she has on her plate and she is afraid to broach the idea of hiring someone or moving deadlines with a client.

These are all truer answers but still not the real answer.

ARE WE STUCK IN THE 1980’s…still?

This conversation reminded me a book from years ago that everyone I knew had at their bedside – Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much by Dr. Anne Wilson Schaef. I am not sure when this book was first published but it was easily in the 1980’s.

When I heard my friend say she had not taken lunch in months I realized that times have not changed enough.

Women, and especially women leaders, still do too much and do not set the boundaries necessary to create the career and the life that feels like love.  

And our self-care, our families and our teams are suffering because of it.

Captain Obvious Here: Life is short. Let’s have more fun!

In the day of “see it to be it” we need to make self-care a priority so that our co-workers and employees (and children) do the same. Be seen as someone who believes they are worth caring for, feeding well and having balance in their lives.

Your body, mind, spirit and the bodies, minds and spirits of those you lead and work with will thank you.

Try This

This Month do yourself a favor and visit Dr. Anne Wilson Schaef’s website and get your copy of Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much and watch a video of this amazing 83-year-old woman tell her story. 

While you are at it take a look at something she recently wrote, “There Will Be a Thousand Years (of peace and prosperity and they will be ushered in by the women)” where Anne explores the potentially positive impact that women can and must harness to step forward for further development of the human race and for the planet as a whole.

Oh yeah, and eat lunch! If not for yourself then for all those who are watching and learning from you.