A Break in the Battle II

Brian Tracy says life is a series of problems interrupted only by the occasional crisis.  That may be true, but it’s a little pessimistic for me.  I think problems and crises are often punctuated with breaks, with periods of rest.  How we use those rest periods may determine our ability to handle the next problem or crisis.

I’ve written about the break in the battle before

(http://robertf71.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-break-in-battle.html) but I didn’t talk about what one should do during this break.

First, I think one should say, “Thank you!”  I am truly grateful for times of peace and rest.  I’m grateful when things are peaceful and calm.  Of course, while I enjoy the times when life is externally calm, I enjoy and value even more the times I am internally calm.

After being thankful I make one of two choices:  I take a break from my work.  I take a nap or read a comic book or do something completely mindless.  Or I may got the opposite direction and engage more deeply in my work.  I might write another blog or do a radio show.  The break re-energizes my Purpose.  In fact, I often feel more motivated than usual. 

What I don’t want to do during these breaks is waste time.  I might relax.  I might even do something completely unproductive, like play an online game, but if I do, I’m doing it intentionally, not by default.  I want to be conscious about how I’m using my time.  The purpose of the break is to recharge, not let my battery die.

It’s hard to know how long these breaks will last.  I can create my own break by doing inner work, such as breathing, tapping, smiling, writing or praying, to name a few.  These activities can create an inner break than can last from a few moments to several hours.  The longest break I had was for about a year.  In that year, I had relatively few problems.  It was nice. Of course it didn’t last, nor did I expect it to.  In some ways, it was a little monotonous after a while. 

The nicest break I had was when I was in the 10^th grade.  I lived with some friends for several weeks while my family had moved to San Diego.  I was allowed to stay to finish the school year there.  It was a peaceful and happy time.  Most of my normal stressors were gone and that helped.

Again, however, I can’t count on those times.

What I can count on is the ability to create peace in my own life by disciplining my mind and even my habits.  I can create peace by being in my Purpose.  I can create peace when I Get Started and Keep Going…even during the breaks.