Have you ever felt swamped? Buried? Underwater with work?

In the last couple of months…ok let’s be honest, all this year…I’ve been the proverbial duck. Above water, everything looks calm. But beneath the surface, these legs are paddling like mad! Sometimes you just can’t swim fast enough.

At the beginning of the year, I set a focus word for the year, as I do every year. This year I stretched it to two words – LET GO. As I have been scrambling like mad for the last few months my thoughts naturally keep returning to those words – LET GO. One asset of a strong leader is the ability to stubbornly persevere, press on, and do the hard thing. But there is a shadow side to that quality; it leads to exhaustion and burn out.

To keep balance I’ve had to LET GO of a few things at times, including blogging and sending a newsletter. My priorities will always place my family first. This Spring we have a hubbub of exciting activity in my family, much of it centered around our youngest child. I’ve taken my daughter Sarah shopping for the perfect prom dress, shoes, jewelry, make-up, and a graduation dress. We’ve spent countless hours talking about her transition to university in the Fall, visiting campus, and making plans for her to fly the nest. I cannot think of a better use of my time!

Speaking of my daughter, have you listened to the Letters to My Daughter podcast? Be sure to check that out at https://elisahays.com/podcast/ and subscribe on iTunes. This has been a fun project for me to share mentor advice aimed at daughters everywhere covering a wide range of topics.

To LET GO of tension and recharge after many days of working long into the night, hubby and I are taking a mini vacation to celebrate our 25th anniversary with a relaxing stay at the ocean. I hope that this Memorial Day weekend you too will take a mini vacation to rest those legs that have been paddling like mad. It’s okay to simply float around for awhile. After you can return to the race stronger, faster and ready to fly!

Wishing you a fabulous holiday with time for reflection and rest. I would love to hear how you come up for air!