Okay… I tried to do this in written form, but I’m impassioned about this enough that I needed to also make a video, to be able to speak to you.
Back in 1999, when I first started doing this work, whenever I had a woman for a client, and that was most of them, she had to go through a time of remedying depletion before being able to work on her business.
This has remained a consistent pattern for twenty years, and I’m sure far longer than that.
Now, I’m seeing multiple clients and folks in my circles, almost entirely women, who are physically ill, some of them seriously ill, due partly to unsustainable lives.
This is NOT their fault. Our culture makes it extremely difficult to live a sustainable life. You have to make choices that go against a lot of internal programming, and external pressure.
Capacity is a critical issue that I work with with all of our clients.
It is humbling to face the reality of our capacity. Confronting that you can only do maybe half or one third of what you want to do is really painful.
What makes it painful is that coming into a sustainable life does not mean just focusing on what’s important and worthy and letting the unnecessary go. It’s also about realizing that there are things that are important and very worthy of attention which will not fit into your capacity.
One of my high ideals is sustainable living. Since we’ve moved to the country, I’ve had it on my list to build a compost bin for weeks. It’s still not done. It will get done, but not today.
I’m going to beg you, the way I beg my clients:
PLEASE DO LESS. Please stop the hustle. Please face the reality of your capacity.
Too many amazing people, especially women, are ground down in autoimmune diseases, in chronic illness, in so much.
It is NOT their fault they are sick.
And for whatever is in our hands to contribute to wellness, please do less. Please make space for rest and integration. Please drop important things, so that you don’t drop yourself.
Here’s the same message in video format:
What are two things that, while important and worthy of care, that you can drop or put off, so that your very much more important mental and physical health can be cared for?
With love,
Mark Silver, M.Div.
Heart of Business, Inc.
Every act of business can be an act of love.
Virtual Retreat: Friday, October 22
No travel. No logistics to handle. Surprisingly profound format.
A Friday 24 hour virtual retreat for your heart and your business. You do NOT have to have the whole day clear. You do NOT have to avoid interacting with anyone else. Personally, I’m home with my family, so I’m not going to just ignore my kids.
However, it’s still an incredibly powerful way to retreat.
3 Responses
Perfect post!
I feel that everything is so fast and most of the people are living in the automatic, not pursuing their true dreams or spending a good time with things that matter (as friends or whatever you love).
We care so much about money and pass most of our lives pursuing that, but for me, it is wrong because what matters, in the end, is the memories and the people you have known.
Thanks for this very timely message, Mark. I have also found myself in a near total state of depletion after the last 19 months working full time from home and taking care of our young children. It’s so hard to feel balanced, at ease, and supported in this culture. Thanks for the reminder to make space for rest and integration. I have been following your blog since I took your spiritual development course a few years ago, and always get much comfort from your words. All the best to you and your family.
Very inspirational! Mind seems confined by right angles and straight lines. also Excellent of how space informs human behavior.