When Exhaustion Outweighs Productivity

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment" - Buddha

Today was a really tough day for me. You could say that my productivity level wasn't the highest. I've always wrestled with this problem of being productive and efficient one day and being a waste of space others. In a perfect world, I would be productive everyday and live life to the fullest. But, I guess that is why some people say we live in a less than perfect world.

Once I finally accepted the today was going to be an off-day, I started to contemplate why I wasn't focusing. I went to bed early-ish the night before. I ate a good breakfast. I didn't drink at all this weekend and I even exercised. The more I thought, the more confused I became on why my brain was dead today.

I finally stopped and added up the amount of work that I accomplished over the last week, and compared it to the amount of rest time that I had. My lifestyle can be described as extremely busy but consumed with activities that I love. So slowing down is hard when you have so many different things you want to accomplish. I finally went home and tried out this new beginner yoga video that I downloaded and afterwards took a nap. I woke up feeling energized and finally started getting items checked off my endless list of to-dos.

I've come to the understanding that sometimes you're not on your A-game and that is completely fine. There are times where you have to push through it and finish your task at hand, but there are other times when folding your cards is a definite alternative. No one expects you to be 110% 24/7. It is sometimes more unproductive to push through something and produce undesirable work then stepping back, taking a nap, and crushing it afterwards!

Everyone needs rest in their lives! When the opportunity arises, take advantage of it and rejuvenate your mind. I'm sure it needs it!

The Power of Getting Outside

 

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. " - John Muir

 

About 2 years ago is when I went on my first camping trip. It actually turned out to be a camping, rock climbing, spring break trip with the climbing club at NKU known as the Vertical Frontier Climbing Club. Being that I had never really camped before you could say I was less than prepared. Biggest piece of advice I can give someone is to ALWAYS bring a sleeping pad when camping in below 40 degree weather.

We stayed at what is now our usual hangout spot, Miguel's. Miguel's is an amazing pizza and climbing shop in The Red that has climbers crawling out of the cracks. The entire weekend unlocked so many doors that now remain open in my life. I now climb regularly and #GetOutside as often as I can! I realized from that first weekend of climbing and camping that the outdoors were about to play a big role in my life.

Later that year, I met Danny Stull who founded Venturepax.com and he invited me to join the team. I have now been working at Venturepax for over a year and now, and work on the weekends at my favorite outdoor shop Roads Rivers & Trails! The great outdoors has had such a huge impact on not only my life but millions of others. No matter what happens in everyday life it is good to make a practice of stepping back and enjoying some fresh air. Listening to the birds sing, and walking in the woods will do wonders on your stress and your overall health.

I started this blog to reinforce our core beliefs at Venturepax by inviting everyone to #GetOutside more often and share their adventures in hopes to inspire others to also #GetOutside.