Go Chicken Go! No Actually Stop!

Treat yourself. Be kind. Why so harsh? It is that you think you must work like an animal for any reward? There are plenty old messages that tell us that we must beat ourselves into the ground for anything good to happen. Life in the city also perpetuates this idea. Our days are long, our commutes are constant, our schedules are thick. Honestly, the message that we must work hard to accomplish anything has been around so long because it’s mostly true. Indeed it is only with diligence that hard ground begins to break.

But that’s not exactly what I’m talking about. I’m talking about needless busy-ness. I’m talking about the kind of mentality that says you can’t have a break because a break would mean failure. I’m talking about being spread so thin that most of your work loses its value because you’re so sleep deprived that everything you do is at just about half your capability.

Don’t you love how being “busy” is so cool? It’s as if people put on airs to seem exhausted so that they have an excuse to talk about how busy they are! Why it isn’t cool to be refreshed, relaxed, rejuvenated? Actually, this is the state from which our best selves can truly shine forth.

I recognize that we (and when I say we, I mean those of us with professions in the arts. Ok. Namely, actors) are in the business of creating our own luck, making our own opportunities, and most of what we do is necessarily a juggling act. Those of us who do this gracefully are sure to be the most successful.

So I’m not talking about not being busy. That would be impossible and just plain foolish. Anyone who is worth their salt knows that being busy is a part of the game.  

But how do you treat yourself? Are you internally harsh and critical? Do you allow yourself some down time that involves none of what you “should” be doing? Do you say “no” when appropriate so that you allow yourself adequate rest?

This is not easy. I believe that there is an art to this. Figure out what works for you. Let your happiness be your meter.  You are worth the time it takes to daydream, to have a delicious desert, an extra half hour of sleep, or a hobby that is unrelated to your work (more on hobbies later!). In short you deserve to not run around like a chicken with its head cut off 24/7! It makes you no less of an artist, no less of a successful person. Au contraire! You become more alive to your impulses, more generous, more fun, more beautiful!

I think you've got the point.

You may live in the city that never sleeps, but sleep you must!