Dearest overachiever…. you need to slow down.

“Con calma y piensa, take your time and think, should be an adage that you apply in your entire life.”

― Art Rios

I see you, you go getter. Dream chaser. Goal smasher.

I know you are literally working as hard as you can to become a leader and a titan in your field. You want to be successful, admired by others, and want to be the very best at what you do.

I see and know you, because I am you. 

Today’s blog post’s focus will be on how you can achieve mastery in every area of your life through 5 invaluable lessons I learned from my own experience of burnout, and the simple steps I use today to make sure I am continuously moving the needle forward and headed in the right direction.

Let’s take it back to 2018. I was a brand new out the box entrepreneur, gritty, and HUNGRY. Literally, and figuratively, because ya girl was also dirt poor. I was living in a way too small apartment with my 3 other roommates, and at the time, struggling to pay my $300 rent, let alone groceries and dog food. 

But I was ambitious, and dedicated to changing my situation. By the end of 2018, I went from making $800 a month to consistent $3,000 months, which at the time felt like an insane amount of money. I got my online business as a health coach off the ground and running, moved into my very own apartment by myself, and purchased a new vehicle. Honey I thought I had MADE IT.

….Except I was tired. All. the. time. I was always stressed, so much so that my anxiety got so bad that my hands were always shaking and I felt like I was always ‘behind’ in one area of my life or another. I was working 60+ hour weeks, and was a very bitchy and angry version of myself because I had pushed myself to the point of burn out and had not been taking care of my mental, physical, emotional or spiritual health.

I was trying to be, do, and have it all, all at once, and as quickly as possible. My burn out got so bad from me staying constantly in “hustle mode”, that I stopped working in/on my business, fired 50% of my clients, stopped working out, and became extremely depressed for 3 months. When I finally started to come back to life as a healthier and happier version of myself, I was carrying around so much shame and guilt for feeling like I had failed as a coach and entrepreneur that I had a hard time even logging onto the social platforms I utilized to generate income and clients.

This period of my life taught me 5. very clear, and very simple truths about being an ambitious high achiever:

1. You can be, do, and have it all….just not all at once, and not all at the same time.

I have dreams of being a world renowned coach, NYT bestselling author, public speaker, elite level muay thai athlete, community leader in building gardens in food deserts, a stellar mom/wife, and eventually get my PHD. 

Here’s the truth: I really believe in my heart I can become the best Health + Mind Optimization Coach in the world. I believe I can do everything on the list I just mentioned. But I cannot do it all, right now. If I’m so lucky, I will live a very long life in which I will achieve all these dreams. Right now though, my two focus’s are on being an incredible impact focused coach and Muay Thai athlete. That’s it. I would rather be giving my A+ effort work and time to 2 things, instead of C- work and effort to all 7 things. 

2. Success (whatever it means for you) is empty and pointless if you are miserable and unhealthy.

Ever heard the phrase, “Health is wealth”? What is the point in being a millionaire/titan in your industry if you aren't even able to walk a mile without being breathless, are constantly in a piss poor mood, and are just generally miserable?

Money buys you choices, but it cannot and will not ever be able to buy you happiness and health. If you are quite literally working yourself into the ground, I recommend you reassess and determine if you are treading your well being for ‘success’. There is a reason billionaires still commit suicide- worthwhile success looks like being healthy, happy, authentic, and living on purpose.

3. If you want to go fast, you have to slow down. 

This lesson truthfully came with time, as well as reading 100+ memoirs from successful people and personal development books. A big factor in slowing down myself, is bringing my awareness to the law of nature: everything blooms in it’s own time, in its own unique and perfect way. Having and keeping faith that being consistent, and showing up day in and day out will yield the results I am looking for.

4. Intentional rest is productive!

Truth be told, I still struggle with this particular lesson, although I KNOW it to be true. I say intentional rest, because scrolling on your phone, numbing out with food or substances is not at all productive. 

Meditating, sleeping, going on a walk, reading a book for fun, journaling, spending time with loved ones, taking a relaxing bath, slow low impact movement, anything really that reminds you that you are a human being with needs, and not a human doing robot that lives to work and produce work is important.

This ties into slowing down. What’s the point of getting to the top of your mountain if you didn’t stop every now and then to appreciate how far you’ve made it and to take in the view?

5. Quality not quantity, is the way to go.

Picture this: A small shop in Italy, with a charming man in his 80’s. His hands are worn and calloused from making shoes for 45 years. He is happy, and loves what he does. He produces 1 pair of shoes a week. They are perfectly made to the individual, every single stitch and piece hand crafted with love. They fit like a glove and feel like butter on the wearer, over time becoming more comfortable, because they mold to the fit of the person wearing them. Not only that, but because of the quality, they last for 60+ years depending on the frequency and type of use.

How much money would you pay for a shoe like that? $800? $2,000? That’s an astronomical monetary increase in value versus your average $50-$100 shoe.

Your work’s value increases with quality. We only achieve this by being intentional in our work, our decisions, and the time and energy we spend into doing what we do. We can only achieve this through making clear and intentional choices.

Well, my dear reader. I hope this was helpful for you, as these lessons and reminders massively and positively impacted my life, as well as the life of my clients.

If you are looking to work smarter, not harder, as well as create a strong health foundation to move into your next uplevel sustainably and with ease, email me at Contactinspiredpaige@gmail.com or set up a free 30 minute discovery call.

In love and light,

Coach Paige