“Think in the morning. Act in the noon. Eat in the evening. Sleep in the night.” ~ William Blake

This past year I learned one very valuable lesson that I want to share with you.

I spent much of the year running around from one thing to the next. An entrepreneur, single and in a busy city, I was finding it difficult to stay still as there was always something to do to further my business—meetings to attend to, jobs to prepare for and people to meet. This frenetic lifestyle often came at a cost to my life and serenity.

I had mistaken the busy-ness I created in my life as something of a badge of honor and convinced myself I was actually getting things done. In actuality, I was getting nothing done, hated my life and was feeling burnt out.

I wasn’t experiencing something new. Unfortunately, our culture pats folks on the back for burning the candle on both ends. If the opportunity is taken to rest then surely there must be an opportunity lost.

After a while I simply didn’t care if I lost an opportunity—burn out was setting in—fast. For me, my body just wouldn’t have it any longer and begged for shut eye—some deep rest.

So, I literally took an entire month off to take care of myself and rest—attending to the very basic tasks of my life to keep it running, of course!

My secret—sleep.

I disconnected more often from social media, said no to things that didn’t immediately serve my present state and made a lot more time to close my eyes.

That attention to myself and the hours of sleep I collected completely changed my perception and added so much value to my life. The extra sleep, over an extended period of time, actually has attracted amazing opportunities into my life.

I have become more productive—getting clear on my personal and professional objectives.

I feel inspired—better able to made creative choices about my business and life.

And I am a more joyful person—better to handle tasks with an open heart and ready to take on the day.

It is quite amazing.

In all honesty, I felt a little guilty about not returning calls right away or turning things down just to get some of that sweet rest—at first! But then I watch this Ted Talk video by badass, Arianna Huffington, about sleep and knew immediately that I was not alone in this new sleep revolution!

Since giving myself permission to rest, I feel ready to set the world on fire. And I know that it takes a very good night’s rest to do just that. And to be honest, women just need more rest than men.

And lastly, according to Arianna, I might actually and literally “sleep my way to the top!”

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Editor: Renee Picard

Photo: José Manuel Ríos Valiente at Flickr