The importance of giving yourself a break

Trevor had a big task ahead of him. The Board had approved his Human Resource proposal to implement a Culture Change project in the coming year. Even the mere thought of what it would entail gave Trevor the notion that it would be a full-on year.
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It was December and at year end he knew as HR Director of the company that his people had worked hard. He could not stress more the power of re-charging energy at year end. To throw caution to the wind and change gears in their life.

Trevor had a big task ahead of him. The Board had approved his Human Resource proposal to implement a Culture Change project in the coming year. Even the mere thought of what it would entail gave Trevor the notion that it would be a full-on year.
It was December and at year end he knew as HR Director of the company that his people had worked hard. He could not stress more the power of re-charging energy at year end. To throw caution to the wind and change gears in their life.
He wrote a memo out to all Heads of Department stressing the importance of taking a break at year end. Other parts of the human brain needed use. The over reliance on left brain activities would be yearning for some right brain activities.
Get outdoors and play was the tone of his note. The company Christmas party organised would set the tone. It was time to dance, laugh, sing and play. The visual of a battery re-charging popped into Trevor’s head. The human mind was exactly like a battery.
When the charge was strong, high performance was achieved. The capacity to re-charge self-confidence was innate and once done, would be available for use to the fullest.
This state of mind in need of re-charging most often surfaced at year end and Trevor having run HR for more than 20 years was well aware of that. After 48 weeks of hard yakka, the remaining few were in need of a hunker down. Employees who did this produced consistency in performance.
Trevor indicated some steps that came to mind. These could be easily implemented if people were interested;
Get loads of sleep

Counter to most thinking that sleep is a waste of time, this is one of the best healers. Sleep re-connects neurological pathways and repairs organs that have been working overtime. Sleep between 10pm to 2am is crucial as that is when the organ mechanic is hard at work. A good sleep regime is uninterrupted 7 to 8 hours daily.

Learn how to meditate This is an opportune way to access downtime. Trevor was a Vipassana meditator. He attended a ten-day silent retreat that taught him the art of meditation. It was one of the best things he ever did.
Meditation rejuvenated his energy levels and gave him peace of mind to sleep well and improve mental health. He started running when he had never been a runner. He didn’t suffer jet lag anymore despite the intense travel schedule he had. His productivity and self-confidence shot through the roof.
Many such things emerged after he started practising meditation. He  became a new person.
Switch off internal dialogueTrevor found a big hurdle in his life in the past was his internal dialogue. His analytical mind that constantly talked to him. Stopping him from doing what his heart desired. He realised as long as he was having  conversations with himself, he was not engaging with the outside world.
Internal dialogue operated counter intuitive to improving productivity and tapping into self-confidence. Since becoming aware of this one component that blocked him from so many positive things he shared his experience with many who suffered negative self-image.
Change context

Travel was a favourite of most. Leaving routine and familiarity behind to venture into new landscapes was a great way to use different parts of the brain. It was not for everyone though. Some preferred to go down to their favourite diner and meet friends.
Whatever the case it was important to do what made the heart sing. If it got you excited that would augur well for a rest. He pondered over his life. Many things would change in the coming year.
Once Neuro-Linguistic Programming was implemented company wide, this would create more managers as coaches. Companies like his that were intent on creating high performance teams were aware that  NLP was an accelerated approach to achieving superior results.
Trevor was expecting to see a fast turnaround in results once his people connected to the core of their being and tapped into their self-confidence. These were exciting times!