CONQUERING BUSY SEASONS

Are you busy? Is your plate full? Are you struggling to keep your head above water? Exhausted? Stressed and overwhelmed? You aren’t alone. There are thousands of people just like you who are doing all they can to make ends meet. Is the answer working harder and longer? Sacrificing more to gain a little? On this episode of the podcast Ray challenges our thinking and unpacks how if we aren’t careful, a busy season can become a harmful lifestyle.

Takeaways

Busyness has become an epidemic in our society, but working harder and longer is not the answer to success.
Rest and slowing down are essential for personal well-being and productivity.
Sacrificing time with loved ones for work is not worth it in the long run.
It is important to make time for what truly matters and avoid letting a season in life become a lifestyle.

Chapters

00:00: Introduction to the Episode

00:06: Busy lifestyle and the potential problems

02:02: The culture of busy and the impact on people's lives

03:18: Indicators that a season in life may have become a lifestyle

04:19: A personal story highlighting the cost of being too busy

06:53: Conclusion and Call to Trade off work time for more Personal time

08:37: Closing remarks and Resource sharing.

Episode Transcript

Ray (00:00):
Welcome to the Ray Sanders Leadership Podcast. I'm Ray
Sanders, and I think you'regoing to like today's show. I've
got a few probing questions foryou today. Here's the first one.
Are you busy?
Is your plate full? Are youstruggling to keep your head
above water? Are you exhausted,stressed, and overwhelmed? Well,

(00:25):
guess what? You're not alone.
There are thousands of peoplejust like you who are doing all
they can to make ends meet. Isthe answer working harder? Is
the answer working longer?Sacrificing more to gain just a
little? Well, keep listening.
On today's podcast, I'm going tochallenge your thinking. If we

(00:48):
aren't careful, a season canbecome a last. Hello, everyone.
I'm Ray Sanders, and you'relistening to the Ray Sanders
Leadership Podcast. You made it.
Thanks for stopping by. I haverealized there's plenty of
things you could be doing rightnow, so having you come along

(01:11):
for the ride is sure awesome forme, that's for sure. Something
tells me you might be listeningin your car, or maybe you're out
for a walk, or maybe you'reworking out somewhere, or maybe
you're just hanging out aroundthe house and you decided, hey,
why not give Sanders a listen totoday? Well, wherever you are, I
bet you've been busy. You know,busyness has become an epidemic

(01:34):
in our society, especially herein the western world.
You know, I've had theopportunity to travel around the
world, and there just seems tobe some cultures who just aren't
buying into this busy epidemic.But here in the west, for some
reason, we think the more wehave to do, the better it is. I
don't quite understand it, buttechnology and new techniques

(01:56):
were supposed to free us up andmake our schedules more easy,
more doable. But somehow, wekeep filling up every minute of
every day. We become like busybees flying around a beehive.
Have you ever been to a beehiveand noticed how whether it's
bumblebees or wasp or anythinglike that? There's just a lot of

(02:18):
activity. Everything's swirlingaround. There's a lot going on.
Well, there's no wonder we'reexhausted and we feel
overwhelmed.
We aren't just burning themidnight oil, we're burning the
candle from both ends whilewe're holding a flashlight. What
if I told you you have to restto be your best? Oh, I hear you.

(02:39):
I hear you. Rest.
What are you thinking? What'sthat? Rest. Or what if I said
this? You have to slow down tospeed up.
Slow down? Are you kidding me?I'm way too busy. I'm far too
busy for that. You have no ideawhat my schedule is.
You have no idea the pressureI'm under. You haven't seen my
financials. There's no way I'mslowing down. I got to get a red

(03:02):
bull. I've got to get somecaffeine.
I got to get an energy drink.I'm burning the midnight oil and
I'm lighting that candle on bothends. You know what? If we
aren't careful, a season in lifecan become a lifestyle. Here are
some hints that what you'recalling a lifestyle or what

(03:22):
you're calling a season, not alifestyle.
What you're calling a season inlife may very well becoming a
way of life. You start hearingyourself saying things like
this, or people that love you orclose to you hear you start to
say things like this. Whenthings slow down, I'm going to
blank. Oh, that's on my to dolist. That's my plan.

(03:50):
Or how about this one? One ofthese days, I'm going to get to
that, or it's just for a littlewhile, just for a little while
longer. Just one more time. It'sonly temporary. You know?
It is what it is. Just a littlelonger and I will. I'm almost

(04:12):
finished. I promised. I'm almostfinished.
It's going to get better. Ipromise. Having served thousands
of leaders for more than 30years, more than once, I've seen
a well intended leader sacrificehis family, his friends, and his
health, all in the name of justa little more time at work, just

(04:36):
a little more. But here's thetruth. 20 years from now, the
only people who will rememberthat you worked late are your
kids and those you love themost.
It's just not worth it. We'repaying way too much to get
ahead. We can't make it up. Wecan't make up for the lost time

(04:56):
with our family and friends.There will always be more work
to do.
There won't always beopportunities to be present with
the ones you love. Some memoriesnever get made because the
season in life becomes alifestyle. You know, there was a
time when I was a busyexecutive, a young executive,
had 6 kids at home, reallytrying to make it all happen and

(05:19):
making it all work. It was backin the days when I carried a
BlackBerry. You know what thatis?
Some of you will. But I had myBlackBerry at my side most of
the time, and much like it istoday, it's with me all the
time. I never will forget, oneof my boys was playing in a big
baseball game, and I was runninglate and I was hurrying. And I

(05:40):
knew if I got there at the justright time, I'd be able to make
it into the ballpark and see theopening of the game. Well, I had
good intentions.
Good intentions. I was on thephone trying to wrap up a call,
and I just had a little bitmore. If I could just get this
called in, just 30 more seconds.So what did I do? I was at the

(06:03):
ballpark.
I was in the parking lot. I satthere. I tried to wrap up the
call. 30 seconds became 1minute. And as I begin to walk
into the ballpark, I hear thecrowd roar.
Wow. What did I miss? I gothrough the the ticket through

(06:24):
the gate. I walk in. All theparents, my wife, and my other
kids are going, did you see it?
Did you see it? Did you see it,dad? He just hit a home run. He
just hit a home run. I missedit.
That little bit of extra thatlittle bit of extra work kept me

(06:45):
from gaining a memory that Iwould have had for a lifetime.
Oh, I have a memory, but it'snot the memory I want. Can you
relate? You see, we tend tosacrifice family and friends and
even our own health just for alittle bit more. A little bit
more is all we think it'll costus, but it really doesn't.

(07:06):
If we aren't careful, somedaynever comes, and a season never
changes. It becomes a lifestyle.The horse has to come off the
track. It has to get its oatsand has to bed down. Otherwise,
he will die from pureexhaustion.
You and I aren't any different.You have to rest to be your

(07:27):
best. You really do have to slowdown in order to spend in order
to speed up. There will alwaysbe more work to do. So what do
you think?
Let's decide right now to set atime every day to step away from
work. Maybe you're at work.Maybe you set an alarm clock.

(07:49):
Maybe you're working on your wayhome, and there's a certain
indicator on the way home thatindicates to you you went past
like for me, I I go past alighthouse on my way home from
work. That lighthouse has been areminder me that I need to shift
gears.
I need to begin getting ready tobe present with my family. It's

(08:09):
time for no more excuses. Let'smake time for what really
matters. Let's quit sacrificingfamily, friends, and our health,
and start making time to befully present with those we
love. Let's make sure that whatwas supposed to be a season

(08:29):
doesn't become a lifestyle.
When we do, the seasons of lifeare certain to change. Hey.
Thanks for stopping by, andthanks for letting me challenge
you a little bit. I hope itdidn't hurt too bad, but it is a
challenge. If we're not careful,the season you're in could
become a way of life.

(08:50):
It could become a lifestyle. Ifyou like what you heard today, I
hope you'll subscribe and tell afriend. And don't miss the
resources page at raysanders.com. You'll discover
several fun online assessmentsand downloadable tools that will
make things better in life andwork. Well, that's gonna do it
for today's podcast.

(09:12):
Don't forget, we're in yourcorner for life and work.