In today's episode, we're diving into the hidden dangers of delayed gratification and its potential to lead to burnout. Go ahead and press play so you can unravel the complexities of balancing ambition and self-care, and learn how to harness the power of delayed gratification without sacrificing your well-being.
Hint: Finding things you're passionate about can help you balance life and avoid burnout. Learn more on Episode 1 of Season 1 - Let's Talk About Passion.
Hint: Finding things you're passionate about can help you balance life and avoid burnout. Learn more on Episode 1 of Season 1 - Let's Talk About Passion.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Success doesn't come withoutsacrifice.
But could your pursuit ofdelayed gratification be leading
you straight into the burnouttrap?
In today's episode, we uncoverthe hidden cost of delayed
gratification and explore how itcan impact your wellbeing.
(01:04):
Hey friend, welcome to today'sepisode.
Today, we are diving into thehidden dangers of delayed
gratification and its potentialto lead to burnout.
My aim today is quite simple.
It is to get you to genuinelyexamine your approach to
success.
(01:26):
And if God helps us, by the endof this episode, you will learn
to utilize the power of delayedgratification without
sacrificing your wellbeing.
I have to tell you, I have beenso tired and stressed out this
week.
And the Lord had to remind me ofcertain things.
(01:49):
It's funny actually, because theLord started to actually speak
to me about this whole topicbefore I even got into the week.
It's just, God is just soamazing.
He knew what I needed and He wasalready giving me the provision
of how to deal with it before Ieven entered the week.
This week has, has been a lot,honestly, it's, it's been a lot.
(02:14):
I have been so tired and I havewanted to take breaks, don't get
me wrong.
But the moment I decide.
Okay.
Maybe I can just rest tonightinstead of recording that
podcast episode or coming upwith podcast ideas.
Or studying ahead of the fallsemester.
(02:35):
Each time I feel like taking abreak from all that, I
immediately think about the factthat I am taking a week off in
July.
And I'm gonna to get to restthen.
So why do I need to take thebreak that I need to take now?
You get it?
(02:55):
I was constantly in this battleof, well, I do have vacation
coming up soon, I am going to beseeing family soon and this and
this and that.
And so maybe I can just keeppowering through today, I can
just keep going until that time,and hopefully I'm not going to
break down.
And I think in a way this stemsfrom maybe me feeling like I
(03:19):
don't deserve to have fun nowbecause I have already scheduled
my fun to be had at some time inthe near future.
And this is one thing with weperfectionists.
We tend to want to scheduleeverything.
And so you've scheduledvacations.
You've made all these amazingplans of the day that you go to
(03:42):
the spa, the day that you dothis, the day that you do that.
And so when suddenly lifecreates an opening before you to
be able to do some of thosethings, you feel like, well, I
already have a scheduled, so,you know, I probably don't want
to do that now.
Let me just keep slaving away.
Let me just keep strugglingthrough.
(04:04):
Vacation time is going to comeand I'm going to get to have fun
then.
And when I was battling this allweek the Lord kept reminding me
of the danger of delayedgratification.
So many times you hear peoplesay delayed gratification is
essential for achievinglong-term goals.
(04:27):
You have to sacrifice now andreap the benefits later.
And I do not disagree with withall those things, don't get me
wrong.
But it's like, we are constantlybeing told to put in the hard
work to make all thesesacrifices and to delay any
immediate rewards all in pursuitof success.
(04:48):
But what if this relentlesspursuit actually comes at a
cost.
The Lord was teaching me that inas much as things sometimes
appear to happen suddenly, theyactually happened gradually.
Until finally compounding intothat thing that we see at the
end and we're like, wow.
(05:09):
So if that is the case, and I amhere pursuing this master's
degree, I am pursuing thiscareer advancement by taking
classes and doing projects anddoing all these things, even
outside the degree that I'mpursuing.
And I'm doing all these thingsgradually, then why do I think
(05:30):
that taking care of myself mustwait?
I realized this week that my nottaking mini breaks because I
have planned seemingly biggerbreaks in the very near future
is what leads to burnout.
And so just as the Lord did forme, I think that it is time for
(05:51):
us to shine some light on thehidden consequences of delayed
gratification.
We have to be honest withourselves and realize that this
relentless drive that we havetowards whatever goal, whatever
thing, whatever thing it is thatyou are delaying all your
(06:11):
victories now, all yourhappiness now for.
This act of delayedgratification, if you don't
control it, if you don't balanceit, it's only going to push you
to your limits, it is going todrain all your energy and it's
going to overwhelm you.
Burnout is the price we pay whenwe neglect our needs in the name
(06:35):
of delayed gratification.
The constant hustle, the longhours, and the perpetual
postponements of rewards, itreally only leads to exhaustion.
And honestly, you probably evenbegin to hate or dislike this
thing that you are foregoingeverything now for.
(06:59):
We need to come to a place wherewe learn to properly navigate
the delicate balance betweenambition and self care.
Because it is in this delicatebalance that we actually come to
discover the hidden costs ofdelayed gratification the toll
it takes on our wellbeing andeven on our relationship with
(07:23):
God.
So my goal today is simple.
How can we find sustainablesuccess without sacrificing our
wellbeing?
And I'm going to say it startswith recognizing the importance
of self care and balance.
(07:45):
As an African.
I've grown up with so manyexpectations and most of these
expectations have largely beenunsaid.
But you just know your parentsexpect you to do this, this
person expects you to do that.
And so all my life, I have beenchasing this thing, trying to
(08:09):
get to the top, trying to get tothe pinnacle of it all.
I have a hard to learn the hardway to prioritize rest, to
prioritize my wellbeing.
And to know that it is not asign of weakness.
If anything, at all, this is thebest investments you can make
(08:34):
for long-term success.
When I was back in communitycollege, I was still living with
my mom then.
This has been a couple of yearsago already.
And I would come home fromschool and I just wanted to
finish whatever assignments Ihad before I ate.
(08:57):
And my mom would always say tome, So now you have to be well
so that you can continuestudying.
You can't just keep studying,studying, studying, and not take
care of yourself.
You have to eat.
And I wouldn't get annoyingsometimes because it's like,
once I'm in the groove ofthings, you know, if I get
(09:18):
distracted, it's going to take awhile to come back into it.
And I just want to finish.
I'm like I can eat, I can finishthis in the next hour and then I
can eat.
Let me just delay it for alittle longer.
Thinking that what I was doingwas some act of strength.
Something that showed howfocused I was.
(09:41):
Something that showed howserious I was and how dedicated
and committed I was to mystudies.
But I was really just foolingmyself.
It's so crucial, I think, for usto learn how to establish
boundaries, but also setrealistic expectations.
(10:03):
If you know that this thing youwant to achieve will probably
take you one year.
Don't say you're going to do itin six months.
Like no one is chasing you.
Life is not a race.
In as much as it may look like arace, everyone is on their own,
(10:25):
doing their own thing.
And you don't want to getdistracted by looking at what
someone else is doing.
You have to focus on your path,stay on your path.
It doesn't matter how long ittakes you to get there.
What matters is that you gotthere and you learn some things
along the way.
You have to learn to giveyourself permission to celebrate
(10:48):
small victories along the way.
Because if you don't do that,how are you going to acknowledge
the progress that you've made?
It would just feel like you'reon this endless journey trying
to achieve something.
Case in point, a degree.
You're in school, for maybe, twoyears, three years.
(11:13):
I'm in school right now and it'slike, yes, I do want to get that
master's degree.
But I also don't want to killmyself because I look back over
my undergrad journey and Irealized that there was so many
times that I could have gone onthat lunch with my friend.
(11:33):
There were so many times that Icould have gone to the beach
when my friends that 4th of Julyholiday, instead of staying home
to study.
I could have actually done thosethings and still gotten all the
A's I got.
I could have done those thingsand still kept my scholarships.
I didn't have to slave away allthat time until I finally got
(11:58):
that degree.
And when I started grad school,I told myself that I wasn't
going to repeat those things,no.
I told myself I was going tomake sure that I prioritized my
social life.
That I went out with friends ifI had to that I would rest, for
(12:18):
10 hours if I have to.
And it's been easier said thandone.
But each day, I've beenchallenging myself to do better.
And the we have done that is totake time to just sit down and
reflect.
And see that, okay, I may not bewhere I want to be yet, but I
(12:42):
have come a long way and I'mmaking some progress, and I have
to celebrate those victories.
I have to celebrate thatprogress.
Because if you don't do that, itwould just seem like you're in
this loop that is never ending.
No, you have to carve out time,carve out days.
(13:04):
Wow, I'm in this three yearprogram but I've made it one
year through, I've made it twomonths in and I've not given up.
God has helped me this far.
And so I thank you, Lord.
And to celebrate, I'm going totake myself out to dinner or,
whatever it is, whatevercelebration looks like for you,
(13:25):
take some time out to actuallycelebrate the progress that
you're making.
Self-care is, it's not a luxuryit's a necessity.
And it is by doing these littlethings that you learn to
incorporate activities thatnourish your mind, your body,
(13:46):
and your soul.
It is in doing these littlethings.
It's not going to come naturalat first.
But before you know it, it it'sgoing to become you, it's going
to become what you do, it'sgoing to become a routine.
That no, I understand that I amin school, I'm trying to keep my
grades up.
(14:07):
I just got this job, I'm tryingto look good, I'm trying to get
that promotion.
But I'm not going to stay up anhour late today to study.
I'm not going to stay up threehours today to finish that job.
It can wait, whatever it is, canwait till tomorrow.
But my self care, that cannotwait.
(14:30):
Because if I don't do what Ihave to do to take care of
myself now, then the work andeverything else that I think I'm
sacrificing for is going tosuffer for it tomorrow.
And while we are even talkingabout taking time to celebrate
your little victories and allthat, please, please, please
(14:51):
take breaks.
Mini breaks.
It doesn't matter if you have aone month vacation coming up.
If you need a one day break now,please take care.
Be mindful of taking care ofyourself.
And learn, find some hobbies,something that can help you
replenish your energy andprevent burnout.
Something that is fun.
(15:13):
Something that you can do.
Something that you, youspecially carve out time for to
do so that it can take your mindaway from whatever goal it is
that you are trying toaccomplish.
I personally believe that anyroutine that prevents you from
prioritizing your health is notworth it.
(15:37):
Yes, there are seasons in lifethat come with your having to
make a lot of sacrifices.
There are seasons that come withyour having to be very
disciplined.
But we need to learn to takecare of ourselves even in the
midst of chaos.
If it means taking that extralong shower, do it.
(16:01):
If it means sleeping for thatextra five minutes, even if it
means you may have to take moreof a quicker shower to get out
of the door, do it.
If it means that you have toclose that book and go spend an
hour with your friends whoinvited you to that lunch, do
it.
(16:21):
As Christians, yes, we arecalled to be diligent.
We are called to be steadfast inour pursuits.
But we must also remember thatour bodies, our minds, our
spirits, they are precious giftsfrom God and we really should
not take it for granted.
(16:44):
If for nothing at all, we arecalled to love and care for our
neighbors as ourselves.
But we can only fulfill thiscommandment when we prioritize
self care and avoid the pitfallsof burnout.
Taking time off to rest, torejuvenate, it allows us to be
(17:07):
better, yes.
But not just for ourselves, itallows us to be better to serve
others and to honor God with ourlives.
This week I started working outagain, I started trying to eat
right again after many months ofnot doing so.
And this is a good thing.
(17:28):
But I was trying to do this allthe while killing myself to get
through a substantial portion ofthis online course that I'm
taking while also workingfull-time.
While also trying to get thispodcast up and running.
And while I was doing all this,I realized that I wasn't really
(17:51):
doing most of these thingsbecause I wanted to.
But I was doing them because Iwanted to be able to tell my
friends that I've been up tosome good.
I want it to be able to tell myfriend when he comes to ask me
how are you doing, when shecomes to ask me girl, how you've
been?
I can say girl, I've beenworking out, I've been getting
(18:14):
my steps in, I've been eatingclean.
And I was doing all of thesethings so that I could have a
good report to give, but not soI would actually be healthier as
a person.
And this brings me to my nextpoint.
How do you define success?
(18:37):
And what is driving you?
To chase that thing that youthink would bring you status or
whatever it is you're lookingfor.
Is your definition of successsolely based on external
achievements?
Or does it include your overallwellbeing and fulfillment?
(18:57):
Do you define success as tickingall these worldly boxes of
education, career,relationships, money?
Why are you even going on thisdaily grind in the first place?
Is it so you can hear well donefrom men.?
(19:20):
Or is it so you can hear welldone from God?
If we want to truly create abalance between our callings,
our ambitions, and taking careof ourselves, then I think that
we first need to surrender thosethings to God.
(19:40):
We need to really surrender andseek His guidance and wisdom in
our pursuits.
Because it is only by aligningour desires with His will that
we can find peace and balance inour journey.
The practice of delayedgratification requires
(20:02):
discipline and perseverance,yes.
But we must also guard againstplacing our identity and our
worth solely in ourachievements.
Because our true worth lies inour identity as children of God,
and not in what we accomplish.
(20:24):
So if you find yourself chasingall these goals for the year, if
you find yourself chasing thatpromotion at work, if you find
yourself trying to do that twoyear degree in one year, if you
find yourself trying to be thebest at that thing so you can
get the applause of men fordoing it, then I beg you to
(20:48):
re-examine your"why" and tothrow yourself at the feet of
the Father and ask Him to helpyou.
Ask Him to help you re-definewhat you think you are doing?
Ask Him to help you learn how toprioritize what is most
important?
(21:08):
And ask Him to tell you what isthe best way to go about this
life that He has blessed youwith.
As we wrap up today's episode, Iwant to emphasize that our
pursuit of success should neverovershadow our connection with
God or compromise our wellbeing.
(21:32):
Success is not worthcompromising your health and
happiness over.
No.
So please, please, pleaseembrace the wisdom of scripture.
If God rested, then you have torest.
Yes, the Word calls us to, to bediligent, to be hard working.
(21:57):
But it also calls us to rest, italso calls us to take care of
this body that the Lord hasgiven us.
And so I want to encourage youfrom today, to redefine what
success means to you.
To pat yourself on the back forthe progress you've made so far.
(22:18):
To take yourself out tocelebrate how far you've come.
But above all, I want toencourage you to find the rest
in His Presence so that you candiscover the joy of a balanced
and purposeful living.
And I pray that, that the Lordwill help you find rest in Him
(22:39):
even as you learn to prioritizethe demands that come with the
path that He has placed you on.
I hope you learned a thing ortwo.
And until next time, keepthriving!
Success doesn't come withoutsacrifice.
But could your pursuit ofdelayed gratification be leading
you straight into the burnouttrap?
In today's episode, we uncoverthe hidden cost of delayed
gratification and explore how itcan impact your wellbeing.
(01:04):
Hey friend, welcome to today'sepisode.
Today, we are diving into thehidden dangers of delayed
gratification and its potentialto lead to burnout.
My aim today is quite simple.
It is to get you to genuinelyexamine your approach to
success.
(01:26):
And if God helps us, by the endof this episode, you will learn
to utilize the power of delayedgratification without
sacrificing your wellbeing.
I have to tell you, I have beenso tired and stressed out this
week.
And the Lord had to remind me ofcertain things.
(01:49):
It's funny actually, because theLord started to actually speak
to me about this whole topicbefore I even got into the week.
It's just, God is just soamazing.
He knew what I needed and He wasalready giving me the provision
of how to deal with it before Ieven entered the week.
This week has, has been a lot,honestly, it's, it's been a lot.
(02:14):
I have been so tired and I havewanted to take breaks, don't get
me wrong.
But the moment I decide.
Okay.
Maybe I can just rest tonightinstead of recording that
podcast episode or coming upwith podcast ideas.
Or studying ahead of the fallsemester.
(02:35):
Each time I feel like taking abreak from all that, I
immediately think about the factthat I am taking a week off in
July.
And I'm gonna to get to restthen.
So why do I need to take thebreak that I need to take now?
You get it?
(02:55):
I was constantly in this battleof, well, I do have vacation
coming up soon, I am going to beseeing family soon and this and
this and that.
And so maybe I can just keeppowering through today, I can
just keep going until that time,and hopefully I'm not going to
break down.
And I think in a way this stemsfrom maybe me feeling like I
(03:19):
don't deserve to have fun nowbecause I have already scheduled
my fun to be had at some time inthe near future.
And this is one thing with weperfectionists.
We tend to want to scheduleeverything.
And so you've scheduledvacations.
You've made all these amazingplans of the day that you go to
(03:42):
the spa, the day that you dothis, the day that you do that.
And so when suddenly lifecreates an opening before you to
be able to do some of thosethings, you feel like, well, I
already have a scheduled, so,you know, I probably don't want
to do that now.
Let me just keep slaving away.
Let me just keep strugglingthrough.
(04:04):
Vacation time is going to comeand I'm going to get to have fun
then.
And when I was battling this allweek the Lord kept reminding me
of the danger of delayedgratification.
So many times you hear peoplesay delayed gratification is
essential for achievinglong-term goals.
(04:27):
You have to sacrifice now andreap the benefits later.
And I do not disagree with withall those things, don't get me
wrong.
But it's like, we are constantlybeing told to put in the hard
work to make all thesesacrifices and to delay any
immediate rewards all in pursuitof success.
(04:48):
But what if this relentlesspursuit actually comes at a
cost.
The Lord was teaching me that inas much as things sometimes
appear to happen suddenly, theyactually happened gradually.
Until finally compounding intothat thing that we see at the
end and we're like, wow.
(05:09):
So if that is the case, and I amhere pursuing this master's
degree, I am pursuing thiscareer advancement by taking
classes and doing projects anddoing all these things, even
outside the degree that I'mpursuing.
And I'm doing all these thingsgradually, then why do I think
(05:30):
that taking care of myself mustwait?
I realized this week that my nottaking mini breaks because I
have planned seemingly biggerbreaks in the very near future
is what leads to burnout.
And so just as the Lord did forme, I think that it is time for
(05:51):
us to shine some light on thehidden consequences of delayed
gratification.
We have to be honest withourselves and realize that this
relentless drive that we havetowards whatever goal, whatever
thing, whatever thing it is thatyou are delaying all your
(06:11):
victories now, all yourhappiness now for.
This act of delayedgratification, if you don't
control it, if you don't balanceit, it's only going to push you
to your limits, it is going todrain all your energy and it's
going to overwhelm you.
Burnout is the price we pay whenwe neglect our needs in the name
(06:35):
of delayed gratification.
The constant hustle, the longhours, and the perpetual
postponements of rewards, itreally only leads to exhaustion.
And honestly, you probably evenbegin to hate or dislike this
thing that you are foregoingeverything now for.
(06:59):
We need to come to a place wherewe learn to properly navigate
the delicate balance betweenambition and self care.
Because it is in this delicatebalance that we actually come to
discover the hidden costs ofdelayed gratification the toll
it takes on our wellbeing andeven on our relationship with
(07:23):
God.
So my goal today is simple.
How can we find sustainablesuccess without sacrificing our
wellbeing?
And I'm going to say it startswith recognizing the importance
of self care and balance.
(07:45):
As an African.
I've grown up with so manyexpectations and most of these
expectations have largely beenunsaid.
But you just know your parentsexpect you to do this, this
person expects you to do that.
And so all my life, I have beenchasing this thing, trying to
(08:09):
get to the top, trying to get tothe pinnacle of it all.
I have a hard to learn the hardway to prioritize rest, to
prioritize my wellbeing.
And to know that it is not asign of weakness.
If anything, at all, this is thebest investments you can make
(08:34):
for long-term success.
When I was back in communitycollege, I was still living with
my mom then.
This has been a couple of yearsago already.
And I would come home fromschool and I just wanted to
finish whatever assignments Ihad before I ate.
(08:57):
And my mom would always say tome, So now you have to be well
so that you can continuestudying.
You can't just keep studying,studying, studying, and not take
care of yourself.
You have to eat.
And I wouldn't get annoyingsometimes because it's like,
once I'm in the groove ofthings, you know, if I get
(09:18):
distracted, it's going to take awhile to come back into it.
And I just want to finish.
I'm like I can eat, I can finishthis in the next hour and then I
can eat.
Let me just delay it for alittle longer.
Thinking that what I was doingwas some act of strength.
Something that showed howfocused I was.
(09:41):
Something that showed howserious I was and how dedicated
and committed I was to mystudies.
But I was really just foolingmyself.
It's so crucial, I think, for usto learn how to establish
boundaries, but also setrealistic expectations.
(10:03):
If you know that this thing youwant to achieve will probably
take you one year.
Don't say you're going to do itin six months.
Like no one is chasing you.
Life is not a race.
In as much as it may look like arace, everyone is on their own,
(10:25):
doing their own thing.
And you don't want to getdistracted by looking at what
someone else is doing.
You have to focus on your path,stay on your path.
It doesn't matter how long ittakes you to get there.
What matters is that you gotthere and you learn some things
along the way.
You have to learn to giveyourself permission to celebrate
(10:48):
small victories along the way.
Because if you don't do that,how are you going to acknowledge
the progress that you've made?
It would just feel like you'reon this endless journey trying
to achieve something.
Case in point, a degree.
You're in school, for maybe, twoyears, three years.
(11:13):
I'm in school right now and it'slike, yes, I do want to get that
master's degree.
But I also don't want to killmyself because I look back over
my undergrad journey and Irealized that there was so many
times that I could have gone onthat lunch with my friend.
(11:33):
There were so many times that Icould have gone to the beach
when my friends that 4th of Julyholiday, instead of staying home
to study.
I could have actually done thosethings and still gotten all the
A's I got.
I could have done those thingsand still kept my scholarships.
I didn't have to slave away allthat time until I finally got
(11:58):
that degree.
And when I started grad school,I told myself that I wasn't
going to repeat those things,no.
I told myself I was going tomake sure that I prioritized my
social life.
That I went out with friends ifI had to that I would rest, for
(12:18):
10 hours if I have to.
And it's been easier said thandone.
But each day, I've beenchallenging myself to do better.
And the we have done that is totake time to just sit down and
reflect.
And see that, okay, I may not bewhere I want to be yet, but I
(12:42):
have come a long way and I'mmaking some progress, and I have
to celebrate those victories.
I have to celebrate thatprogress.
Because if you don't do that, itwould just seem like you're in
this loop that is never ending.
No, you have to carve out time,carve out days.
(13:04):
Wow, I'm in this three yearprogram but I've made it one
year through, I've made it twomonths in and I've not given up.
God has helped me this far.
And so I thank you, Lord.
And to celebrate, I'm going totake myself out to dinner or,
whatever it is, whatevercelebration looks like for you,
(13:25):
take some time out to actuallycelebrate the progress that
you're making.
Self-care is, it's not a luxuryit's a necessity.
And it is by doing these littlethings that you learn to
incorporate activities thatnourish your mind, your body,
(13:46):
and your soul.
It is in doing these littlethings.
It's not going to come naturalat first.
But before you know it, it it'sgoing to become you, it's going
to become what you do, it'sgoing to become a routine.
That no, I understand that I amin school, I'm trying to keep my
grades up.
(14:07):
I just got this job, I'm tryingto look good, I'm trying to get
that promotion.
But I'm not going to stay up anhour late today to study.
I'm not going to stay up threehours today to finish that job.
It can wait, whatever it is, canwait till tomorrow.
But my self care, that cannotwait.
(14:30):
Because if I don't do what Ihave to do to take care of
myself now, then the work andeverything else that I think I'm
sacrificing for is going tosuffer for it tomorrow.
And while we are even talkingabout taking time to celebrate
your little victories and allthat, please, please, please
(14:51):
take breaks.
Mini breaks.
It doesn't matter if you have aone month vacation coming up.
If you need a one day break now,please take care.
Be mindful of taking care ofyourself.
And learn, find some hobbies,something that can help you
replenish your energy andprevent burnout.
Something that is fun.
(15:13):
Something that you can do.
Something that you, youspecially carve out time for to
do so that it can take your mindaway from whatever goal it is
that you are trying toaccomplish.
I personally believe that anyroutine that prevents you from
prioritizing your health is notworth it.
(15:37):
Yes, there are seasons in lifethat come with your having to
make a lot of sacrifices.
There are seasons that come withyour having to be very
disciplined.
But we need to learn to takecare of ourselves even in the
midst of chaos.
If it means taking that extralong shower, do it.
(16:01):
If it means sleeping for thatextra five minutes, even if it
means you may have to take moreof a quicker shower to get out
of the door, do it.
If it means that you have toclose that book and go spend an
hour with your friends whoinvited you to that lunch, do
it.
(16:21):
As Christians, yes, we arecalled to be diligent.
We are called to be steadfast inour pursuits.
But we must also remember thatour bodies, our minds, our
spirits, they are precious giftsfrom God and we really should
not take it for granted.
(16:44):
If for nothing at all, we arecalled to love and care for our
neighbors as ourselves.
But we can only fulfill thiscommandment when we prioritize
self care and avoid the pitfallsof burnout.
Taking time off to rest, torejuvenate, it allows us to be
(17:07):
better, yes.
But not just for ourselves, itallows us to be better to serve
others and to honor God with ourlives.
This week I started working outagain, I started trying to eat
right again after many months ofnot doing so.
And this is a good thing.
(17:28):
But I was trying to do this allthe while killing myself to get
through a substantial portion ofthis online course that I'm
taking while also workingfull-time.
While also trying to get thispodcast up and running.
And while I was doing all this,I realized that I wasn't really
(17:51):
doing most of these thingsbecause I wanted to.
But I was doing them because Iwanted to be able to tell my
friends that I've been up tosome good.
I want it to be able to tell myfriend when he comes to ask me
how are you doing, when shecomes to ask me girl, how you've
been?
I can say girl, I've beenworking out, I've been getting
(18:14):
my steps in, I've been eatingclean.
And I was doing all of thesethings so that I could have a
good report to give, but not soI would actually be healthier as
a person.
And this brings me to my nextpoint.
How do you define success?
(18:37):
And what is driving you?
To chase that thing that youthink would bring you status or
whatever it is you're lookingfor.
Is your definition of successsolely based on external
achievements?
Or does it include your overallwellbeing and fulfillment?
(18:57):
Do you define success as tickingall these worldly boxes of
education, career,relationships, money?
Why are you even going on thisdaily grind in the first place?
Is it so you can hear well donefrom men.?
(19:20):
Or is it so you can hear welldone from God?
If we want to truly create abalance between our callings,
our ambitions, and taking careof ourselves, then I think that
we first need to surrender thosethings to God.
(19:40):
We need to really surrender andseek His guidance and wisdom in
our pursuits.
Because it is only by aligningour desires with His will that
we can find peace and balance inour journey.
The practice of delayedgratification requires
(20:02):
discipline and perseverance,yes.
But we must also guard againstplacing our identity and our
worth solely in ourachievements.
Because our true worth lies inour identity as children of God,
and not in what we accomplish.
(20:24):
So if you find yourself chasingall these goals for the year, if
you find yourself chasing thatpromotion at work, if you find
yourself trying to do that twoyear degree in one year, if you
find yourself trying to be thebest at that thing so you can
get the applause of men fordoing it, then I beg you to
(20:48):
re-examine your"why" and tothrow yourself at the feet of
the Father and ask Him to helpyou.
Ask Him to help you re-definewhat you think you are doing?
Ask Him to help you learn how toprioritize what is most
important?
(21:08):
And ask Him to tell you what isthe best way to go about this
life that He has blessed youwith.
As we wrap up today's episode, Iwant to emphasize that our
pursuit of success should neverovershadow our connection with
God or compromise our wellbeing.
(21:32):
Success is not worthcompromising your health and
happiness over.
No.
So please, please, pleaseembrace the wisdom of scripture.
If God rested, then you have torest.
Yes, the Word calls us to, to bediligent, to be hard working.
(21:57):
But it also calls us to rest, italso calls us to take care of
this body that the Lord hasgiven us.
And so I want to encourage youfrom today, to redefine what
success means to you.
To pat yourself on the back forthe progress you've made so far.
(22:18):
To take yourself out tocelebrate how far you've come.
But above all, I want toencourage you to find the rest
in His Presence so that you candiscover the joy of a balanced
and purposeful living.
And I pray that, that the Lordwill help you find rest in Him
(22:39):
even as you learn to prioritizethe demands that come with the
path that He has placed you on.
I hope you learned a thing ortwo.
And until next time, keepthriving!
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