247: Pre-Thanksgiving Special: The Permission Slip You Need This Holiday

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Pre-Thanksgiving Special: The Permission Slip You Need This Holiday

Feeling like you need to earn your rest before the holidays? This pre-Thanksgiving episode gives you the permission slip you've been waiting for - but probably wouldn't give yourself. Host Cindy Gordon, creator of the Reality Check Method and execution coach for overwhelmed entrepreneurs, reveals why rest isn't something you earn - it's something you require.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why "earning rest" keeps you exhausted and resentful
• The 3 Permission Slips every entrepreneur needs this holiday season
• How to rest without justifying it to yourself or anyone else
• Permission to disappoint someone to honor yourself
• Why doing the holidays differently isn't selfish - it's strategic
• The truth about peace as a productivity tool

Perfect for: Overwhelmed entrepreneurs, female business owners, and anyone walking into the holidays carrying guilt, exhaustion, and mental tabs you can't seem to close.

Episode Highlights: "You don't need to finish everything before you rest. Rest is a requirement, not a reward."

"A rested CEO makes better decisions than a burnt-out one. Your peace is a productivity tool."

"You're allowed to disappoint someone to honor yourself. Protect your peace over pleasing people."

Resources mentioned:

• The Reality Check Method
• Year-End Reset (inside The Growth Collective)

Stop earning rest. Start honoring it. You've already earned it by making it through another year of doing hard things.

🎯 You don't have to figure this out alone! The Growth Collective is your $1/day business support community with weekly office hours, strategic frameworks, and entrepreneurs who get it. Less than your coffee, more than a mastermind. Details at https://exclusivelycindy.thrivecart.com/the-growth-collective/

💡 Don't forget to subscribe for more quick productivity tips for overwhelmed business owners and female entrepreneurs!

💌 Join 1,400+ entrepreneurs getting exclusive overwhelm solutions and productivity strategies straight to their inbox - sign up now! https://cindygordon.myflodesk.com/countmein

Connect with Cindy Gordon - Reality Check Method Coach for Overwhelmed Entrepreneurs:

• Website: ExclusivelyCindy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exclusivelycindy/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cindygordon

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Alright, friend, grab a cup ofcoffee because I've got a little
pre-Thanksgiving pep talk foryou.
This one's not about strategy orproductivity hacks.
It's about permission.
The permission slip you've beenwaiting for, but probably
wouldn't give yourself, becausethe truth is most entrepreneurs
walk into the holidays carryingguilt, exhaustion, and about 47

(00:23):
open browser tabs.
Mentally and emotionally, youare trying to finish projects,
wrap up quarter four, manageyour home life, and somehow also
soak in that holiday magic.
But underneath it all, you areexhausted and pretending that
you're fine.
Hi, I'm Cindy Gordon and you arelistening to The Overwhelmed
Entrepreneur Podcast.

(00:45):
Before we dive in, if you arenot on my email list yet, that's
where I share weeklyproductivity tips with 1500
other entrepreneurs and thebehind the scenes systems that I
use to stay productive whilerunning my business.
You can find the link in theshow notes to sign up for that.
Today I am sharing the mindsetshift that helped me stop

(01:06):
earning rest and start.
Honoring it.
This is what usually happensaround this time of year.
You promise yourself you'll slowdown for the holidays, but your
brain doesn't actually stoprunning.
You're cooking dinner whilethinking about next quarter's
content plan.
You're trying to enjoy familytime, but your mind is stuck on
invoices and unfinishedprojects.

(01:28):
You're scrolling your phone andfeeling behind because other
people are already posting theirbig year end announcements.
These patterns show upconstantly in my work with other
entrepreneurs.
They know they need rest, butthey don't feel allowed to take
it.
It's not that you don't want therest, it's that you just don't
feel you've earned it yet.

(01:50):
You haven't finished everything.
You haven't hit your goals.
You haven't proven that youdeserve a break.
But here's the reality check.
You don't need to earn yourrest.
You've already earned it.
We treat rest like a rewardinstead of a requirement.
We've been conditioned tobelieve that downtime has to be

(02:11):
justified, and we just have tomake it to that finish line and
finish everything before we areallowed to stop.
But your body and brain do notwork that way.
They need recovery regardless ofwhether your inbox is at zero or
your projects are checked off ascomplete.
Rest isn't a luxury you earnafter productivity.

(02:34):
It is the foundation that makesproductivity possible.
There's actual science behindwhy this matters.
When you push throughexhaustion, your decision making
gets worse, your creativitydrops, and you start making
mistakes that cost more timethan rest would have.
But we override these signalsbecause we've been taught that

(02:56):
stopping equals weakness orfalling behind the truth is
simpler.
You are a human running abusiness, not a machine, and
humans require recovery tofunction well.
So today I am handing you threeofficial permission slips for
this holiday season.
Think of these as the realitychecks you need before the chaos

(03:18):
hits first, permission to rest.
Without justifying it, you areallowed to rest without earning
it first.
You do not need to finisheverything before you rest.
You do not need to make itproductive.
You don't even need a plan forwhat you'll do when you feel
refreshed, you just need to restbecause humans require recovery.

(03:41):
Take naps.
Watch that holiday movie, doabsolutely nothing for a whole
afternoon.
The world will not fall apart.
And if it does, it wasn't builtright anyway.
Second, permission to disappointsomeone in order to honor
yourself.
This one is A little bit harderto swallow.
You are allowed to disappointsomeone to protect your own

(04:04):
peace.
You might not make every event.
You might have to tell a client,I'll pick this back up next
week.
You might have to turn down acollaboration or a sale that
feels wrong right now.
That's not selfish, that'sstewardship.
You are responsible for yourenergy.
Nobody else's and the people whobelong in your world will

(04:25):
understand or they'll learn tothird permission to do the
holidays differently.
This year, you are allowed tomake this season simple.
No, you don't need to do everytradition.
No, you don't need to post ahighlight reel of gratitude.
No, you don't need to runyourself into the ground because

(04:46):
that's just how I've always doneit.
You can create your own versionof peace.
Maybe that's a smaller dinner, aquiet day, or fewer social
obligations.
Maybe it's saying, I'm notlaunching anything this week.
I'm recharging.
That's the kind of leadershipyour future self will.
Thank you for.
So let's be prepared for whenthat guilt tries to creep in and

(05:09):
trip us up.
The first thing we're gonna doto combat that is we are going
to write things down, so all ofyour permissions, don't listen
to this episode and forget it.
I want you to actually writedown these three permissions in
your planner on a sticky note inyour phone.
Second practice saying them outloud.
I am a huge believer in sayingthings out loud.

(05:31):
If it makes you feel silly, evenbetter.
I want you to be silly.
I want you to say them out loudbecause it works.
I want you to say, I am allowedto rest without finishing
everything.
Say it until it stops feelingweird.
Your brain needs to hear youclaim this permission before it
will believe you.
Third, build them into yourcalendar before the holidays

(05:55):
start block off downtime, reduceyour workload.
Put rest day on your calendarlike it's a client meeting
because rest is an appointmentwith yourself and you deserve to
keep it.
So here's what it might looklike in practice checking email
once a day instead ofconstantly.
Closing your laptop at 5:00 PMon Wednesday and not opening it

(06:16):
till Monday.
Telling clients you're atreduced capacity this week,
saying no to the quickcollaboration that would steal
your recovery time.
So let me give you a little bitof the behind the scenes from my
own journey when it comes tothis.
A few years ago at Thanksgiving,I didn't stop moving for four
straight days, cooking,cleaning, catching up on work,

(06:37):
and trying to make everythingperfect.
When it was over, I realized Ihadn't enjoyed any of it.
I had been so focused on doingeverything right that I forgot
why I was doing it all.
I was performing the holidays, Iwasn't living them.
Now I build permission slipsinto my calendar before the
holidays even start.
I block off downtime.

(06:59):
I reduce my workload, and Iremind myself that arrested CEO
makes better decisions than aburnt out one ever will.
And you know what happened?
My business didn't crumble.
It actually grew because I did.
I made better decisions.
I showed up with more energy,and I stopped resenting my

(07:19):
business and started enjoying itagain.
That's the power of givingyourself permission to actually
be human.
I want you to remember that youdon't need to prove your worth
through productivity.
You can take time off, you canrest.
You can actually breathe.
And the world and your businesswill still be there when you
come back.

(07:39):
So this is your officialpermission slip for the holidays
to rest, recharge, and to trustthat slowing down is part of
your success journey becausepeace is a productivity tool and
you've earned it.
So here's your homework.
Before the Turkey hits thetable, write down your three
permission slips.
Block off some rest time on yourcalendar and tell your

(08:02):
accountability person that youare taking a real break this
week.
And if you need a community thatsupports this kind of balance
and remind you that slowing downisn't falling behind, come join
us inside the Growth Collectivemembership link in the show
notes for more information.
If you're on Instagram, gimme afollow at exclusively.
Cindy and Friend, I am trulygrateful for you now, go enjoy

(08:27):
your week gu free, and remember,you've got this.
Thanks for spending these fewminutes with me today.
Remember, overwhelm isn'tpermanent.
It's simply your brain's way ofsaying pause and take a little
reality check.
If this was helpful, you'll lovemy weekly email tips where I
share the systems that keep meand hundreds of other
entrepreneurs on Track Link inthe show notes.

(08:49):
If you got value in today'sepisode, please share it with
another entrepreneur who needsthat reminder.
If you're loving the show, I'dbe so grateful if you could
leave me a quick review.
It helps other overwhelmedentrepreneurs find us.
Make sure you hit subscribe soyou never miss your weekly dose
of clarity.
For more resources and toconnect with me, visit
exclusively cindy.com.

(09:11):
Until next time, remember you'vegot this.