In this episode, we discuss how taking breaks is crucial because we’re not machines and breaks gives the ability to make new connections in your brain.
Full Transcript
Hi Everyone, welcome to the You’re Daily Cup of Joe Podcast, with your host Joe Bautista. In this podcast, my goal is to give you quick lessons that you can reflect on in your journal so you can grow yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually and have a better career, better relationships, and better personal finances while you enjoy your morning cup of coffee.
I’m also the author of the book “More You Know, More You Grow: How to Get Better Every Day”. In this book I wrote down over 30 tips to help you grow in those four cornerstones. I’m also the founder of Grow With Joe, where I combine self-development coaching and financial planning for Latino Professionals.
At the end of today’s podcast episode, I’m going to give you a prompt question to reflect on in your journal. The idea is to take one to five minutes to reflect on today’s lesson and write a minimum of one paragraph on how you can apply the lesson in your life. You can use an actual journal, a word document like on Google Drive, or your note-taking app like Evernote. The idea is that you’re actually thinking about how to process the information to help you improve your life.
In today’s episode, we’re are going to talk about how taking a break can lead to breakthroughs. We’re not machines and we need to take time to relax and reset our brains. I recently went to Costa Rica for a school trip and a fellow classmate asked the group if they wanted to go to some hot springs.
I had a class that day and I just told myself that I was going to take my day off and relax. I just spent the past two weeks hustling with school and work and I wanted the break. So I took it and it was the best thing ever.
Sitting in those hot springs and sipping an adult beverage was all I needed to recharge my batteries. When I was on this trip, I heard my classmate wish that they could enjoy this life all the time. I was also in Panama and some classmates said the same thing. It made me realize that I’m blessed to have my own online business so that I can do what I please. If I want to live in Costa Rica for three months, then I can do that, which is the most you can stay without getting a visa.
By taking this break instead of choosing to work, it made me realize that most people live lives of quiet desperation and it made me feel so good that I’m living life on my own terms and I’m going to continue to work to keep this life.
There have been other times in my life where I took a break and came up with a breakthrough. When I went on a vacation, I came up with the idea of creating my own journal, and then I actually created it. Since breakthroughs happened in the past, I know they will continue to work.
There was another time I took a break to go see my sister for Thanksgiving two years ago and on the car ride back home, I decided I was going to move to Latin America to learn Spanish. When you drive for 12 hours in a car, you have a lot of time to think.
When you take time to rest and just think, then you’re able to make connections in your mind. It’s also important to take time to write in a journal and if you do these journal exercises, some new insightful things should appear to you. If you want to continue to have the same life, then continue to stay busy with your life. But if you want a new life and that you probably will enjoy more, then take some time to think and rest.
Countless famous people came up with their big idea while they were resting. Winston Churchill used to lay bricks and paint as the Prime Minister to give his mind a break and was able to do some amazing diplomatic things. I don’t think he would have been effective if he never took a break. Rumor has it that Einstein came up with his theory of relativity while he was riding on his bicycle.
For me, I love riding a bicycle and just getting lost in thought. That’s why the next city that I live in has to be bike-friendly or has lots of bike trails. This is one reason why I don’t like driving because you don’t have time to think. You have to constantly have your eye on the road and you have no time to think.
I loved going on a walking break at my previous jobs. I felt it made me more productive. You have time to take a break where ever you are in life. It can be for five minutes the most. Just take the time to work. Plus if you’re working for someone else. Take your break. It won’t matter in the end if you took your fifteen-minute break. I worked in the White House as an intern and I took a break.
I remember talking to one of my fellow interns who were scared about going on a coffee break after one of our breakout sessions, and I told her that I used to be scared like her once, but then I turned 16. She was 23. We then went on our break. Now that I’m out of the White House, there is a new administration and I know that I did everything that I could while I was there. Giving your all doesn’t mean that you have to work 24/7.
If you take time to sharpen the saw, then you’ll be able to cut down more trees than if you were to use a dull ax.
That’s it for today’s episode, to summarize it, taking a break can lead to breakthroughs. Right now I’m in Latin America and I know it’s important to take breaks from this Grow With Joe business. I was in Mexico and I purposely blocked out my calendar to go sightseeing. If I didn’t do that, then I would have gone and seen these different amazing things in Mexico. Same thing about Panama, Costa Rica, and Colombia. Now I have all these different experiences that I can draw on for further business ideas and then I’m going to need breaks so I can put things together. So take that break and lower your stress hormones, it’s going to be good for your health.
So in your journal, ask yourself, are you taking enough breaks? Are you burning the candle at both ends? This might be good for now but don’t make it last too long. Something I see is that people value studying too much. I’m a big believer that the good stuff sticks when you learn something. There is no need to study something over and over again. So take in the lesson, write it down and then move on with your life. If you’re not taking enough breaks, what is preventing you from doing so? If you’re currently taking breaks, have you thought about taking a power nap? Just experiment with your breaks. Overall, just be aware of your situation and do what is necessary to make it a great one.
To solve your problems, you have to reflect on what’s going on in your life and come up and sometimes you just need those breaks to see what you need to connect in your life.
Thanks for listening today! To get a free copy of my book “More You Know, More You Grow: How to get better every day” just go to my website growwithjoe.me/book and just pay for shipping and handling.
I have a quiz on my website that grades your inner circle, so if you want to find out if your inner circle is an A, B, C, D, or F, you can take that quiz at growwithjoe.me/quiz
I’m also trying to do a feedback Friday episode, so if you have a question that you would like to have my answer on the air, just e-mail me at [email protected]
I’m also on Instagram at Grow With Joe and Facebook just look up Grow With Joe
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Thanks for joining me today and remember if you go with Joe, you can grow with Joe, cause Joe knows Dough.
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