Fill in the Blank

"I would rest more if _____." Fill in the blank. Whatever you just wrote, that is the belief you need to challenge. Because whatever is sitting in that blank space is not the reason you are not resting. It is the excuse you have given the reason.

I would rest more if I had fewer responsibilities. I would rest more if my boss were different. I would rest more if my family did not need so much from me. I would rest more if I made more money. I would rest more if I could just get through this season.

These blanks all share something in common: they place the condition for rest outside of your control. They make rest dependent on circumstances changing rather than on you deciding. And as long as rest is conditional on external change, rest will always be postponed.

The truth is uncomfortable but liberating: rest is a decision that can be made within almost any circumstance. Not perfectly. Not in ideal form. But in some form. The person with a demanding job can set a bedtime. The single parent can protect twenty minutes of quiet. The student can close the laptop an hour before bed.

Whatever your blank is, challenge it this week. Not by changing the circumstance. By deciding to rest within it. The blank is not a wall. It is a belief. And beliefs can be changed the moment you decide they are no longer serving you.