The quickest way to get moody is to not sleep enough. A survery in the UK showed that people who do not sleep enough are seven times more likely to feel like life is overwhelming them and five times more likely to have feelings of loneliness. It stops you thinking and acting properly. Another study showed that not sleeping for 24 hours is the same as having blood alcohol content of 0.1%. That is drunk! That is illegal to drive drunk! If you are driving your people at a pace in which they cannot rest or sleep, you are not setting a good pace!
You need to sleep – you need rest – you need a break. How you rest, how you sleep, how you move slowly at the right times is very personal. How much sleep you need is personal. Some people can catnap, some can sleep in a car, some can sleep on a plane, some wake early, some don’t. It’s all different. But a short nap is one of the most powerful ways to improve your attitude and memory!
Did you know that Chelsea football team, along with several other Premier League teams, has a paid sleep trainer for the whole team. He makes sure the players’ rooms are the right temperature, helps them get to sleep and deal with things like jetlag and emotional pressure.
In addition to sleeping well, you need to rest. You need a holiday! You need to be like God – rest one day in seven, and then you – like the land of Israel – need time to be fallow. Not sowing, not reaping, not growing, not working, not rushing. Just reading. You need time in energy-saver mode! Now I know from personal experience that when you are pioneering something new a holiday can be terrifying. I really love what I do, and I am often reluctant to take a holiday – but I know how important they are. Holidays are great for rediscovering our dreams, our thoughts and our priorities. A lot of my best ideas for the church and my most precious times of prayer and wisdom have happened while I have been walking, at the gym, exploring Italy, or whatever. You need to realize that sitting at a desk for all the hours you have does not lead to great decisions always! A holiday is not an interrupting, it’s another thing you have to manage with your time. It’s a real thing – find your kind of holiday, find your rhythm of the year, find out what helps refresh you!
A holiday can make you come back and work a lot faster, and keep up a better pace overall, and be more fruitful. You have a holiday – and like sleep refreshes you over night, a break is like a big long sleep. When you have a good holiday, you will be better when you come back, a better leader, a better worker, a more fruitful saint.
Inspiring and Challenging Dreamers 