“I can just get one more thing done…”
This is probably the productive person mantra of the century.
There is always one more thing. One more chore before the house is just perfect. One more meal made before you are the culinary organization master. One more project before you can shut your computer down at the end of the day.
We need to learn when to shut ourselves off. We don’t have a physical reboot button (as far as we know) so we need to find the mental willpower to step back. To leave those dishes in the sink and the email unsent. To realize that enough has been done today and we can rest before conquering the world again tomorrow.
Taking a deep breath, you can do one of two things. You can chant or sing: Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu.
If you are thinking, “How am I going to chant something I can’t even read?” look it up on YouTube and let someone else sing it to you. Close your eyes and hear the ancient Sanskrit language reverberate through your being.
This mantra means: “May all beings be happy. May all my thoughts, words and actions contribute in some way to the happiness of all beings.”
Guess what? This includes you. You with your never-ending to-do list.
You deserve to be happy and to put out the energy of happiness. You deserve to put it all down and enjoy the pleasure of just being awesome.
You don’t need to earn the awesome. You just are awesome.
Full stop.