"Your worthiness is not tied to overworking. Your purpose is not directly correlated to your productivity on the job. Your sense of belonging is not wrapped in your status or how you fit into a group."

I hope you never feel like you have to overwork yourself in order to belong. I hope you never feel that unless you sink under the pressure of the lie that unless you are stressed or busy, you cannot be considered worthy, successful, or valuable. There are so many messages flowing through the mainstream right now, and they will try to convince you that unless you have more and are doing more, you are missing out. You won’t belong in the in-crowd. You won’t be as successful or well-rounded as your peers. You won’t create something of meaning unless you check everything off of some list.

I am not sure what kind of messages have been flowing into your ears or heart lately, but no matter what they are, I hope you are able to take a mindful moment today to consider what truly matters. Yes, there are tasks that have to be completed in a certain time frame, and yes, there there are responsibilities that require you to give your all, but there is also your heart, mind, body, and soul that are in need of rest and sweet assurance that even here, it is well, and even in this ever-rushing world, you don’t always have to be in a hurry.

So many of us have learned to answer emails on the weekend but we haven’t learned how to take a nap or read a novel during the week. We have learned how to carve out extra time to accomplish tasks assigned to us, but we haven’t as easily learned how to carve out extra time for the task of taking care of ourselves. When others ask us what have we been up to, the best way to have an answer that feels like it even belongs in the conversation is to talk about how busy we are. There rarely ever seems to be room for “I’m resting right now” or “I’m taking a break,” especially when it comes to those who are superior to us.

Choosing to not allow our sense of belonging to rely on how busy or accomplished we are is a risk. Even if we have been blessed with a close friend or loved one who respect our decisions to re-evaluate and re-prioritize, there is still a whole world that holds status, promotion, and prestige over our heads, and unless we are willing to meet their every expectation, we risk being alienated and left out of the running for opportunities.

Whether you choose to actually use your vacation day or actually use your time off to rejuvenate, it is not an easy for choice for many. Our day-to-days are all different, and so are the risks that come with actually taking that time. But wherever you are, just know this: your worthiness is not tied to overworking. Your purpose is not directly correlated to your productivity on the job. Your sense of belonging is not wrapped in your status or how you fit into a group. You may belong to a team of workers, a community you feel called to pour into, family of people that you dearly love—but belonging doesn’t mean you have to lose yourself to the group. Belonging doesn’t mean that you’re just another number who is there to accomplish a task or fulfill a role. Belonging means that you are a part of...a part of this life, and within this life, amidst all of the busyness, there is also room to rest and be.

More tomorrow…
Sincerely,
Morgan Harper Nichols