Enjoy life: Do you find yourself overwhelmed with work or with personal and family challenges? How do you find a way to step back and take it easy?

“Lighten up while you still can.
…and take it easy.”

“Take it Easy” lyrics by The Eagles

Enjoy Life.

Not only should you enjoy life.  Moreover, you should live life so that you can have the energy and imagination that comes from rewarding yourself.

First, take breaks during the day.

Additionally, go someplace new when you can.  You don’t have to go around the world.  On some days, just walk around a different block.

Those shoes that you want to buy can go a long way in making you feel rewarded.  If you have the money, buy those shoes.  Then get out and let people see you wear them.

With the pressures on body image, we lose sight of the importance of being healthy.  If cake and ice cream take you away from your weight goals, find other things you can eat and enjoy.  When you don’t feel deprived, it is easier to eat the good things.

Burnout

Burnout is a real thing. Furthermore, burnout is an ugly thing.  It makes you where you literally can’t work.

Life is a marathon not a sprint.  Taking time to “Take it Easy” restores your mental and creative power.

Do you look at your work and say, “I can no longer do this?” That condition is burnout.”Lighten up while you still can” in the song “Take it Easy” has multiple meanings.  To me, it is a warning against burnout.

Embrace Your Culture

What are the things that define your culture?  Every day, workplace culture surrounds you.

Changing American culture surrounds you as well.

Sometimes, it is healthy to return to the things that feel natural to you.  Instead of focusing on the chaos and change in the world, focus on the things that have always made you feel authentic.  Embrace your culture.

Stepping Back

How do you find a way to step back and take it easy?  Sometimes, stepping back is as simple as taking a few minutes to listen to an old song.

For me, “Take It Easy” is one of those songs.

In Winslow Arizona, there is a park dedicated to the Eagles song “Take it Easy.”  The park takes its name from the line in the song: “I was standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona.”

Perhaps this picture will help you imagine what taking a trip, buying the shoes, or eating the cake can do for you.

Image: “Standin’ on the Corner Park,” Old Highway 66, Winslow, AZ.  Population 9,479 via Google Streets.

The park in the picture is a memorial to the Eagles song “Take it Easy.”  Find a park near you.  “Lighten up while you still can and take it easy.”