I work with people who are “always on.”
People who can run twelve meetings, solve three crises, respond to 47 messages, and still think they should “push a little more.”
There is a strange kind of exhaustion pride in our culture like being depleted is proof of importance.
I know this tendency well.
I coach it.
And (if I’m honest) I also have to watch it in myself.
This past week I was on Workation in Tenerife.
Yes, there was sun, ocean, and space.
But also real work, projects that need depth and presence, client conversations that matter.
And even here, I notice how quickly work tries to expand into every available corner -
the same pattern I see in my clients.
So I have to stay attentive, too.
To let it be Workation, not just “work with nicer scenery.”
The discipline is not only in working - it’s in stopping.
And yes, cycling up Mount Teide again. Still ambitious, of course - some will continue to call it slightly mad.
But at this point, it’s not about performance anymore. It’s simply doing it in a way that feels good, without competing with anyone - including myself.
The nervous system is not built for constant output.
It works in oscillation:
Activation → Rest
Engagement → Release
Stress → Recovery
Without the downbeat, the music collapses.
No oscillation = burnout.
Not because you are weak but because biology doesn’t negotiate.
And the contemplative wisdom?
Simple, but not easy:
When we stop, we remember we are not our performance.
There is a quieter ground of presence underneath the doing,
but we only hear it when we stop performing for a moment.
So I refilled my cup here.
Not perfectly.
But enough.
To those who feel tired in a way that sleep doesn’t fix.
Ask yourself gently:
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰?
𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦?
You don’t need a mountain and a racing bike.
Maybe you need a slow walk.
A conscious breath.
A reminder that your value does not come from being exhausted.
Refill your cup.
Not someday.
Now, a little.
Sense your body.
Take a few deep breaths into the belly.
And then, continue - but from a different place.