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Emotional calibration is important for leaders. One of the best ways to re-calibrate emotionally is by taking a break and doing something you enjoy. Making a commitment to joyful living means sometimes taking the time to enjoy life. In this episode of Calibrate Life we discuss the emotional health of spiritual leaders and the necessity of just having fun, and doing something you enjoy to refresh yourself.

Continue reading to review the episode outline, quotes, links, and coaching questions.

Four Ways You Can Give Yourself a Break

We have to make a commitment to living a joyful life, and it is a commitment. [0:58]
We have to take time to enjoy life. [1:38]
“We are busy so we can have leisure; we have war that we can have peace.” Aristotle. [3:59]
“Hurry is a form of violence practiced on time. But time is sacred.” — Eugene Peterson (from Twitter @PetersonDaily) [5:00]
We have to be intentional with our time, and that includes enjoying life.
This is emotional calibration [6:14]
Life should be productive, you do have to work hard in life, and you often have to do things you don’t enjoy, THIS is exactly why it is important to be INTENTIONAL in recharging, refreshing, and EMOTIONALLY recalibrating. [7:32]

#1 Do Something That Brings You Joy or Makes You Happy! [8:00]

What makes you happy? What brings joy? What gives you LIFE? What recharges your batteries?

What is it that you need to DO to make a commitment to joyful living?

#2 Make Room for Things You Enjoy

We have to take the time to rest and enjoy life.

I’ve had to make some hard and sometimes uncomfortable boundaries between the things that suck life out of me and the things that give me life.
I establish and protect life-giving times.
This is different for everyone.
It’s not so much the differentiation between work time and personal time as much as it is the difference between what “gives life” and what “drains life”

#3 Develop New Interests [20:34]

Develop things you enjoy so you will have an outlet. This will even eventually impact your “retirement.”

Recommended Book: You Can Retire Sooner Than You Think by Wes Moss

What are some things you would love to learn or incorporate into your life that could bring enjoyment to you and in your relationships? [27:22]

#4 Don’t Allow Your “Sanctuary” to Become a Place of “Work” [27:38]

Be careful to not allow the things you enjoy to become stressors or “work” in your life. Reserve the things that refresh you for the calibration of your emotional life.

Coaching Those You Love and Lead in Giving Themselves a Break [31:00]

How do we help those we love and lead calibrate their emotional life by giving attention to recreation and refreshing in their lives?

Make a list of the things that drain you and the things that fill you up. (Book: Leading on Empty by Wayne Cordeiro) [31:46]
When you work on your ideal week schedule, how much time do you allot to the things that refresh you? [32:15]
Make a list of things you enjoy doing. [33:58]
Make a list of things you would like to develop as new interests?
Finally, make an action plan for this weekend (or day off — which is another subject), and then begin to expand that action plan.

Closing:

Life moves quickly. We should make a commitment to living a joyful life.
What does bring you joy?
Are you making time for the things that bring you joy?
Calibrate your emotional life and find a sanctuary you can run into for refreshing.

009 – 4 Ways to Give Yourself a Break: Calibrating Your Emotional Life Through Enjoyment