My Mother is a very smart woman. She adopted different energy management strategies with each of her children tailored to our particular personalities. I was the child who rarely got sick, but went at life like a bull at a gate so every now and then would end up completely exhausted.
My Mother and I had a deal. Every year I was allowed a limited number of sick days off school. I could choose the days so long as I stayed in bed until lunchtime with no TV, radio or books i.e. complete bed rest.
Needless to say this was a pretty unappealing prospect for an active child and I took very few days off sick. On the rare occasions when I did, you could guarantee I’d worn myself out and was in need of complete rest.
As an adult I haven’t been so rigorous in applying this policy and my own energy management strategies are somewhat more evolved. I am still, however, in favour of encouraging the occasional use of leave passes.
Over the past two months I have given myself a leave pass from blogging. This has enabled me to re-charge as well as creating the headspace necessary to plan future ventures.
The lesson in relation to personal branding is that while it is important to be vigilant in the ongoing management of one’s brand sometimes its necessary to take a break to reconnect with what’s most important. Ultimately this can help ensure that you are building a brand that is consistent with who you are and not just building a brand for the sake of it.
Rules for the Use of Leave Passes
- Every use must be the result of conscious assessment and decision-making. (Leave passes cannot be awarded after the fact.)
- A decision must be taken as to how the leave pass would best be spent and how long the leave pass should be to ensure optimum benefit e.g. a break form a specific activity for a specified period of time, time out for reflection, spending time alone or conversing with a trusted friend or mentor.
- Responsibility must be taken to ensure that the use of the leave pass does not seriously inconvenience others (unless absolutely necessary for sanity’s sake).
- Wherever possible reasonable notice of the use of a leave pass should be given along with specifics of the length of time it will be employed for and in relation to which activities.
- Explanation must be given to others that a leave pass is being employed and for what purpose e.g. as an act of self-care.
- Every leave pass must be enjoyed without guilt or apology.
If you’ve given yourself a leave pass recently I’d love to hear about it – leave a comment and share your experience.
