Retreat! Retreat!

bylawnis04

199 followers

6 years ago

What does the word 'retreat' mean to you?

Oftentimes, when we hear 'retreat', we think of a week on the beach or in a cabin in the woods. How many of us, when we hear 'retreat', think of soldiers in battle retreating from enemy lines?

"Retreat! Retreat!"

When troops are overwhelmed by enemy fire and don't have the strength or resources to overcome their opponents, they are forced to retreat. Retreating does not mean surrendering. Retreating gives troops an opportunity to regroup. To look at their obstacle and figure out the best way to approach it. It allows them to rest and recover, gathering the strength they need to return to the battle field more prepared than they were.

Without the retreat, they may be slaughtered. Without the retreat, they may face defeat.

Many of us here have not yet had the success needed to quit our "day jobs". We work one or two jobs to pay the bills before returning home to work on the businesses we're building. For some of us, the businesses we're building through WA is job three or four.

We're constantly learning and growing here. Our businesses are our battlefields. We're conquering the enemy of traffic, or sales, or design, or SEO.

It's not uncommon to be overwhelmed or become exhausted. And in those moments, it's important to retreat and rest so that we can come at it anew, with the strength and energy required to crush it.

Tomorrow I don't work either of my other jobs. Normally, I would use a free day to conquer as much with my websites as possible. But I've been putting in a lot of hours lately and I can feel the burnout beginning. I had to reset my entire phone today which took up a good chunk of time and patience, and I can feel the anxiety and stress of constantly thinking of what I should be doing and what I have to learn beginning to eat at me.

So tomorrow I retreat from the battlefield and hold my own "cabin in the woods" retreat. I will put my phone aside and try my best to use it as little as possible. I will curl up with a paper book, away from the screens. I will paint my nails. I will take a bath. I will remind myself that one day of true rest will not put me behind. In fact, it may allow me to zoom ahead.

Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. It's okay to take a break. When you're starting to feel like you're over your head, retreat. But make sure you use that retreat to get yourself in a position where you're ready to attack your business later with all you've got.