Last week in talking about overcoming exhaustion I suggested the first thing you must do to overcome your exhaustion is to make a conscious mental shift. Although I mentioned what making a conscious mental shift would look like, I really need to go a little deeper in explaining how one goes about making a conscious mental shift.

When making a conscious mental shift, what you are trying to do is to move your focus from the exhaustive way you have been living, spending your time and reacting to the urgent, and instead choose to concentrate and respond only to what is important. Most of the time we lead exhausted lives because we have not identified what is important to us.

To make the conscious mental shift from living a life of exhaustion to a life of balance and purpose, you will need to pause long enough to look at the way you are currently living your life and ask yourself the following questions.

1. What am I trying to achieve in this life? This of course will require more than a few minutes of thought. It will call for you to be intentional and honest with yourself about your life goals. Are your goals realistic or are you putting undue stress on yourself, your family and those around you in pursuit of impractical goals? For example is pursuing another graduate degree while having a young family and an organization to lead the wisest thing to be doing at this time in your life? Is the price you are paying in terms of the toll on your family, and your physical, emotional and spiritual health worth it?
2. What are the important things in my life? When you determine what is important to you, you will make sure you have the time and resources to attend to those things. If your career is what is important to you, but not your family, then you will find the time and resources to follow your career at the neglect of your family. Knowing what is important to God, to your family and yourself should lead you to decide what is important to you, and to help you delegate how you will use your resources in taking care of and pursuing those things.
3. What motivates you? You need to become aware of what motivates you to continue living this life of constant exhaustion and decide if it is the right motivation. If you are motivated by a need to be liked and needed by those around you, then you should know there will be no end to your life of exhaustion, because not everyone will like you and someone will always need you.On the other hand, when your motivation comes from your self-worth as a child of God and your only desire is to use the gifts and talents given by God to honor Him with your life, you are less likely to continue living in a constant state of exhaustion. This realization frees you to choose where and when to invest your time, energy and talents in a healthy way.Remember, Jesus did not heal everyone and every situation. He said, “the Son can do nothing by himself;he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19) We will be far better off when we look to the Holy Spirit whom God has given us to help set our priorities, and then make a conscious mental shift to measure all we do by them.

Overcoming exhaustion that has become a way of life for you will require you to take some time to identify the things mentioned above. Then moving forward, you must become intentional in no longer allowing your life to be driven by the urgent, but daily choose to attend to those things that align with your priorities.

If you would like help in achieving your goals in any area of your life, call us at 208-880-0307 or email us at errol@errolcarrim.com to schedule a complimentary coaching session. To read Errol’s other posts, visit Christ-Centered Life Coaching.

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