Rest as Resistance | Volume 1, Edition 21

This week in Lead Anew: Insights & Growth, we’re talking about the power of slowing down. In a world that glorifies busyness, we often forget that rest is not a reward, it is part of the work. This edition explores how choosing rest can be a radical act of leadership and self-worth. You’ll learn why burnout isn’t a badge of honor, how rest restores clarity and creativity, and why modeling healthy boundaries can transform not only your own well-being but also your team’s culture. Rest is not laziness; it’s leadership. This week, we reclaim it as an essential practice of resistance and renewal.

We live in a culture that celebrates exhaustion. Hustle is praised. Busy is worn like a badge. “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” is tossed around as though it is wisdom. But I have learned something different. Rest is not laziness. Rest is leadership. In a world addicted to hustle, choosing to rest is a form of resistance. 

For years, I believed the myth that the harder I worked, the more worthy I was. If I could just stay busy enough, I would earn my place. Hustle became the measure of value. But hustle without rest does not make you more valuable, it makes you more depleted. When you lead from depletion, everyone feels it: your team, your family, yourself. 

Rest is not just a physical break. It is a declaration. It says my worth is not measured by productivity, my value is not tied to how much I do, and renewal is part of the work, not separate from it. Rest is courage in action. 

There was a season when I filled every minute with work, projects, obligations, and commitments. I told myself I was strong enough to handle it all, until I was not. My creativity dried up, my health declined, and my relationships felt thin. When I finally allowed myself to rest, I was shocked by what returned. Ideas. Energy. Patience. Joy. Rest did not slow me down; it brought me back. Now I see rest as part of my leadership. If I want to show up fully, I must recharge fully. 

Leaders who model rest give their teams permission to do the same. They break the cycle of burnout by showing that rest is respected, not punished. They create cultures where people can sustain excellence instead of collapsing under it. Rest is not just about individual renewal, it is about shaping healthier systems. 

If rest feels difficult, you are not alone. Many of us carry the belief that rest is selfish, that slowing down means we are falling behind, that if we stop, everything will fall apart. But here is the truth: rest is not selfish. Rest is stewardship. You are not falling behind, you are preparing for what is ahead. 

Rest does not always mean a week-long vacation. It can be woven into daily rhythm: pausing for ten minutes of quiet in the middle of the day, closing the laptop at a reasonable hour, choosing a walk instead of another meeting, or saying no to the thing that drains you. Rest is not about escaping life; it is about sustaining it. 

Pause and Reflect:
Consider this week: Where are you glorifying hustle at the expense of your health? What would it look like to see rest as part of your leadership? What is one way you can practice rest, without guilt, in the next seven days? 

Takeaways:
• Hustle without rest leads to burnout, not success.
• Rest is not laziness. It is leadership.
• Choosing rest in a culture that glorifies hustle is resistance.
• Rest is part of the work, not separate from it. 

Rest is not a pause in the journey; it is part of the journey. It is what allows you to keep leading, keep creating, and keep showing up as the best version of yourself. So the next time you feel guilty for resting, remember this: in a world addicted to hustle, your rest is not just personal, it is radical. 

✨ Until next time, may you lead anew, with rest that restores and resistance that reminds you of your worth. 

https://leadanewwithkim.mykajabi.com 

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