Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!
and the day after Thanksgiving. I’m a tad bit tardy with today’s submission-blame it on the tryptophan.

I recently heard the phrase “burning the candle at both ends” again and the origin, listed below:
First Fig
My candle burns at both ends
It will not last the night
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends —
It gives a lovely light!

by Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950)

It used to describe who I was, constantly urgent. I felt destined to burn my candle at both ends. I wondered where the urge came from and determined both parents were driven, laser focused and so I realized it was inevitable. But does it have to be?

I regularly tell people, “I don’t idle well.” Not bragging, rather confessing. Do I need to give in to this urge or can I be deliberately more at peace with my surroundings, selective with the things I let raise my blood pressure, choose to leave stress at my bedside rather than pick it up each day?

“Work hard, play hard” is an unspoken mantra of mine. This might be another way to interpret the poem. Some examples would include:

•Interviewing 2 more candidates while on campus for my first professional employer. Skipping lunch, starting early and finishing late, nearly missing my plane back to Kansas City.

•Driving 90 miles to work, one way for 16 years. A couple of times on a snowmobile. Who does that?

•Pushing the limits of sleep, cramming in one more [fill in the blank]…lot to be cleaned when I pushed snow for Dad, one more round of hauling gravel, one more load of dirt, one more…whatever…to get ahead? To flame out?

Perhaps with age comes wisdom.

Perhaps mortality sets in and quality of life becomes a higher concern.
Perhaps there are not enough signs to affirm the extra expended energy has yielded any significant value.

As leaders, we need to choose where we will spend our energy because, like time, there are limits. Showing up tired at work doesn’t inspire. Leaving your post early gives a poor impression. Being present and predictable while being professional and respectful will win the day.

Have a blessed weekend!