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SMARTY.

The human side of business

Big Life

Recovery.

January 24, 2017 · By Amy Swift Crosby

Intentional chilling. In case you need a visual.

Performance has infiltrated our lives. It seems like everyone I know, work with, hang with, partner with, is performing at such a high level, and in a multitude of applications. If you’re reading this, it’s also probably you.

They’re dope at their job.

They’re incredible parents.

They also give Ted Talks.

They’re developing an app.

They do the right thing, thanklessly, over and over.

They just ran an Ironman.

And even though deep down, we know it isn’t always about being great at stuff, it turns out, a lot of people just are above average, at lot’s of things. It’s not by accident. They work at it – and aim for it with gusto. Just keeping up with the number of communications that come through the door every day – with some thought and intelligence – could also be some level of performance. We apparently each send or receive at least 150 emails a day. What the what. All of us kind of have to perform at a higher level these days.

So if Performance (yes, capital P), has become not only our Plan A but also our Plan B – meaning, if we just cant’ help ourselves – how much have we scheduled in recovery? I recently spent an entire day doing restorative stuff. I just kept going deeper and deeper into a “rest” state – throughout the day – and by the end was ready to climb the Empire State Building. It had the opposite affect on me – rather than relaxing me into a state of subdued Zen, I was energized into a buzzing little bee. So it worked. I was no longer flattened but instead, emboldened.

Recovery takes discipline. But there’s something really amazing about people who aren’t frazzled, who have command over their lives and schedules, who aren’t in a total state of reaction throughout the day, who aren’t panting through calls and meetings – because the tail is wagging the dog.

Rest is productive. Do it like you mean it.

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About Me

photo of Amy Swift Crosby

Amy Swift Crosby is a brand strategist and copywriter who has positioned or voiced messaging across the commercial spectrum, from icons like Ford, BVLGARI, Pottery Barn, Pantene and Virgin, to boutique brands like The Wild Unknown, fitness franchise Barre3 and the rebrand of legendary metaphysical bookstore, Bodhi Tree. She has leveraged this expertise to help entrepreneurial women and small businesses owners hone their skills, mission and message, while uncovering their own “voice.” This blog explores “the human side of business,” and universal themes like uncertainty, anxiety, the tension between engagement and disconnection, personal value and most importantly, of finding - and hearing - our own voices in our everyday life.

Photo - Andrew Stiles

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SMARTY began as a thriving community in Los Angeles and Boston with weekly panel discussions and events designed to better understand the mindset and growth strategies behind successful entrepreneurs. Today, SMARTY is a weekly blog written by Amy Swift Crosby who chronicles her life as a creative, parent, entrepreneur and spiritual seeker. As an urban refugee living in a New England seaside village, she unpacks topics ranging from uncertainty and doubt to the built environment and advertising. More on Amy.

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