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“As an athlete, stopping practicing at the right moment is a vital form of self-discipline, every bit as important as putting in the hours and giving it your all.” ~ Ed Smith

The same is true of creative work. We assume that constant, ceaseless effort yields high performance and that people who are constantly busy must be getting more done. Learning to stop at the right point in your work encourages a steadier, more sustainable approach to your work, without sacrificing creativity or forcing you to extremes.

There is a magic moment, where you can stop, feel refreshed, and come back tomorrow feeling profoundly rusted, and even excited to drive right back in to your work. Or you can plow ahead, Growing more and more tired physically and emotionally, as well as mentally. Going even 5% past that threshold can be devastating: to the work, your mindset, and even your waning body.

That magic moment where we can choose to reflect, review and reset gives us a huge advantage and having less errors, but can also keep us mentally and emotionally engaged with a project over the long term. When our biology finds it too intense to keep going, we are using negative reinforcement every time we step away from the thing, by taking away the pain of continuing. When we stop just before it reaches a certain intensity, with positively reinforce the pleasure Of the task. Which over the long term leads to greater engagement no overall satisfaction of the thing! This is how lifelong Careers for filling your purpose are built.

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