Kate Rawlings
Founder & Head Coach, The Becoming Co.
16-Year Gym Owner | Former CrossFit Games Athlete | Whole-Person Wellness Coach

Last week I sat on my porch for ten minutes and immediately started thinking about everything I should be doing.

The dishes were in the sink. Emails were waiting. Laundry needed folded. My brain wasn’t enjoying the moment—it was making a list.

I see this all the time with the women we work with at The Becoming Co.

They’re usually around 40-50 years old. They’re raising kids, working full-time jobs, managing households, and carrying the mental load of keeping everyone else’s life moving forward. Most were raised to believe that hard work is good, productivity is valuable, and rest is something you earn after everything else is done.

The problem is that everything is never done.

There’s always another email. Another practice. Another errand. Another thing asking for your attention.

So instead of resting, we feel guilty.

Instead of slowing down, we keep pushing.

Instead of enjoying life, we keep preparing for it.

Lately I’ve been wondering if we’ve gotten this backwards.

Maybe rest isn’t a reward. Maybe it’s fuel.

Maybe taking a walk around South Central Park, sitting by the water at Sandy Ridge Reservation, or grabbing a coffee and sitting outside for twenty minutes isn’t wasting time.

Maybe it’s exactly what we need.

The healthiest people I know aren’t the ones who can grind the hardest. They’re the ones who know when to stop.

Because the to-do list will never be finished.

But your life is happening right now.

And it would be a shame to miss it while trying to earn permission to enjoy it.

What if you gave yourself 20 minutes this week with no goal, no productivity, and no guilt attached?

About the Author

Kate Rawlings is the founder of The Becoming Co. in North Ridgeville, Ohio. A former CrossFit Games athlete, business owner, and single mom, she helps busy adults build strength in their mindset, movement, and nourishment so they can stop surviving and start becoming.