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Marketing Agency Exposed Podcast


Apr 15, 2020

Summary:

For most people, especially achievers, the idea of being forcefully shut down and locked home because of Coronavirus sounds like a nightmare. But what if it was actually a gift? An opportunity? How long has it been since you’ve had time in your calendar? How long has it been since you’ve seen the end of your todo list? We all like the idea of rest, but we’re oversubscribed in every way. Many of us were on a treadmill and had no way of getting off. Today, we’re discussing the POWER of PAUSE a.k.a. Rest with world-renowned author, speaker, and advisor to leaders of organizations across the globe, Curtis Zachery. CZ spends his life helping people find rhythms of rest that produce more joyful and effective lives. You may see that as boring, lazy and self-indulgent. Maybe you see it as a luxury of the elite. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. You can only give from a place of being filled. Rest is actually an activity, and it’s one that when used correctly produces real success and is even a true revenue driver. 

 

The world is experiencing a pause in it’s day-to-day activities right now- on a scale that none of us have seen before. There is disruption at every turn, distraction from tasks and a deep desire to not squander this time that we have right now. So often we walk through life thinking “If only I had more time to rest, more time to spend with my family, more time to complete this personal project, more time to recharge…” Many of us have more time than we know what to do with these days! So how do we make the most of it? Today’s episode will be a deep dive into the power of proper rest and highlight the importance of taking advantage of this opportunity to reset our priorities. 

 

Resources Mentioned: 

 

Top 3 Curtain Pulls in this episode:

  1. Rest is not the same thing as leisure! “We need to come to a place where we understand that our value is more than what we produce.”
  2. 3 powerful words: Intentional, Substantial, Sustainable. Create a pattern of rest for yourself that is intentional, substantial (has an impact!) and sustainable (you can keep up with it!)
  3. Your sense of self-worth needs to come from somewhere other than what you can produce- and this is a time when we can truly evaluate this in our own lives.

 

About our Guest: 

  • Today’s guest is world-renowned author, speaker, advisor, and pastor Curtis Zackery. We call him CZ for short, and we are honored to have him speak with us today. CZ has devoted his life to helping leaders of organizations create rhythms of rest that produce a more fulfilling and effective life. CZ’s latest book is “Soul Rest: Reclaim your Life, Return to Sabbath”

 

About The Guys: 

Bob Hutchins: Founder of BuzzPlant, a digital agency that he ran from from 2000 -2017. He is also the author of 3 books. More on Bob: 

Brad Ayres: Founder of Anthem Republic, an award-winning ad agency. Brad’s knowledge has led some of the biggest brands in the world. Originally from Detroit, Brad is an OG in the ad agency world and has the wisdom and scars to prove it. Currently that knowledge is being applied to his boutique agency. More on Brad:

Ken Ott: Co-Founder and Chief Growth Rebel of Metacake, an Ecommerce Growth Team for some of the world’s most influential brands with a mission to Grow Brands That Matter. Ken is also an author, speaker, and was nominated for an Emmy for his acting on the Metacake Youtube Channel (not really). More on Ken: 

 

Show Notes:

[0:23] Bob introduces this week’s guest Curtis Zackery, author of The Power of Rest, and asks The Guys how their week has been and how they’ve been holding up through the self-isolation period. 

[1:02] Brad says he is focusing on the day by day. “I try to focus on today and let tomorrow have it’s own way.”

[1:30] Ken adds that this episode is being recorded via Zoom call. 

  • Reflects on working from home and how the concept of rest has changed for him. “You’re going to look back on this time and remember it- for me, there are pains inside of that, but ultimately we’ll look back on this and it will be good. It’s at the top of my mind to be intentional about it.”
  • The “forced pause” part of this has been scary but there is so much power within the idea as well. 
  • Speaks on the excitement of being taken out of a routine that you previously felt was impossible to get out of. Energy spent efficiently maintaining the routine is now being used elsewhere, and that’s an exciting thing. 
  • “It gives me a chance to reassess and adjust things.”

[7:03] Bob asks Curtis for his perspective. Curtis speaks on the differing perspectives that people have of this time. Realities are different for everyone, and although it’s obvious, it’s important to recognize and acknowledge that fact. 

  • “For some people, there’s an inherent sense of relief… for others there’s a complete and total agitation.”
  • Reflects on the idea that it’s possible to work from rest- some people think it’s a joke, others wish it was possible.

[10:00] Curtis adds that even prior to all of this, there was incredible burnout in every part of business. Everyone is usually hoping for some time away, time to relax. But now that it’s being forced upon us, it changes the way that we respond. 

[11:08] Brad asks Curtis, why do you think it is that I cannot reach this point of rest without feeling guilt? What are some practical tips for sorting through all of the emotions?

[12:15] CZ responds: 

  • First, we have an inherent belief that our only value comes from the things we produce. 
  • When it comes to individual guilt or angst against a desire to rest- “We need to come to a place where we understand that our value is more than we produce.”

[13:30] People are realizing that this previous understanding of productivity or identity is a challenge against the way we feel about ourselves during this time. 

[14:45] CZ continues: “We’ve equated rest and laziness, and that is just not true…. Rest and leisure are not the same thing either!” 

[17:00] “With intentionality inside of our rest, we are going to become more productive.”

  • CZ has spoken with many business leaders who have seen enormous growthin their productivity. “More work done in less hours with more time spent with family than any time in my career.”

[18:10] Ken adds: Principles that produce really great results are counter cultural/ counter intuitive. 

  • Putting your own business health before your clients- if you’re not healthy how could you possibly expect to help someone else become healthy?

[21:15] Brad: “Because I’m not going a mile a minute, I feel way more present- my mind is present more because I don’t have a running to do list of places to go and things to get done in between working.” 

  • “My daily survival tasks have shrunk to about 50%”
  • “I’m going to be disappointed when this all ends and I dive right back into my routine… but maybe that’s not what is best.”

[22:40] CZ adds: “Another misnomer is busy-ness benign equal to productivity.”

  • Running from one meeting to the next, from one task to the next is easy to then glean productivity from it.
  • “Just because you aren’t busy doesn’t mean you’re not productive… we’re used to being busy, to driving and doing and running from one place to another… those things that make you busy really takes away from the productivity.”
  • “Being busy makes you feel secure, but if I’m going to rest on the merit of my work, then I’m trusting that the quality of my work matters and I’m going to let that speak for itself.”

[26:10] Bob asks for practical tips for those who are uncomfortable with rest, who deal with that guilt and deal with that lack of affirmation. 

[27:00] CZ responds: 

  • One thing that helped him shift his mindset: tricking your brain into realizing that playing with your kids, go on a walk, etc are being productive, and are preparing you for doing more effective work.
  • 3 powerful words: Intentional, Substantial, Sustainable
    • Ensuring that being intentional with activities that will make a substantial impact, to create a sustainable lifestyle

[33:20] CZ adds: Make a “To Don’t” list! You know what are barriers to your productivity, so call them out and be aware and intentional about those things. 

  • Time Budgeting is also helpful- Similar to a financial budget. 
  • We have all the time in the world, but that doesn’t mean we are immediately using that time to do things that we wish we had time for. 

[35:00] CZ continues: “What I care most about, I will put the most time, money, and effort into.”

[35:30] Bob interjects: “A To-Don’t list is a great idea… there are always ways that we could have used our time more wisely… where do we plug in down time, rest, etc”

[36:30] Brad adds: “Rest doesn’t feel the same for everyone… be aware of the things that fill you up versus the things that drain you, and balance those activities.”

[40:00] Ken speaks about what might be on your “To-Don’t” list and why its important. “Maybe looking at the news isn’t a necessity every single day… especially during this time.”

[41:00] Bob speaks on the idea that during down time or rest, we are losing opportunity. 

  • This comes from a place of not having enough- the urgency that we add to our “necessities” relies on a mindset of lack. 

[41:58] CZ chimes in: “For the most part, we as people are very good at ‘Whats’ and not so good at ‘Whys’.” 

[45:00] CZ continues: “Now that many of our ‘whats’ have fallen away, we are confronted with leaning on our ‘Whys’.” 

[45:20] Brad asks CZ about his inspiration for writing his book “Soul Rest.”

[45:38] CZ: “It was the result of having a reformational experience in my life.”

  • He and his wife were engaged with good, meaningful work but realized that it was not sustainable. Burnout was inevitable, because there was no rest. 
  • “My identity, my work, and my value were so intertwined that we’d find ourselves answering the door at 3am to help.. I’d do it all, in my own strength. And it was really exhausting.”
  • They felt alone, exhausted, heartbroken by their own loss as a couple. 
  • There was a year of hardship and re-evaluating their priorities. 

[48:40] Brad asks if his book can be tied into a business perspective. 

[49:10] CZ: “The book is centered on the idea of finding our true value outside of the things that we can make and do… part of that journey for me was understanding my position in connection with God… ultimately I had to ask myself, is God enough for me? All of my life had been built around the idea that I am trying to produce, make and SHOW others that I am worthy to God."