The weekend of March 7th we celebrated International Women’s Day and as always it is an amazing experience to be in the presence of so many wonderful inspirational women.   Some of you might have had the opportunity to participate in a event celebrating women, but for those of us that did not get the chance, I wanted to share a few highlights from the Accenture International Women’s Day event I attended.

The keynote speaker was Arianna Huffington, who was interview by Gayle King.  One message that stood out, was about the importance of taking breaks. We are so busy with work, family, house, life, etc… that we rarely take the necessary time needed to SLOW DOWN……. If you think of the typical workday, our mind is spinning from the time we walk in the door until the time we leave the office. (whether your physically go into the office, or work from home) Some people work straight through 8 – 10 hours a day, and don’t take the necessary time to eat healthy or take a much needed break in the middle of the day. We have this belief that we will get more done if we work straight through, we don’t have the time to take a break.

Arianna encouraged us to take advantage of the benefits of REST. Her company has instituted a “Nap Room”. At first people thought the concept was kind of strange, but now she said that the nap rooms are full and people are taking advantage of giving their bodies a break to breathe, rest and relax. Could you imagine a nap room at an Accenture office?

We all know rest is important, but why don’t we take advantage of it and give ourselves the break that we really need. Studies have shown that taking a break and resting our bodies actually gives our body a natural boost of energy. It’s often times better than a candy bar or soda in the afternoon. So the next time you feel yourself being sluggish and you think to head for a drink or a snack, next time take the opportunity to close your eyes and rest for 10 minutes.

Move away from your computer, close your eyes, listen to your favorite music, look outside and be in nature, just be still, take a nap. Let your mind rest and rejuvinate and see how you feel.

In addition to the great reminder to REST, there were a few other inspirational quotes that stood out that I wanted to share with you. These are always good reminders.

– Don’t self select out

– Never eliminate yourself

– Invite yourself to the leadership party

– Resentment is a poison you dirnk expecting someone else will die

– Start Now

– Don’t get furious, get curious

– Take time to rest

At the end of the day, when we think about our career and about life, the message is don;t sit back and watch and expect someone to take care of you or blame someone else for your challenges, invest the time to take care of yourself.