Well said, Danielle. As you identified, one of the biggest reasons we fail to prioritize BEING is because we’ve been socially conditioned to view solitude, self-reflection, relaxation, and other recharging acts as “lazy.” Society tells us that only an unproductive or lazy person would fail to seize the moment and knock out a few emails while waiting for the bus. I fall prey to this mindset all the time.

In my personal life, I’m now trying to find the balance between restfulness and productivity, solitude and companionship, self-reflection and action. There is clearly value in both sides of those pairs, and I think the key is to find the appropriate balance between them.