FIRST IN LAST OUT
REST OR JUST SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT | Todd Elliott
From the FILO blog archives
I love what I do . I could be at it 24 / 7 . As a result , I probably spend more time at it than I should . If you ’ ve been following this blog for any length of time , you know that my wife is always saying “ come home early ” which helps quite a bit in the pursuit of avoiding continual work .
Talking to many technical artists in the local church , I notice that I am not alone in my love for what I do . Most of us love a challenge . Many of us will not stop until something is complete . We are passionate about using the technical arts to advance the Kingdom of God through the local church . However , many times this is to the detriment of our health and our non-work life .
After a season of not thinking about work , I realize how refreshed I feel and how I am starting to come back to life .
This idea of loving what I do so much that I don ’ t take very good breaks reminded me of a couple of Winston Churchill quotes from a small book he wrote in 1922 called “ Painting as a Pastime ”: “ It may well be that those whose work is their pleasure are those who most need the means of banishing it at intervals from their mind .”
And “ A man can wear out a particular part of his mind by continually using and tiring it , just in the same way he can wear out the elbows of his coat .”
A break from work is so helpful for me to remember the importance of these two quotes in my own life . Here are a couple of things that I have done over the past couple of weeks to combat the weariness that comes from going full steam ahead at a job I love :
DEVELOP OTHER INTERESTS This has been key for me . Running . Watercolor painting . Cemetery photography ( weird , I know ). Trips into the city . Manchester City soccer games . When I am at home , these have all helped get my mind off of work . And when I am at work , they give me a reason to leave work behind and engage my brain in new ways . They also have nothing to do with what I do every day , so I am not wearing myself down even further by having interests that are just like my work . Instead , they renew me , and as a result , I am ready for another day of the things I love to do .
CREATE SPACE This requires discipline , which I am pretty bad at . There is always something pressing that requires immediate attention and seems more
important than space . Plan that vacation , otherwise it won ’ t happen . Create a routine to get you out running on a regular basis . Look for cemeteries you haven ’ t been to and figure out ways to get there with your camera ( yes , I know … weird . Check out my old photoblog I created ). Discipline yourself to make space .
What are some interests that you could develop this summer season that would rejuvenate you ? Look at the remaining weeks and months of this year and create some space for you to recover from the work you love .
Todd Elliott Todd is a writer , speaker , technical artist in the local church and founder of FILO , which stands for First In , Last Out . FILO was born out of his own need as a technical artist in the local church to be in community with other church tech people , to learn new ways of doing things and to be inspired that what he did mattered . The more FILO-type people he met , the more convinced he was that these are things we all need . That ’ s why FILO exists : to equip , encourage and inspire technical artists in the local church to become the best version of ourselves . Formerly the Technical Arts Director at Willow Creek Community Church , he started FILO in 2015 to help other technical artists become more effective so that the local church can be more effective . In his free time , he enjoys being inspired by Winston Churchill speeches and visiting the gravesites of U . S . presidents . Residing near Chicago , he and his wife Bissy have three kids and a dog ... none of whom are into production .
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