You're not weak , You are just worn out

Are you carrying more than anyone sees? Do you confuse exhaustion with inadequacy? This gentle yet powerful episode challenges the harmful belief that rest equals weakness.

Through thoughtful reflection, I explore why creators and visionaries often struggle to give themselves permission to pause. With compassionate insight, I dismantle the false equivalencies we've accepted: that tiredness means failure, that needing rest indicates laziness. For the purpose-driven person whose mind constantly buzzes with ideas and possibilities, this message offers a crucial reframing.

The truth resonates throughout: you aren't lazy—your creative aspirations prove that. You aren't unmotivated—your desire to make an impact demonstrates your drive. And you certainly aren't weak—your persistence despite challenges reveals your strength. What you might be is simply tired, and that's not only okay but expected.

Drawing wisdom from spiritual tradition, I remind listeners that even the Creator of the universe built rest into the rhythm of existence. If divine power acknowledges the necessity of pause, how much more should we honour our human need for restoration? This episode provides practical encouragement to intentionally plan rest, embrace pausing without explanation, and find balance through deliberate stillness.

Whether you're building a creative practice, pursuing meaningful work, or simply trying to show up authentically in your life, this message grants permission to breathe again. Download our free Resilient Creator Roadmap to implement these insights and strengthen your ability to bounce back even when life feels heavy. Keep showing up with grace—you've got this.

Transcript

Welcome to Standing with Tele, the podcast that reminds you that, no matter what life throws your way, you can still stand strong, stand soft and stand in faith. I'm your host, Tele Resilience and Life Story coach, and also the host of the podcast Navigating the Chapters of Challenge with Tele. This space is for the person who's been through the fire but hasn't lost their flame, for the creator who's doubting their voice but still has something to say, for anyone who needs to know you are not alone and this is not the end of your story. Each episode is a breath of encouragement shot, powerful reflections rooted in truth, hope and healing. So if you're tired, weary or wondering if it's still possible to rise, you're in the right place. Let's take a deep breath and begin. Episode 1. You're not weak, you're just worn out. 

So many times we often confuse exhaustion with inadequacy. But what if you're not failing? What if you're just tired? A lot of times we go up and down, running back and forth trying to sort stuff out, and we don't take time to actually rest. And we think that resting means that we're lazy. But resting is not laziness. Resting is actually needed. Your brain needs to reset. So when you rest, you give your brain the opportunity to reset. 

So in today's episode I want to speak to the part of you that's carrying more than anyone sees. You are not lazy. If you were lazy, you wouldn't have that zeal or desire to want to create. Your mind is buzzing, probably buzzing right now with all kinds of ideas and things that you want to put down, things you want to do. So that's not a lazy person. A lazy person will probably just sit on their couch and do nothing, and obviously that's not you. You are the one who's thinking what can I create? How can I make an impact? How can I do something that will change this world and make a difference in the world? So you're definitely not lazy. You're not unmotivated, because if you were unmotivated, you'll probably just wake up every day, just do the mundane things, come back to bed and sleep and that's it, end of the day. But you're not unmotivated. You are motivated because you have a vision, you have a purpose, you have a drive, you have something that you want to do, something that you want the world to learn from you or to see that is possible, like this podcast, for instance, is about hope. So you have a vision, like I have a vision to inspire people to keep moving. And so you're not unmotivated, you have a motive. You're not weary. That matters. 

I say you're not weary because you haven't stopped, you haven't given up. You've probably been on this road for a long time. If you're anyone like me, I've been on this road for a long time. I say long time, but I'm not giving up. I refuse to give up. I refuse to be weary because I know I have a purpose and I know I have something to say that is meaningful. Therefore, I say to you you're not weary, you're not weary. 

Jesus said come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. I will give you rest, and that's not a suggestion, that's a promise. So leave it at Jesus' feet, give it to Jesus. Don't be weary, don't worry about it. He will give you rest. That's a promise. 

And you don't have to earn your rest. You don't have to earn the right to rest, you don't have to explain to anyone that you need to rest. You just need to take the rest, take time to rest, plan rest into your day, wake up in the morning and decide I'm going to work from this time to that time and then there's time for me to rest at the end of the day or whatever time in the day that works for you. Plan time to rest. Even God rested. He created the world in six days and on the seventh day He rested. If the God of all creation could take time to rest, how much more you? We all need time to rest. So plan your day and put in some rest. You are allowed to pause. You are allowed to pause. Even if the world keeps spinning, even if people are going on and on about something or there's so much noise out there. Take a deep breath and pause, pause, pause, because when you take a pause, that's balance. Your life will be balanced when you pause and you rest, so pause. So let this be your permission to breathe again. Let this be your permission to rest, because it's important to rest. 

I hope you enjoyed this little episode and, yeah, looking forward to sharing something else with you next time. Take care, God bless, and rest. Thanks so much for listening to this episode of still standing with tele. If today's message spoke to you, I'd love for you to take the next step and download the resilient creator roadmap. It's a free guide to help you bounce back stronger and stay consistent even when life feels heavy. You'll find the link in the show notes and if you're ready for deeper support, keep listening. We've got something very special coming soon, so take care and keep showing up with grace. Keep going, you've got this.