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Outtamydamnmind 🧷's avatar

Reading this felt like you were naming things I’ve lived but never had words for the way ambition can turn into armor, the way rest feels unsafe until you retrain your body to trust it again. That line ‘doing nothing is not the absence of work it is the work’ hit especially hard. Thank you for writing with such honesty it makes the idea of slowing down feel not only possible but necessary. 🫶🏼

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Janki 🌻's avatar

We already covered this during our conversation and I feel this so deeply - ambition as armor, and rest as something we have to slowly learn to trust again. Thank you for holding those words with me, it makes the writing worth it 🫶🏼

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Sae Abiola's avatar

Thank you for this beautiful reminder 💜

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Janki 🌻's avatar

Thank you for reading and receiving Sae. 🌻✨

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Janki 🌻's avatar

Thank you for reading and receiving Sae. 🌻✨

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Emanuela B's avatar

That speaks to me completely. Two years ago, my body screamed as loudly as it could, and I was forced to stop — for three months. During that time, I learned to notice when my parasympathetic system takes over, and to feel grateful for it.

Now I try to recognize the signs that I’m going too fast or taking on too much, and to slow down. Meditation helps me create small bubbles of stillness. So does walking in nature. Reading.

It’s not easy. I still struggle with the guilt of “not doing.” But as you say — in my case, not doing is hard work. And today, I’ve learned to be grateful to myself for that.

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Janki 🌻's avatar

This is so powerful. Thank you for sharing your story. The way you describe your body guiding you back to stillness feels like such wisdom. And yes, “not doing” often feels harder than doing - it takes courage and trust to stay there. 💫

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My First Lemonade Stand's avatar

Your words were a great reminder that the point isn’t always to do more, sometimes it’s to slow down, enjoy the process, and learn at a pace that feels right. I need to slow down more.

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Janki 🌻's avatar

So glad this resonated 💜 slowing down is such a practice - it asks us to trust that life doesn’t leave us behind when we take our time.

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My First Lemonade Stand's avatar

Ooo the trust. Yes!

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Shruthi Vidhya Sundaram's avatar

Oh I'd love to say "nothing" when someone asks me what I'm working on! Earlier i used to freeze when someone asked me "how's your business going?" or "how many clients you're working with?" ...like that was the defining factor of my worth. Like nothing was enough and I had to be somehow better.

It's when Universe forced me to deeply go on the path of doing nothing. Complete stillness. Even if it freaked the fuck out of me! Thanks Janki!

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Janki 🌻's avatar

Yes! I’ve been there too - the panic of “not enough” in those questions. And yet, the Universe has its ways of showing us stillness is also a path, even if it feels terrifying at first. Grateful you shared this 🥲

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Dr Priyanka Upadhyai's avatar

I know exactly what you mean Janki and I am in the early stages of repairing my relationship with my worth. I have moved away from hankering and striving for enough-ness and validation. I am enough, right this minute. Thank you for sharing this.

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Janki 🌻's avatar

So beautifully said - “I am enough, right this minute” feels like the truest mantra. Sending you so much gentleness as you deepen that relationship with yourself 🤍

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Dr Priyanka Upadhyai's avatar

Thank you Janki. Hope it’s been a splendid week for you so far 😊

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Charles Callis's avatar

Beautiful lessons, Janki. Thank you for this reminder. I think I need to put a piece in my chapter on achievement about rest and pacing.

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Janki 🌻's avatar

Thank you and yes, rest and pacing are such overlooked parts of achievement and sometimes they are the very foundation of it.

Would love to read your chapter when it’s ready! 🌸

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