Be Proud of Being Tired

 Tiredness is often associated with a lack of enthusiasm in an individual. Here, I am not pointing out its definition. You’d rather see the Oxford Dictionary for that and not my opinion piece. You and I are here to revisit the approach of ‘getting tired’ in your workspace, life, sports, activity, creativity, or apparently – existing.

Tiredness is pointed out as the limitation of a person. A point from where he or she cannot move or work or practice further. But isn’t it just the half-truth? Just the half-side?

A person who is tired has used the upmost and utmost of his or her enthusiasm, energy and caliber. If you have pulled out your best moves, walked a mile extra, sung and rehearsed ten minutes more, or maybe burnt out your eyes through the Excel sheet for one round more, is it not obvious that you’d feel tired? Satisfied, of course. But tired? Definitely yes.

However, tiredness is assumed not as a figure of appreciation. If someone admits that they are tired, we normally pity them. If someone’s toooooooooo goal-oriented, tiredness appears as a dearth of capabilities and potential. But this isn’t true. Is it?

Tiredness comes from the idea that you have pulled off your best move in life, and it has not worked out yet. You are tired. You are not a pessimist. You are tired. Being tired in your life after a week-long athletic practice does not mean you are weak or not competitive. Admitting that you are tired is a reflection that you are recoiling your body to recover and have the mental strength to admit your limitations. Being tired of posting on social media and not finding the right audience who understands your work, sentiments, or music is a sign that you have given your best.

Of course, there are people who walk half a mile and pant as if they had walked a trek. But this is you – nobody else knows the story that you carry with that professional identity that you are trying to build. There are duties, responsibilities, and ties that hold you. You are trying to move up with all that existential crisis on your plate. So, if you give up, feel tired, or don’t want to continue? Appreciate yourself.

You must have given your best and are either struck with the realization that things are over and need to be over orrrrr – you are just catching your breath for another shot with a larger force.

 So be proud. Be proud of being tired. Be proud that you were able to manage everything that was on your plate today. Be proud of how you've balanced several things — took your dog for a walk; managed clients when you were past your lunchtime and hunger was yelling at you; and didn’t slam the door on your colleague, boss, or the milkman at your door because politeness does not leave you even at your worst. These too are soft skills that do not reflect on your resume. But it does reflect on your character.

So be proud. Be proud of being tired when you could’ve just decided to give up. Being tired means you are recovering for another mile yet again!