The day after Thanksgiving is my favorite day of the year! We’ve just spent a day with family, and now we have a three-day weekend. This day is typically spent outdoors—hiking, snowshoeing or maybe cutting down a Christmas tree. But one thing is for sure: I toast the start of the holiday season with an eggnog latte.
Every year, that latte reminds me that I want to make my own eggnog, but all my research shows that the longer it ages, the better it tastes (though my husband would argue it never tastes good). Well, this is the year for me to make eggnog!
In my search for the perfect recipe I learned that eggnog was invented as a way to use up an abundance of eggs from early fall, when hens are laying aplenty due to the abundance of sunlight. With sufficient sunlight, hens will lay an egg approximately every 25 hours. Sufficient sunlight is about 15-16 hours/day. Without less light, egg production slows down significantly.
The egg production from my 10 hens is currently around 1 egg per day. In fact, none of my new peeps have laid an egg (at least I don’t think they have), even though they are 21 weeks old.
So, understanding the importance of sunlight for egg production, I have two choices: accept my measly harvest of eggs or put a light in their coop to make up for the sunlight deficiency.
The logical choice is to light up the coop. But there are potential negative impacts to their health. As we know, winter is the season to rest and rejuvenate, and if I keep my chickens working through winter, it could reduce their life expectancy.
So what is more important? Eggs or hen longevity?
How many of us are faced with similar choices – rest or keep working? Do we keep pushing through the exhaustion in order to produce more, or do we allow ourselves time to rest?
What about your employees? Are you allowing them time to rest and rejuvenate? Does your vacation policy support allowing employees to unplug from their work and really rest, or do you encourage them to check in during their time off?
In some of the companies I work with, people carry like a badge of honor that they work seven days a week or they work until 11pm every night. I know plenty of people who love their jobs, but if it consumes your or your employees’ lives, is it possible that that love has morphed into something unhealthy? Some people use work as a filler because they have no idea what to do when they aren’t working.
What if your work, or your employees’ work, were more than a filler? What if it work could be something you loved but also allowed you to follow other passions?
In his book The EOS Life, Gino Wickman defines the EOS life to mean:
- Doing work you love
- With people you love
- Making a huge difference
- Being compensated appropriately
- With time for other passions
My goal when working with my clients is to help them live their EOS life and to make that possible for everyone who is a part of their company.
If you are ready to experience what that would mean to you, your employees and your business, email me and we can start your journey together!
For me, my EOS life will likely include some aged eggnog and hens who can relax over the winter, poised to hit record-setting egg production in 2022!
Happy Holidays!
YOUR PRIVACY CHOICES