You Don’t Have to Earn Rest

Rest while Building A business

You Don’t Have to Earn Rest

Rest, Lesson Learned and Still Learning

A lesson I’ve learned, and if I’m being honest, still learning, is that you don’t have to earn rest.

Read that again.

Rest isn’t a reward.
It’s not something you unlock after checking everything off.
It’s not a privilege.

It’s just rest.

The Way I Was Raised

I grew up in the South. Some folks debate that because I’m from Missouri, but let me set the record straight. I’m talking about the part of Missouri that should have been Arkansas. The kind of place where you crossed the state line into Arkansas just to get to the nearest Walmart. Yeah, that part.

I was raised around elders who believed in working hard, staying busy, and keeping your hands moving.
Phrases like:
🌀 “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop”
🌀 “Don’t just sit there, do something”
🌀 “A lazy person won’t eat”

Those words?
They weren’t just sayings.
They were stitched into the fabric of our daily lives.
And somewhere along the way, I started to believe that rest had to be earned.

Relearning in Real Time

Now here I am, building a business from the ground up. Wearing all the hats, writing all the emails, baking all the cookies. And still, I catch myself thinking, “Once I finish this last thing, then I can rest.” But here’s the truth that seasoned business owners love to remind me:

All the items are never done.

There’s always one more task.

One more box to tape.

One more caption to write.

One more batch to bake.

So if rest only comes after the to-do list is cleared, then it might never come at all.

Giving Myself Permission

I’m learning that rest is not the opposite of ambition.

It’s part of it.

I’m unlearning what I was taught and choosing something softer:

💛 Rest, even when there’s more to do

💛 Pause, even when it feels uncomfortable

💛 Trust, that slowing down doesn’t mean giving up

And maybe, just maybe, that’s what sustainable success looks like—one sweet pause at a time.

P.S. If no one has told you lately, you don’t have to earn your rest either.
It’s yours. Take it. Keep it. Share it.

💬 Your Turn: Tell Me Your Sweets Story

Have you ever found healing in something simple—like baking, creating, or just taking a moment to pause?
Tag us @TheSweetsAgency or share your story using #EveryoneDeservesSweets for a chance to be featured.