I hope my title today caught your attention! 2020 has taught me so many things but one thing I am highlighting today is the fact that 2020 made me realize how much I loved my life BEFORE all of this. How much I was intentional with so many things that helped me reset and recenter. So many things will never be the same, but I am excited to get back into certain intentional activities, such as a vacation. When I say “vacation,” I am referring to, “an extended period of leisure and recreation, especially one spent away from home or in traveling.” [cite: Webster’s Dictionary]
In Episode 57 I discussed my re-centering toolbox. Part of that for me was the consistent vacation-taking that I was no longer able to do. I notice myself being “off” from time to time and needed my husband to encourage me to take a mini-vacation and think outside the box in doing so. We decided to go down to our cottage and I felt embarrassed to ask my parents to watch the kids (More on this in Episode 16.) We did not have to go, there was no big event planned or a project to complete. We just needed to for our sanity. I had to tell myself, “this is OK!”
I was listening to a podcast called “Business Meets Spirituality.” Adam Adam Hergenrother discusses how you work between vacations. The act of vacationing is more of a lifestyle and there needs to be consistency with vacationing. I share a few examples of work-life balance that I think are fantastic.
[10:41] By getting your juices flowing, you are receiving the benefit that comes from planning your vacation. The benefit, you ask? Reflection! The benefit of planning a vacation gets you asking yourself, “what would I want? What would bless me?” Even if you are unable to tackle all of these things in a longer vacation, you may be able to enjoy them on a smaller scale one afternoon.
[14:31] Go deeper! Why do you want this vacation? What would your life have to look like so that you would never need a vacation from it? For me, answering this question pushed me to develop a schedule and manage my energy in a new, sustainable way so I wasn’t crashing into my vacation exhausted and depleted. Adam Hergenrother says, “You can use a vacation to escape reality, as long as you are conscious of it.” Think about that and start to think about WHY you want to take a vacation. Take the tiniest step to start thinking about how you may be able tot tune up or modify your day-to-day life so that your vacation is a blessing/cup fill vs. a way to escape.
[18:56] If you are going to check out for a week, you might be lovingly pushing yourself to <gasp> ask for help (!!) or <gasp again> develop a system!! I share a few great examples. As you are planning to be away, you are going to start thinking about things differently. You might also start to implement a system. Instead of paying bills four times per week, try doing it twice per month all at once. Find these small tasks that, when doing them the way you are doing them, are inefficient and turn it into a system and watch the time you save!
[22:37] I learned #4 from the book Clockwork. The first time I heard it my skin started to crawl. The concept in clockwork is that you take a vacation and you use what breaks. Scary, right?! I am a bit of a control freak/perfectionist and want things how I want them. I would never dare leave for a certain amount of time unless I had everything covered. I share an example about when I did this when I was 24. I had to ask myself, “how can someone else be empowered while I am gone?” When you go on vacation, you may learn about some gaps in your system but you might also see people stepping up and supporting in ways you never noticed.
[27:17] Another benefit that you get from vacations that I hope encourages you to take one is that “you get better at vacationing.” When I am learning how to re-fuel, I get better at it! I share an example and compare to exercising. When I first go to a vacation, I go through a quick withdrawal of my normal life. I feel the need to check my phone, etc. I put things away, map out running routes, etc. That would take 75% of the trip…and then it was time to go home. I would feel so bummed that I was never able to check out.
In case you need the reminder, you need to set a vacation because #1 it gives you the opportunity to learn what you like, #2 you start to learn what you might need to change in your day to day, #3 you can ask for help or start to develop a new system in your day-to-day, #4 you can start to see what things need your attention in your life or your business and #5 you can strengthen your vacationing muscles to get there sooner. Plan that vacation! Do it!
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More Episodes You’d Be Interested In
Episode 57: Building Your Re-Centering Toolbox