Today I ran into a friend at the coffee shop and she was telling me how much she missed the summers she experienced as a kid. Remember that first day of summer vacation when it seemed like there was endless time to take a break from the pressures of school, lounge around, play with friends and BBQ? She continued on to say that she was looking forward to her one week trip to the mountains, but at the same time she was feeling stressed because work was so busy. Right then and there I said, “Commit to your vacation!” YES! Commit to your vacation. In this day and age with all the technologies that can keep you plugged into practicality, it takes serious discipline and commitment to keep your summer vacation a sacred time of rest and non-practical endeavors. All the research shows that when you take a committed break from work and do something completely unrelated, you recharge your batteries, your creative thinking sky rockets and you can strengthen the bonds you have with important people in your life....
...Your vacation becomes POTENT with POSSIBILITY!
With that said, if you have a special trip planned away for the weekend or for a week, I invite you to make a declaration to yourself that you will put two feet in the boat and honor your vacation. Ask yourself what a committed vacation looks like. For me, it was extended blocks of time away from my phone. I brought a stack of page turning novels that kept me so occupied, I rarely thought of e-mail. It meant a nap a day and lots of focused, fun time with my family. It meant movies and eating out. In the first couple of days it was hard to unwind, but by day 2.5 I could feel the bliss of the vacation taking effect! I slowed down, was more in the moment and began to forget that being on e-mail was important.
When I returned from my break, I felt different. I was calm, energized and not frazzled. I literally felt like my brain cells had been refreshed! It took me a while to catch up with my pile of to-do’s, however, I never looked back at my vacation wishing I worked more rather than played. Instead, I was filled up with lots of sweet memories with my family. And those naps were the BEST!
Happy Summer,
Johanna
