Everyone who loves vacationing raise their hands! (Hello, both hands raised.) I’m guessing you’re probably with me!
I believe that the best part of taking a holiday is that no matter where you travel, you’re bound to come back home with a different mindset. Whether it’s an altered perception of the world, a more relaxed attitude, or a wider perspective of what really matters in life, vacations are great places to stop and realign yourself with what you really want.
Recently I was in Asia and although I was tired a lot of the time (traveling halfway around the world is tough! Ha!), I often felt at peace and had more clarity than I’ve had in months.
Why?
- I actually let myself sit at a cafe and just eat and sip.
- I took a walk to explore ancient buildings that held timeless beauty.
- I freely wrote down thoughts I had on napkins nearby.
- I engaged in activities I don’t normally do at home (I’m talkin’ to you, Hawaiian Moped.)
- I sat by myself in places and struck up conversations with (friendly) strangers.
- I walked slowly in the rain, knowing I couldn’t do anything about it.
- I played dress-up in a dressing room of a fancy store and chatted to the clerk for an hour.
- I dressed up and went out on the town solo, just because I felt like looking pretty while enjoying the views.
- I embraced the owner of a restaurant taking the time to sit down and show me how to properly eat my Hawaiian meal.
- I jumped in the ocean when I got off the plane, even though it was evening.
All of those were some of my best memories from the trip, and they are the times when I wasn’t rushing around the get things done, or wondering what I needed to do next. I simply let the day flow, without trying to control how everything would pan out.
How often do you ease the reigns and allow your day to flow?
Am I talking to anyone with tiny control issues out there? Or maybe are you a culprit of constantly trying to look good in front of others. Perhaps you take on too much because you 
don’t trust that anyone can do it as well as you. Do you just. not. have. enough time in one day to just walk around slowly, or interact with strangers?
Trust me, I get it. I’m the biggest advocate for efficiency and struggle big time with handing off projects. But listen, slowing down is sometimes essential to create what you’re really gunning for. I’m realizing more and more that I cannot create for others if I don’t fill my cup up first.
“Life is a dance between making it happen and letting it happen.” – Arianna Huffington
In the winter, I teach adaptive skiing. To conquer the mountain while skiing with individuals with disabilities, the client and I have to discover many unique ways to get down the hill. If I try too hard to do things my way, I often experience backlash and frustration, but if I start the day knowing that I must embrace learning throughout the lesson, and be open to alternate ways of doing things, I get a lot more high fives and happy buddies.
That lesson is one that not only works on the mountain, but is absolutely beneficial to daily life. By giving more freedom to what happens during your day, even if it’s as small as a change to your coffee (Okay maybe not THAT drastic), you will be more at ease and discover things you may have missed out on.
That’s right, I’m getting you free-reign to take a chill pill! Work hard, get things done, but go with a little bit of flow.