Invite Your Vacation Self
Into Your Everyday Life
"Isn't it interesting that
people feel best about themselves
right before they go on vacation?
They've cleared up all of their to-do piles,
closed up transactions, renewed old promises with themselves.
My most basic suggestion is that people
should do that more than just once a year."
David Allen
I don't know about you, but I really enjoy my vacation self.
I'm more relaxed when I'm on vacation.
I am able to go with the flow.
I am not nearly so concerned about planning...well...about planning ANYTHING.
And I can move mountains the day before I leave for vacation.
If you read last week's newsletter, I shared that I was unexpectedly
able to go to one of my favorite places on earth, Kabekona Lake, for a
couple of days. And I took about 6 hours to get ready!
Can you tell I was motivated and ready to go?
In that short amount of time, I cleaned up papers, cleared out
my email, did several loads of laundry, went grocery shopping, got gas,
went to the library to get books on tape for the drive, handled a bunch
of miscellaneous tasks that I'd been putting off, mapped out the best
route from my "new" place, straightened up the house, and loaded the
car, among other things.
And LOVED it! I was excited, full of energy, and focused on getting that stuff done.
Sound familiar?
I knew that getting everything ready to go before I left would
allow me to fully unwind at the lake. I would have a clear head and
heart to enjoy my time away.
Plus, I'd also have the added benefit of an easy re-entry back
home, with a clean house and no backlog of tasks and piles to handle.
So what if we started to invite this vacation self into our everyday lives on a regular basis?
What would that look like?
What would that FEEL like?
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Set aside time every week for mini vacations.
We have 52 Saturdays and 52 Sundays a year...what if we used them to
relax and unwind (or whatever days of the week work for you)? I know, I
know...those days get filled up with all kinds of to-do's and tasks and
projects.
But what if you set aside even one day, or a half-day, that was your mini-vacation every week?
And then planned ahead so that you could relax and enjoy that time.
You could use that extra motivation that we all seem to feel before we
go on vacation to get the last emails answered, the last piles put
away, and the house picked up so you could really unwind.
And then during your mini-vacation, you could turn off your
computer, ignore your task list, unplug your electronics, set aside
everything you think you 'should' be doing, and simply enjoy yourself.
No schedule, no plan, no agenda.
Wouldn't that be worth creating space for?
Create more 'unplanned' time to allow yourself to follow your own inner guidance.
We have been taught to fill up every minute of our day so we can be 'productive' and 'not waste any time.'
Well, what if you started "un-filling" that time?
What if you started allowing your time to unfold, rather than planning every minute of it?
Would anything still get done? (I can assure you that, yes, stuff will still get done.)
The stuff that will get done will be done with more ease, more flow, and more grace.
And you'll experience a completely different way of moving through your day...again with more ease, more flow, and more grace.
Notice who YOU are on vacation, and bring more of YOU into your everyday life.
You remember YOU, don't you?
The you who loves to play in the lake, or paddle a canoe, or dig in the garden for hours on end?
Yes,
that you. It's easy to get lost in the busy-ness of life, isn't it?
But you can bring that part of you back, into your daily life,
by simply remembering to add joy every single day. Do something fun
that you've had your eye on (especially if it seems too frivolous, too
playful, or too childlike).
Give yourself permission to be your vacation self at home. :)