Recently, my husband Nick and I went on a weekend long vacation to Orange Beach. Some would say that a weekend is not long enough to be considered a vacation but I beg to differ. The purpose of a vacation is for you to separate yourself from the normal routine in order to have a break. This word “vacation” has synonyms such as the words “escape” and “retreat”. As people of purpose, it is vital that we permit ourselves to escape from all that we immerse ourselves in as we discover and fulfill our destinies. Here are three reasons why:
1. Vacations force us to not work!
Sometimes when I’m working and begin to feel stressed or overwhelmed, my thought is that I need to just take a break. Well because I am in my normal environment, my “break” turns into doing something less mentally taxing like washing dishes but nonetheless I’m still working! It is virtually impossible for me to just sit while I am in my normal work environment. So, vacations force me to make a decision to leave work behind and just enjoy life for a few days.
2. Vacations allow for freedom of thought.
As some of you may know, I recently self-published my first book entitled Defining Moment. But about a month ago, I began planning my writing schedule for my second book. Although I had this schedule figured out, I hadn’t had time in the midst of life to sit down and determine the best title for my next book. I thought about it shortly, but nothing seemed to work until I sat on the balcony of our condo and began to pray. By this point in the vacation, I had had an evening to get into what I like to call vacation mode. To me this is simply, where I am no longer wondering what I should be working or doing instead of laying on the couch doing nothing! So, at this point I’m fully relaxed and my mind is open. Vacations permit us to think and imagine more lavishly than we do in our normal work environments because we aren’t rushing to get to the next task!
3. Vacations allow us to simply hit reset
As I stated earlier, typically it is extremely difficult for me to completely relax anywhere near my office. But sometimes it is imperative because my work product begins to slack as a result of being overloaded. After this past vacation, I feel recharged and even more excited than I did when I left! I am refreshed and more focused as I begin to work again!
I challenge you as you endeavor to jump fully into purpose to prioritize rest. My husband and I make a point to take some sort of vacation once a quarter. Whether it’s a week in another state, a short trip to the beach or simply a staycation where all electronics and work materials are banned we choose to prioritize a balanced lifestyle over productivity. This not always easy and I am still working on resting in between those times but let’s make a decision to be balanced.
I once heard a billionaire entrepreneur from the famous show Shark Tank say that he doesn’t look to invest in a person that’s balanced but a person that is busting his butt to get to the next level. I love this show but I believe his view on the topic of balance is skewed. Once we get to our “next level” of purpose we will continue to do whatever got us there. If an unbalanced life gets you to the top you will have a hard time converting once you get there. Make rest a priority now and your victories will be sweeter!
Comment below and give us ideas of how you remain balanced!
#walkinginpurpose
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