Summer of 2018 – How do you want to remember it?
At this time of the year you have the chance to take a break, relax, recharge and create some of the best memories of your life… or not. This choice becomes a tough one to consider when there’s so much work and life duties to fulfill. And the truth’s been out for some time: most Americans don’t use all their vacation days. You can learn in this article the main reasons why this is our reality. The one that struck me the most was the fact that people feel anxious about the huge pile of work and hundreds of emails they’ll have to deal with upon their return. So, they choose to stay to avoid the pain.
Some other people, however, are putting different systems into place so they can take off. Try! Set up an auto-response email, inform your clients, talk to your colleagues about taking care of your duties while you’re away, and then return the favor and do it for them. This way you’ll start completely fresh when you go back to work.
It’s vital to rest and to stop all the noise around you once in a while. Not doing so could bring health issues that you would want to avoid. On the other hand, when you disconnect and remain present, you automatically tune in with yourself and with the child that’s still within you. Your creativity goes through the roof and you become unstoppable. As a result, you may return to work with genius ideas that may take you and your business to the next level! Isn’t that terrific?
There’s a reason why children have summer vacation, and why you should too.
You probably remember your summer breaks when you were a child. I do always with a wide smile on my face. Back in the days, there was only one airline in Spain (my country of origin), therefore it was extremely expensive to fly. My mom would put my two siblings and I in a train with sofa-beds for a long night ride to Ronda, a charming small town in the south of Spain where my aunt and uncle lived with my three cousins. We had a whole month ahead of us (you know, the European style) to have fun and to disconnect from our regular lives. My aunt lived in the country, and for us, three children growing up in a big city as Barcelona, it was a different world. Even though we were only a few miles away from Ronda, we rarely went, maybe one or two nights to have dinner out. We spent the days walking around the country, picking up berries and making a mess out of it (I still remember my mom and aunt’s faces when we would go back home completely filthy). We used to get eggs and often squeezed milk from our neighbor’s cows. I even remember the smell of tomatoes after we pulled them from the vines (yes, back in the day kids had chores)! We swam in the pool, drank tons of gazpacho, and made up game after game (the beauty of not having technology).
Just now I’m laughing at the memory of a very special day when we set up a show for our parents (photo above with the “gang”). We sang and choreographed a Rolling Stones song. Imagine a bunch of Spanish kids singing in a language they didn’t even speak. Hilarious! It was such a precious moment that we still to this day talk about it.
The end of summer was sad. We wouldn’t see our cousins for a year. We would go back to writing letters and letters to keep the memories awake. But at the same time, we felt a new beginning was coming. We had recharged our batteries and were ready for another year of learning and enjoying this beautiful experience called Life.
The best results come from disconnecting.
Now, I’m not saying you should take a month, but take a break: one week, two, even a few days… You don’t even have to leave your town if you can’t. I didn’t go overseas last year due to the birth of my company, but I did go to Lake Tahoe for just four days. This year though, I’m going back to Spain for two weeks. I’m super excited to see my family and friends, walk the streets of my childhood and visit new places. And something that brings me even more excitement is knowing that when I get back, I’ll feel relaxed and inspired to keep creating and helping my clients; to do wonderful things with my company and for the world. And I’ll be curious with what the new year will bring, just like it happened at the end of every summer during my childhood.
If you’d like to see a bit of Spain through my eyes, follow Boutique Concierge’s Instagram and Facebook. I’ll be adding tips on how to disconnect while on vacation as well (like no checking emails, which happens to be the biggest mistake people make when they’re traveling).
What’s in this summer for you? Whatever may be, enjoy it and be that child again. Even if it’s for one day.
Happy Summer!
Naima
