Today is the first day back to work after my 2 week vacation. The trick is to keep vacation in your head and heart while returning to work. It was my motivation to start writing. How can we live like we are on vacation?
I have not completely answered that vexing question. What I have come to understand is that detachment from our problems and the ability to compartmentalize our life is a valuable key.I’m not telling you to ignore your problems. That will not solve anything. The point is, neither will obsessing over them. Taking a required break is not only necessary, it is helpful.
Gratitude is another great tool to turn the life you have into the life you love. Realizing that you have more than you know can have you feeling like your life is a vacation.
I would love to hear your tools and strategies for keeping vacation with you after you return to work. Not only as a benefit of our readers, but I could use it on a personal level as well.
I did not intend to have this be a week about relationships, but it is Friday and here we are! I like the quote by Steve Jobs above, with a few caveats. I think after you have an experience where you connect the dots looking back, you can look ahead and begin to connect some dots and see a probable outcome. Sometimes, reflection is one of the best ways to guide your future. Does that sound confusing? Let me offer you a personal story to help better illustrate the point.
About a month ago, Margie and I visited the Bahamas. We had a great time. Part of the reason why, I believe, was we watched television. If you know anything about me, this is a shocking statement. I am not a really big television watcher. This, however, had a point to it. We watched a show called Bahamas Life. It featured people moving to the Bahamas, often from colder climates. They were given the choice of three houses and we tried to guess which one they would pick. We also told each other which one we would pick.
As the snow fell outside our windows and temperatures fell so low that polar bears were looking for sweaters, we watched scenes with turquoise waters and pink sand. It increased our excitement for our upcoming trip. After we returned from what turned out to be an amazing adventure, minus the air travel there, we were excited to continue watching the show now that we had more intimate knowledge of the places we were seeing. Sadly, there was only one episode left. What had become an almost nightly guilty pleasure was now over.
Here we are, over a month since we have returned to our colder northern climate and the most unusual thing happened the other day. I was returning from running errands for Margie while she created one of her culinary masterpieces. As I neared our house, memories of watching that show, snuggled next to my love, came flooding back. My thought was, “Wasn’t that a great memory? Finding a show about the very place we were traveling to.” At that very same moment, Margie has similar thoughts running through her head as well.
It was by connecting these dots looking backward that we realized what a magical moment that was. We were, indeed, creating a beautiful memory. What is the power in realizing that? Especially after it is all said and done? It is just one of many moments we can fondly recall to realize what a blessed and amazing life we have shared together. It will also allow us to keep an eye out for such moments that might be occurring in the near future.
Here is a picture of us from that fateful trip. Proof, as the Winnie-the-Pooh picture above so eloquently puts it, (Yes I did call Pooh eloquent) we didn’t realize we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun. How about you? Are there moments in your life that, looking back, you realize were amazing memories, but at the time just felt like you were having fun? I am sure there are. How about some in the future that might turn into some of the best memories in your life?
As I write this, it is my first day back from vacation. By the time you read this, it will be my first day back at work after vacation. If you would like to say a small prayer for me, that certainly would be fine. In all seriousness, there is always some interesting adjustments when you return. The idea you will not wake up to a nice space cleaned by someone else, that is disheartening. The fact nobody has cut up a buffet of fruit for you to choose from, or put out a wide selection of food to enjoy and you actually have to cook yourself, that is a little disappointing.
The real challenge, and the one that jumpstarted my writing career, is how to maintain that vacation mentality once you have returned to the working world. One of the reasons that this became my life mission, that is to discover how we can live a life that feels like a vacation, is due to a song lyric by the band Kiss. It is from the song Lick it Up. The lyric reads like this – “Don’t need to wait for an invitation/ you have to live like you’re on vacation.” It made me ponder how that was possible. How does one live like they are on vacation? After all, we all have jobs we have to go to in order to keep the lights on and a roof over our heads.
One of the ways we can move closer to this, is to establish what is different from a mentality standpoint between the two situations. Personally, one of the biggest is the lack of concern over responsibilities. You are not focused on paying the bills, cleaning the house or any other requirement you might have in your life. The other is the constant enjoyment over all of the food, drink, and people around you. It is the soaking in of the atmosphere. The ocean breeze, the sun, the palm trees, the scent of coconut from the sunscreen and the cocktails. Hard to have all of this when you are sitting in a cubicle, under florescent lights, smelling Bob in the cubicle next to you. Well, I am going to provide two little tricks I use that help me live my life like a vacation, no matter how Bob smells that day.
The first is something we talk about over and over on this site – gratitude. How can gratitude make you feel like you are living a vacation? Have you ever noticed how people who undergo a near death experience seem to enjoy life so much more? It is as if they got a peak at how precious and priceless life is that the rest of us take for granted. I certainly don’t advise putting yourself in a situation to have a near death experience. What I can tell you is to really appreciate what you have. Seeing people facing intense health challenges, or extreme financial challenges, can make us appreciate the fact we just have a cold or that we might be behind on one bill, verses something that could be so much worse. There are quite a few places in the world where war and political corruption have made the thought of just ‘having’ to wake up and go to work, a dream for many. If that seems like a stretch, to be grateful for things you dread, combine it with our second tool for living a life of vacation.
This tip can be a little bit of work, but it is fun work. Think of what comprises your ultimate vacation, and how you can get a little bit of that at home. Using the above example of a beach vacation, how can you create your own right at home? I live in Wisconsin where it is normally cold and gloomy. Therefore, I have a few little tools that help me go on a mini mental vacation. I have a ‘happy lamp’. It mimics sunlight and helps you feel uplifted. I have coconut essential oils that can be put in a diffuser, put in a bath or used in many other ways. I have tracks of ocean waves that I can close my eyes and listen to. I have tropical music channel I listen to. This engages many of the senses. Margie also makes a delicious jerk chicken! Create the atmosphere that feels like vacation.
Here is a little bonus item you can use as well. Start a vacation fund. Even if you can only deposit 5 dollars a week into it. Watch it build and know that you are getting ever closer. Investigate what places interest you. Maybe get brochures, or look at their website. You could buy a new swimsuit while you are waiting, or get your passport. Whatever little things will help the dream feel closer.
When you live a life that feels like a vacation, you help others do the same. Yes, we all might have to go to a job that doesn’t speak to our soul, but we can still have a life that makes our soul sing! Be grateful, surround yourself with the idea of vacation and give yourself something to look forward to by starting to save. You deserve a life that feels like a vacation. It is not as difficult as you may think.
Today, we are leaving the Bahamas and this beautiful viewbehind. We did our best to remain present and soak in all of the memories, along with an amount of salt water. We also took a lot of pictures to capture what we did. It helps jog the great memories we created.
On this trip we swam with pigs in the ocean, took a crazy adventure trip, drank out of a coconut, and visited several beaches. In this way we will take all of this with us. We made friends with many people, and hopefully left a little of us in their hearts as well. To me, after years of practicing, this is how you do a vacation.
Saying goodbye to the delicious food, amazing sunsets, and fun people does not mean we won’t take them with us in our hearts. This is not only a good way to keep one well of our life alive, but every day. Take lots of pictures, but also take it in. Get to know people just beyond their names. Immerse yourself in the moment. We are thankful for the staff at the Warwick Paradise Island resort, as well as all of the places we visited. All the friends we made and people we met. Our spirits are recharged, and we will be ready to give more to our corner of the world when we return.
As I mentioned earlier, these posts are coming to you while I am on vacation in the tropics with the beautiful Margie. One of the great things about both vacation and the tropics is the fact that nobody seems to ‘sweat the small stuff’ as they say. In fact, there is a term called Island time which means things move at their own pace.
This slower pace can be frustrating to visitors at first. Considering that the leading cause of death in the developed world is heart disease, and the leading cause of that is stress, you think we would relish slowing down. Still, people seem to want everything yesterday.
After a few days on vacation, some of us adjust to island time. It not only involves slowing down, be prioritizing. You have to wait a little longer for your drink? Who cares? You’re relaxing on the beach. The restaurant you wanted to eat at is full? No worries. There is a great stand on the beach.
The small annoyances of life seem to fade away, which is where they belong. When we return to ‘normal life’ it would serve us well to keep this mentality. The restaurant we booked lost our reservation? Who cares? I’m still with the person I love having dinner. Someone cut us off in traffic? At least we are safer than they are.
This change in priority will reduce stress, increase joy and allow us to be the best version of ourselves. When we major inminor things, we are constantly filled with stress and worry.
There are many things that influence my writing ✍️ and life’s mission. It began with a feeling that I was missing the true meaning of life. The United States Postal Service, as it so often does, informed after 10 years of service my job would be all but eliminated. At that point,I realized my focus, and to a large part my identity, had been tied to my job and my material success in life. When that was being taken away, I also realized what a poor life I had created.
That forced me to take a long hard look at both what is important in life as well as what truly brings us joy. Those years of reading, listening and attending seminars resulted in the creation of my first book, A Happy Life for Busy People. As I was writing this book it became clear that I was often the happiest when I was on vacation in the tropics. This should not seem like a shocking revelation, but it did bring up the question that would define the writing and work I was to do the rest of my life.
That question was this – How can you keep that vacation feeling all year long? When you are out shoveling snow in order to go to a job that drains your soul? How about stuck in traffic when you just want to be home with the love of your life. Two song lyrics and a smart ass response from a friend of mine helped provide some answers. The first lyric was from the band Kiss. The lyric was simply “You have to live like you’re on vacation.” While pondering that, I stopped into have lunch where a friend of mine worked. I asked her how her day was going. Her response? “You know. Living the dream right here at the ___”
The other lyric came from Jimmy Buffett, who sadly passed away at the age 76 yesterday. It was the song “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes”. It got me thinking about how different I felt stepping off the plane on a sun-drenched island 🏝 . Why did I feel so different and how can I bring that Attitude home with me? Listening to some of Mr. Buffett’s other songs offered clues to this laid-back beach state of mind.
It was attending a Jimmy Buffett concert that showed how people in the frozen state of Wisconsin kept that tropical state of mind. The parking lot of the concert was turned into a tropical paradise much like my trip to margaritaville, as documented in the picture above. There was people in swimwear. There was swimming pools full of rum drinks. Homemade beach signs and tropical colors everywhere.
Just to investigate further, I made a return trip to Jamaica and created as many memories as I could, including this one with another wonderful couple Margie and I met while we were down there.
The point of this is that we all need an escape. Whether it is writing about it in a song like Jimmy Buffett did, or even just listening to those songs. We need to escape, in whatever fashion we can, to the places that make us happy. It is not a luxury, but a necessity for our sanity.Where is your escape and how do you get there?
Today is my first day back at the day job after 2 weeks of vacation. I enjoyed every day of the Wisconsin State Fair. I made new friends. I created some new opportunities as well as learned some new things. I just realized that is a lot of ‘new’. One of the best discoveries was a new tradition that my lovely Margie and I started. The State Fair opened daily at 10am. As someone who usually gets up at 4am for work, I was usually up with plenty of time to get myself ready and enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee. Margie has started a new workout schedule with her daughter. Can I mention how proud I am of her? This meant she was usually up early as well. We sat on our porch and drank a cup of coffee together. Shared our plans for the day and thoughts that were on our mind. Reflecting on that, it was one of the best parts of my vacation!
As I return to work, I realize that paradise may not be available to me. Being that I leave for work around 420am, I do not see Margie, or myself waking up at 3 to sit on the porch and enjoy a cup of coffee. Another great paradise that occurred happened when I was attending the fair with my mother. It was early and the crowd was still light. The temperature was around 83 degrees. After enjoying a breakfast burrito and pancakes, we got a hot cup of coffee (perfect on a hot summer morning) and a doughnut. New to the fair this year was a shared stand with a local bakery, and my favorite local coffee, Valentine. We took it to the ‘Central Mall’ area of the fair and got a table in the sun. As we got our dose of vitamin D, the band Banana Wind, which neither of us had heard of, began to play. They filled the air with songs of the topics. The sun was shining, the music was tropical, I had my favorite local coffee and a sample of 3 different local doughnuts. In the middle of January, when the temperature falls south of the zero mark, this will not be an option. Actually, it never was an option again, as that band only played that morning.
This post may begin to sound a bit depressing. “Great Neil. You found some amazing experiences and now you can’t do them anymore.” This is true to some extent. This is where asking yourself the question, “How can I use this?” comes into play. There are two words that come to mind – adjust and reflect. I will not be able to sit on the porch every morning and sip coffee with my love. However, I do know that on my days off, that will be something to look forward to! We can also do so when I get home from work.What a better way to unwind? As for the second episode, reflecting on what a great time my mother and I had that day in the sun, will be good to ponder when winter days get me down. It will also be fun to share that memory and reflect together! As I always say, just because you can’t be there physically, doesn’t mean you can’t be there mentally.
How about your life? What are the moments of paradise you have? Is there a way to visit them often? Maybe create a photo album of that vacation to the tropics? You can look through it and take yourself back whenever you need a little escape. How about special times with those you love and care about? It is a must to schedule those into your routine, and do so often. I would love to hear about your paradise and how you go there in your life.
One of the great secrets that I use to make through tough times is taking mini mental vacations. I often tell people that your mind and your body do not have to be in the same place at the same time.
Mini mental vacations can be done in a variety of different ways. You can put on headphones and listen to ocean waves. You can take a short trip to a tanning booth in the middle of winter. You can use some vanilla and coconut essential oils. You could do all 3 at the same time! Having pictures of places you want to visit helps as well. Whatever you can do to take yourself there mentally.
This week, give yourself a mini mental vacation. Take some time to escape from the stress of the work week. It will be good for your health and good for your productivity in the long run.
As you read this, I’m heading back to Wisconsin from Jamaica 🇯🇲. It is a sad day for me as I love the warmth, sun and people of this island. We made many good friends here. We had a few adventures. We ate lots of good food. Most importantly, we made lots of good memories.
The important thing is trying to figure out how to take all of this back home with us. We made friends with another couple who live not far from us and I am going to send them one of my books when I return. We took lots of pictures that will help us recall the fun we had. Margie even bought me a fun matching hat and shirt that I will wear and recall this fun trip.
Like the first picture says, it is what is in your heart that matters most. That is why I feel it is important to have a plan forany major event. Know what you want to take away in your heart. The romantic drawing in the sand has been erased by the tide, but the feeling I had when I saw it coming out of the ocean is fresh in my heart. It is these sort of memories one should include as often as you can in life.
As I write this, I am in vacation in Negril Jamaica. Above is a Latte made by one of the employees here at the resort. It was one of the best I have ever had. As I sat in the large lobby enjoying it, the thought occurred to me that for me, being in the tropics, enjoying a great coffee with the lady I love was close enough to perfect. For a few minutes I sat and just soaked it all in.
This is the view from where we ate lunch. Another moment of soaking itall in. You never know when life, or even your vacation, can go sideways. You need to have these moments of peace and perfection to fall back on. Make sure you soak in the beauty of as many moments in life as you can. Until next time my friends, keep Living your amazing life. 😀
SECRET 2 AN AMAZING LIFE 