What are you waiting for, take time off anyway! I finally had to get to this place in my mind this week, more specifically, today.
I opened my email box and I had an email from HBR (Harvard Business Review) and the first article was about how to ask for time off during this time with remote work, etc. It was perfect timing because in our house lately, we have both been saying “I need a vacation!”
The problem is that I haven’t been allowing myself to think about taking a vacation. And here’s why. I LOVE vacations! I love to travel, go see the world, learn the history of a place (I double majored in undergrad and got a degree in history so I am one of those nerds!), stand in a spot people stood in thousands of years before me and envision what they saw and how they felt, and essentially just experience the world. I also love to go to places like Disney and be a kid again and buy huge servings of snacks and spoil the kids. Bottom line, there isn’t a vacation I’m going to say no to.
Not only do I enjoy the experiences, I use vacations in my life as a reward for hitting milestones in my life, be it personal or in business. So the fact that I haven’t planned one recently means I don’t have a lot to reward myself with right now. And that has been a struggle.
The problem though, quite honestly, is that “vacation” to me is leaving my home, especially at this point when I feel like I have been trapped in my home for months. And since I can’t really travel anywhere, I keep asking myself, “what’s the point?” Yes, my villain is winning on this one a little bit, I have to admit.
I’m in a place mentally, because the world has changed and I am trying to adjust to those changes within my business, that I don’t feel like I need to take time off. I sort of tell myself something like this:
“I can’t go anywhere so why not just spend this time getting Legend 100% on track?” In other words, I sort of convince myself that because I I can’t travel anywhere, I don’t need to take time off or reward myself by taking some time away from work.
Talk about the villain trying to sabotage my life, right? Wow!
After reading that headline and checking out a few bits of the article, it struck me that I am looking at this wrong. I can’t tie time off solely to vacations. I can easily take a Friday and a Monday off and just put the computer and phone away. I can go in the backyard and hang out at the pool, enjoying the sun and the fresh air, still social distancing, but take that mental break that we all need and deserve.
So I have now convinced myself that I need to take time off anyway. It won’t be a waste. My mental health is worth it. And part of me creating my Legendary Life is unplugging, taking time away, recharging myself so I can come back and be even more creative. So take that, villain! 👊
If you have been convincing yourself that you don’t need to take time off, even though your body and your brain are telling you you need a little time away, listen to yourself, your true self, and not your inner villain. Take breaks. Take time away. Get some fresh air. Recharge. Reconnect. That is a huge part of creating and living your Legendary Life.
Be Legendary!