I just returned from a 10 day vacation in Costa Rica. I got to do all sorts of great things - ziplines through the rainforest canopy, swimming at the base of waterfalls, deserted beaches, hikes through the forest, crazy creatures at every turn. It was awesome!
When you leave all your possessions behind and throw on a backpack, it is liberating. No cell phone, no blackberry, no email, no watches, nothing to manage. Just a solid element of simplicity. Am I hungry? Do I need a beer? What do I want to do now? This is why I am always suggesting that people maximize their vacation.
It was one thing for me to leave some of my complication behind. But visiting with the locals, seeing what they own, what they operate with each day, is something else. The average Costa Rican makes between $350 and $400 USD per month. Not exactly enough to buy a new laptop each year or a Starbucks coffee each day. Yet they are the happiest people. They are well-educated and gracious, good spirited and helpful. They generally have less to manage, which from my perspective, makes life easier and more enjoyable.
This puts the amount of complication we allow into our lives into perspective. I tend to have a lot of complication - 5 companies, a home, a car, rental properties, friends, yoga, hockey, family, piano lessons, etc. Sometimes it's a race to see if I can fill all the hours in a week.
I sat and read for hours on vacation and loved it - a fictional novel no less! I tell clients this all the time - take more time to read. Take more time to have a coffee or just sit. Take more time to do something you love.
If you narrow down what you love to do and put that ahead of all your complications, life is better. My opinion of course. I just found that taking some time each day since I returned to read more, to enjoy a coffee with a walk or even just to take a cellphone/email timeout, keeps life simpler and richer. I encourage you to make a list of all the things that are responsibilities of yours. Once you start to list your responsibilities over a week, you realize how many you have. Too many for most of us. So now start to plan into your week - breaks and time to do things you love doing. If you don't make it part of your schedule to do things you love and that simplify your life, you will never get to them.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Keeping It Simple is Key
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Make Adventure Part of Every Day
I have a friend that has all these dreams of traveling, being a rock star, being famous, being thin, being rich, being a community leader. Unfortunately, she doesn't do anything out of her routine to create these things. Are you waiting for some outside source to create your ideal life or your ideal day? I hope not. That is your job!
Every day we have small opportunities to move towards new things, new experiences and innovations to get you to that better life. How often are you sticking with your routine? Now, don't get me wrong, I love my routine too. In fact, I think some routine and comfort make sense, but I also believe that shaking it up at least once a day is critical.
The progression is gradual for people I have seen creating change:
- People start to look for little ways to improve or innovate their daily lives - eat at a new lunch place, improve their office so they love it, drink from a coffee mug that inspires them (okay, that's me).
- They soon realize that these little changes feel good, so they start to get a little bolder - a weekend away, a dream item (camera, perfume, whatever), a big vacation that is different than the one they take every year, a belief that they can get a better and more exciting job.
- Finally, they start to move towards knowing that the dream life, the rock star life that they've always wanted, is a possibility too. It just needs to be pursued.
Need help taking those first steps to experiencing adventure and generating change in your life? Watch for the release of my newest program, "Creating Adventure to Create Results." I will be hosting a free teleseminar to get you started on your own exciting journey. Coming this June!
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Your Ideal Day
I had asked someone last Monday, how was your weekend? They responded, like many of us, that is was fine, good. Then they matter-of-factly threw out something that I thought was interesting. They said it wasn't their ideal weekend. That got my attention, so I asked them to describe their ideal weekend. They looked at me like I had two heads ... "what?!" I repeated the question. They said, "well I don't know; I guess it involves skiing or sleeping in." My response? "Why not both?!"
This conversation led me to think about what my ideal weekend looks like. It would have to include a steak dinner, sunshine, a massage, friends and family time, a great workout, maybe travel, intimacy, a little adventure or something new. Funny how I have a weekend 52 times a year and never really thought about what might formulate ideal. What if I consciously planned out my weekend at the start of every week, as a Monday morning plan ... would it be more fulfilling? I know so.
How many times does the weekend come when we are exhausted from the week and just glad its over? How many weekends do we spend doing the same routine because it never occurs to us to change it up or think about breaking the mould? Maybe you just love doing laundry and fighting the crowds at the grocery store on Saturday afternoons. As I have talked to people over the last 2 weeks, it has become apparent that most of us miss opportunities every week to make Saturday and Sunday a little more rewarding.
So now I am mapping out a couple of different scenarios for what makes a weekend great for me. Now I can plan one out and see what the result is. My gut tells me there is no way it can't be more fun, more fulfilling and more rewarding. Take my challenge and try it. See if consciously planning out a weekend doesn't add to your life.
