Daily Inspiration 10-12-18

"Don't stop your vacation 

because you think 

you have to go back to work." 

-- Alan Cohen 

[Classic post from 8-30-14]

I live two miles from Interstate 80 in Fairfield, one of the busiest corridors in northern California between the San Francisco Bay area and Sacramento. Certain times of the day or week it gets very busy. This is especially true for typical Friday evenings after 3pm, but a holiday weekend like this Labor Day, the eastbound direction looks more like a 5-lane parking lot as it did yesterday and it began early in the day before noon and was still going strong after 6pm. Maybe I should have said creeping strong.

Anyway, as I drove over the freeway a couple of times yesterday and saw this spectacle, I wondered why someone wants to get into that flow. I thought, wouldn't it be better to create your own weekend and forget about all that traffic and stress? That's right, make your own Labor Day 3-day weekend next week, or the week after, or August or October. Heck, since you're choosing, it could be any time you like. How about spur-of-the-moment? There's nothing like a spontaneous 3-day getaway. Who says the government needs to agree with you as to when you get a 3-day weekend? Who's in charge, anyway?

Then I thought that if you like the feeling of being on a vacation, why not have that feeling more often? How about any time you dang well feel like it? How about every weekend? Better yet, how about all week long? That feeling, after all, is not a physical thing, but a mental thing. Rather than allowing the calendar to create the feeling, just decide to have that vacation feeling all the time.

A year ago, I became a Tommy Bahama guy. I've always loved Hawaiian style shirts and have owned a number of them, but never the quality of the Tommy Bahama. I wear them all year long. I now have quite a number of them and whether I am wearing nice slacks and good shoes, or shorts and flip-flops, they help me to be a little unique, and more important to me, they help me to feel as if I am on vacation even when I am working, helping clients, teaching classes, whatever. It's just fun for me. Now keep in mind that not all of these wonderful shirts are flowered, but they fit and feel the same so I can look more dressed up or down as my choice.

I love this quote by Deepak Chopra: "The most creative act you will ever undertake is the act of creating yourself." This is our life and we do get to create it any way we want.

When you get back to work after this holiday weekend, consider the words of Seth Godin: "If we can fall in love with serving people, creating value, solving problems, building valuable connections and doing work that matters, it makes it far more likely we're going to do important work." And, I would add that it will feel more like a fun vacation too.

[Update 10-12-18. As I'm posting favorite posts from a few years ago that speak as much value and truth today as then, I thought I would add this little personal note. Considering the Hawaiian shirt reference and my ongoing preference for them, I have found myself living in Lahaina, Hawaii on the island of Maui. Who knew? I'm still enjoying my vacation which was then as it is now, my work life too! Aloha! All my blessings to you and your joy.]


Have A Great Vacation! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by deciding to feel good as often and as much as possible. Find better and better feeling thoughts until you find joy.