How to Give Your Business the Upswing it Needs to Soar: Take a Vacation!
Summer is just around the corner and I have vacation on my mind. My husband and I are leaving for a romantic adventure to Prague, Montenegro and Paris. You might be thinking, “Allison, how can you do all that you do, and take time away?” The truth is, I would not be able to accomplish as much as I do, if I did not take vacations. I realize this is counter-intuitive, however, it has been proven that taking time away from work and daily responsibilities is one of the best things you can do for your business, your health, your sanity and your creativity. Coming from a self-proclaimed life-a-holic that loves her work, her marriage, her family and her fun (not necessarily in that order), I have found that the more time I take away from the office, the more inventive, inspired and jazzed about my work I become.
I know the feeling. Work is piling up on my desk, there are phone calls to return, e-mails to respond to, Facebook posts to make. I love it all and feel very blessed to live my calling and work with the most fabulous clients on the planet. However, there comes a time every few months where my brain hits overload status. And I mean overload. I used to wait until I hit the proverbial wall to realize I was beyond my deadline for a vacation. Not anymore.
Now I plan ahead and I use my time away as a life and business booster. Why? Because I have found that my most brilliant business ideas for myself and my clients are born when I am on vacation.
Here are some examples:
My light bulb moment to invent my life planning and goal setting software, Interactive Life Coach came to me while vacationing in Laguna Beach, CA.
- Solutions to my most complicated homeopathic cases often come to me thousands of feet up in the air as I am flying to some far away (usually tropical) destination.
- My inspiration to the conclusion to my book, Blast Off!, came to me while walking on the beach with my husband.
- The idea to create my latest business, AllieLorCollections.com was inspired by a trip to Florence, Italy.
What is the reasoning for these vacation ‘aha moments? When you are at work, you are busy doing, responding, tasking, detailing, analyzing and communicating. If you are very focused in your activities, all of your senses are firing and being utilized to the max. When you are away from your daily business at hand, your body and mind will begin to relax and unwind. And once you have had a chance to decompress, your mind is open and thoughts are now free to let go, explore and create.
Have any of you had a brilliant idea or solved one of your most pressing conflicts while taking a shower? This is because you are feeling relaxed from the hot water, and in many cases, you are experiencing a rare several minutes of undisturbed quiet time.
They say necessity is the mother of invention and I say, “creativity is the goddess of reinvention.” Doing things the same way every day, year after year is not going to yield you much positive change. If you are spinning your wheels, and in dire need of a recharge or inspiration burst in your life or business, you have my blessing to take a vacation, even if it is just for a few days.
Pushing yourself to birth new ideas is about as fruitful as trying hard to have a baby. It is When we let go and allowing the fertility and ingenuity to be born, the clarity always comes.
So go to that cooking seminar you have been dreaming of, dance in the moonlight or head to where the wind calls you. Follow your passion and go have some fun! You deserve it. It may just be the most prosperous thing you do for yourself all year long.