Taking A Break

Vacations provide a needed break from work, and a chance to kick back and have some fun. Time off can also be an opportunity to explore another side of who we are -- important, because what can ultimately become draining about our work-life is the routine we get into of doing what we always do, being who we always expect ourselves to be, seeing the world through the same paradigms as the day before, and the day before that. 

Having just returned from a 10-day break which included a week at Kripalu , a well-known center for yoga and wellness in Great Barrington, MA, I can enthusiastically recommend the value of taking time off to do something  ... a little out there (more about that, below).

Here's to making sure we all take that needed break this summer, so that September finds us refreshed and renewed. 

DISCOVER WHO ELSE YOU ARE, BESIDES THE PERSON WHO DOES A GREAT JOB AT WORK

Here are three very different kinds of summer vacation experiences I have had in the past 7 years - and important lessons I learned from them about myself. 

1. I am fearless. Well, not exactly. But what I came to understand from the summers I spent learning to rock climb in the Adirondacks is that I have a lot more courage and ability to go beyond my own fears than I imagined. Joining a group of 18-year-olds to climb a 100-foot rock wall, and having to swallow my need to be "one of the best" (when I was clearly going to be among the slowest and most hesitant) reminded me that I do have the courage to take risks, and possibly fail. Repelling backwards off that same 100-foot cliff when every bit of instinct was hollering "you are going to die!" made it clear that there are far scarier things than having to deal with losing a big client, or not being sure where your next project is coming from. Being able to take that "leap of faith" made it easier to take others. 

2. I am creative. For two summers, I spent a week at a farm learning to weave. I had forgotten how much I love color, texture, and making something that is simple and useful. And I reconnected with how important it is to me to be part of a fellowship of others with similar interests, and how that fellowship can rise above any number of differences in how old you are, where you are from, how much money you make. In the end, it is more important than any of those things.

3. I can surprise myself. Who would have thought I'd be interested in Shamanism? Or that these teachings would contain so much that resonate with the kind of work I do as a business coach? This summer I spent a week practicing yoga and studying The Jaguar Path , with teacher and healer Ray Crist, at Kripalu. I signed up for the class almost on a whim, but discovered that this more holistic view of the world really makes sense to me. To my surprise I came away with some very practical tools for making myself more effective at what I do, and helping my clients do the same. In addition, I am a little more grounded, focused, and calm as I confront the challenges of every day. And consider this - how many business coaches do you know with their own magic rattle?