Definition: A vacation or holiday is a specific trip or journey, usually for the purpose of recreation or tourism. People often take a vacation during specific holiday observances, or for specific festivals or celebrations. Vacations are often spent with friends or family.
The word vacation comes from a Latin root meaning “freedom or release from something.”
I just returned from vacation. It was good. As I may have mentioned before, sometimes I try to think from the end with the desired result in mind.
A few months ago when I knew we’d be going on this trip with other family members, I created my vision to be custom fit for the trip. In my vision I talked about ‘sitting on the veranda of a nice beach house with loved ones, that support me, inside that house….” On this trip we did have a really cool porch and the house was filled with loved ones who support me. Some of the things I wanted to accomplish/happen also did take place, so at least in some ways I was able to realize my vision. I encourage you to try it. It was cool.
When you take vacation, do you feel “freedom or release from something”? Is vacation empowering to you? Or do you need to recover from vacation?
Like the photo shows, vacation can be a time to ponder. I often am tough on myself and I want more free time, more success, more time with my family and I don’t give myself credit for the improvements I’ve made. Do you do that?
I typically need to remind myself to enjoy the moment, enjoy the present. Heck, this is vacation, this is what we’ve been waiting all year for.
Vacation used to be a hedonistic ritual for me years ago- maybe I wasn’t as bad as some but I typically overate, drank too much, and did little activity. I was glad that on this vacation I ate better, behaved better, exercised more.
Is your vacation really a relaxing retreat that refreshes your body and mind?
Why is vacation a Word to Live By? I believe vacation is something we all need – to recharge, reconnect with family/friends/life/nature. Often we get tied up in the quest for fun, food, tourism, travel, spending money. Vacation – if done right – can enrich our lives, improve us, and allow us to move on in a better manner.
Is your vacation full of things / moments that enrich and inspire you?
It is a time to reflect and regroup – to plan out the next step. I like to use it to create a new vision, to think from the end with something new in mind or better address the current vision with a new life and perspective.
This time, my wife and daughters and I are going to build a vision together. We’re going to build a story and think from the end and then work towards that unified vision together. I’ve never done it before but I’m excited. We picked a point in time and we’ll be looking back at the improvements, happiness and accomplishments together. I am truly excited.
When we return from vacation, sometimes it is tough to get back to work, isn’t it? I felt the same way. Plus, I love spending time with my girls and soon school starts. I feel a little sad about that – and that time is going fast. But that is all me – my interpretation of the moment.
We planned this vacation for months, we were excited, we went had a great time, and my one reaction was to be sad, regretful, let down. Upon further examination, I understand that this is not what I’m really sad or upset about. First, I allow myself to feel this way. Second, I feel angst and worry over things I’m concerned about in the future.
How do you handle your feelings? Do you live in the moment?
None of those above thoughts help, do they? None of those beliefs empower me. So, with my visions, with my affirmations, with enthusiasm I continue to focus on the present and what I want, what I am excited about, and what action I can take right now.
In my opinion, a vacation is one of the best examples of why we need to live in the present: live in the moment because it too will be gone. Enjoy, be happy, love one another, live, do and laugh. Maybe that’s the best lesson about vacation that I can pass along.
I’d like to leave you with a quote from Wayne Dyer on vacation:
On vacation, you are free from your regular routine; your time is empty or vacant and you can fill it with something new that will heal and inspire you. A great way to move forward in your life is to use your vacation or release time to practice facing your habitual fears and the limiting behaviors they create. You can take a vacation anywhere—to a new neighborhood, a new city, or a new country—and simply be a new you who is flexible and flowing and tries new things. Take a vacation without any guarantees—just go, and let yourself be guided by your instincts rather than a detailed itinerary. Eat at a restaurant that serves food you are unfamiliar with, attend a ballet or a soccer game, visit a mosque, take a yoga class, go on a nature hike, or do anything else that you may have been afraid of. Decide to outgrow the excuses you’ve employed, and adopt a philosophy of having a mind that’s open to everything and attached to nothing.
Affirm:
I choose the less-traveled path and resist seeking out familiarity and an illusion of security.
-Dr. Wayne Dyer
(This is one of a part of a series of WORDS TO LIVE BY. This series grew out of a workbook I first made for my young daughters and discussed at the dinner table. These Words include values, good ideas, and Words to aspire to….and learn from….enjoy!)
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