What I Learned on My Winter Vacation

There’s something about time away from your day to day routine that seriously pulls you out of your head space and deeper into meaningful reflection. Have you noticed that? It’s like having an aerial view of your life from the clouds. For a myriad of reasons, I’ve had quite a bit of personal travel lately and it’s radically shifted my work in the world and the legacy I want to leave. I’m grateful to have spent time recently both with people who made me feel powerful and appreciated as well as others who (hopefully unintentionally) belittled my feelings and minimized my contributions. Having to process such a quantum range of emotions has shed some serious insight into how I want to make sure I’m showing up for my clients and loved ones in the new year. It also helped me redefine how I measure success for myself, while allowing others to measure their own. Here’s the fresh awareness that will inspire my 2019:

1. I’ve learned people don’t need tough love, they need deeper love, combined with good tools – and a side of encouragement…hold the judgment.
2. I’ve learned despite my coach training, living your best life doesn’t have to involve a strategic plan or reading a self-help book a week. It comes mostly from knowing you’re not broken in the first place. Everything else is just icing.
3. I’ve learned the most pressing need for the majority of people on the planet right now is just some relief from the chaos and anger of this past year. They don’t need to up-level their lives so much as they just want to be able to exhale and experience some authentic peace of mind for a little while.
4. I’ve learned a change of venue is not an escape from your thoughts. Not having access to your busy-ness amplifies whatever’s rolling around in your cranium and the emotions attached to them. Leverage that time to check yourself for accuracy and purge any beliefs that endanger your happiness.
5. I’ve learned, at the end of it all, your opinion about the quality of your life is the only one that truly matters. Whether you give too much, or laugh too loud, or miss an opportunity or suffer too long – it’s yours to decide if that’s a problem, not anyone else. We’re all on a journey of our own doing and growing at our own pace.        

In 2019, I will choose more often to live and let live. At one point or another, we’ve all made our existence more difficult than it needs to be. Ideally, lessons learned. In the new year, I will focus on facilitating relief, releasing resistance and creating more bliss in the form of life simplification. I actually think I’ll take less vacations and create space for more peace in my own back yard.