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Picture yourself in the Caribbean, relaxing in a beach chair while enjoying the most extraordinary view of the endless coean with the man you love beside you, a gentle breeze kissing your face, not a care in the world.
Sounds heavenly doesn’t it?
That’s EXACTLY the picture I’d had in my head for weeks leading up to The Hubs’ and my trip to Grand Cayman.
In the 6 years we’ve been together, travel has been an integral part of our relationship. We LOVE adventure. And we’ve had the most extraordinary adventures together, taking off for New Zealand for 3 months while I wrote my second book, spending a month in a lovely rented apartment on Rue St. Antoine in The Marais district of Paris on our honeymoon, exploring Spain and discovering the world’s best tapas, becoming Malbec and beef connoisseurs in Argentina.
Travel and adventure are in our blood.
After the whirlwind 6 months we’ve both enjoyed in our businesses, we decided to slow it down and have our first relaxing vacation this summer.
After doing some research, we decided on Grand Cayman in the Caribbean.
Booked the luxury hotel. Secured our first class seats. And made all the arrangements for our lives and business to run smoothly without us while we enjoyed 9 days of sun, fun, surf, and play.
Imagine the shock and disappointment when we arrived at LAX 2 Fridays ago, only to realize The Hubs’ passport had expired 3 months ago.
Mind you, this is a man who travels for work 20+ weeks a year. He makes all his own travel arrangements and NEVER misses a flight.
So we were both a little stunned by his oversight.
And that’s when it hit us — without a valid passport, there’s no way The Hubs could leave the country.
So much for that relaxing and romantic vacation!
But wait…
Thanks to some quick thinking, we didn’t cancel our trip. We just changed destinations. And within a few hours of realizing our Grand Cayman adventure was not meant to be, we had first class tickets and hotel and spa reservations at a hotel on Waikiki.
Woohoo!
Having just returned from said relaxing vacation, I’m happy to report that a good time was had by all. Somewhere between doing morning yoga on the beach, getting Lomi Lomi massages and facials, snorkeling in the ocean, and sipping mai tais under the beautiful Banyan tree at our exquisite hotel listening to live music, I realized something. While this vacation was purely relaxation, the lessons I learned could be applied to business.
Here’s a snapshot of the lessons I learned while on my summer vacation…
1. Financial Freedom Is Priceless
Not to get all Mastercard on you, but being financially free really IS priceless. In the last four years of my business, I’ve easily invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in my business development. And for YEARS, I was so consumed with business debt or looming payments to business coaches, publicists, and other big ticket items that I felt like a rat on a treadmill, forced to keep running just to stay in the game. Even once I broke the 6 figure barrier, everything I made was still going right back into my business and I was once again BROKE. One day my husband looked at my business model and suggested there was a better way. In working with Julie Steelman on my Bankability, I discovered the value of making MORE money than I need. This vacation, The Hubs and I didn’t even bat an eye at the additional fees we incurred for changing flights and hotels. We didn’t flinch at the spa prices, booking several treatments for ourselves over the 9 days we were there. And while the sushi bill at Nobu initially made me gasp, I happily treated The Hubs to a night on the town, knowing I can afford it. That’s value of not just breaking even, but being financially free. PRICELESS.
2. Be Willing To Change Directions On A Dime
As a business owner, do you have a clear vision in your head of how you want things to happen in your business? While having a vision is key to your success, being willing to be flexible with that vision is ESSENTIAL. If I’d insisted we go to The Caribbean or go home, guess what? I would have spent my summer vacation on the couch, feeling VERY pissed off. Instead, both The Hubs and I were willing to change directions on a dime and be flexible with the outcome. What can you be more flexible about in your business? If something’s not working, instead of beating yourself up or feeling like a failure, what can YOU do to change directions on a dime and change the outcome?
3. Carefully Select and Nurture Your Partnerships
I’ll be honest. In any other relationship I’ve ever been in, an expired passport would have been cause for a big blowup fight, a breakup, or at least several months of The Blame Game. Fortunately, I chose my husband very carefully. We’ve found we can laugh through almost anything. And what we can’t laugh at, we find a fair resolution to. So while I was disappointed in his expired passport, I never blamed or judged The Hubs. Instead, we sought out a solution. In your personal and professional partnerships, are you playing fair and bringing out the best in each other, or do you struggle to see eye to eye and often secretly sabotage one another’s success? Now’s a good time to take a look at the partnerships you’ve created and see what YOU can do to make them better.
4. Stop Forcing/Start Surrendering
I admit it. I’m a control freak. And in the past, I would have spent a good 3 days obsessing about the good time we COULD HAVE BEEN HAVING in Grand Cayman rather than immediately surrendering to the pure pleasure of floating on a blow up raft in the ocean off Waikiki Beach, giving thanks for the change in plans. What can you STOP forcing in your life or business and START surrendering to that will make your life a whole lot easier? Is it time to step away from the computer and get outside in nature, trusting you’ve done ENOUGH for the day and can get better results from nurturing yourself (rather than being that slave driver you usually are)? What if you STOPPED doing what’s NOT working and STARTED taking different actions to get a different result?
5. Trust What’s Happening
I’m not saying that going to the Caribbean would have been a HUGE mistake. I bet The Hubs and I would have had an AMAZING time there, too. But I’ve found that trusting what’s happening in your life and business is far easier and more productive than questioning every move you make. Once upon a time (also known as my 20s and early 30s), I’d question WHY things didn’t work out with a guy every time we’d break up or he wouldn’t call again. Deep down, I always knew these guys weren’t right for me, but I wasn’t willing to TRUST what was happening and ended up causing myself a lot of grief and unnecessary heartache. Once The Hubs showed up, everything made sense. And I was thankful none of those other relationships had lasted any longer than they did. What’s happening in your life and business that would make more sense if you simply trusted everything was working out for the best?
6. Take Time Off (Even When You Think You Can’t Afford To)
I have a confession to make. I WORKED during my honeymoon in Paris. In the last 5 years of my business, I’ve taken a lot of fabulous vacations and I’ve worked through them ALL. Either I’ve been writing a book on a deadline or working with clients via Skype or updating my blog on a daily basis, I have never separated work and play because I love both parts of my life. However, I realized that while I love my business AND my life, the two do not have to be inextricably linked. AND…drum roll please…I might actually serve my clients BETTER by taking some time OFF. That’s why I declared that this vacation would be a total digital detox. That meant no phone, email, texting, or Facebook for 9 days. Gulp! While I was excited by the idea, I was also a little terrified. I worried, Would my business SUFFER as a result? Would anyone CARE when I returned? Setting my fears aside, I embarked on my 9 day digital detox and LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT. Somewhere between downward dog while listening to the rhythm of the ocean and getting all my cares massaged away at the spa, I realized that life and business will go on — and may actually improve – when you take time away from them. PLUS, when you’ve mastered your rock star social brand, unlocked the secrets of creating conscious clamor, and live in the Clamor Zone™, you can make a difference AND make money while you’re away. (I actually made money during my digital detox!)
So there you have it. The 6 lessons I learned on my summer vacation. What lessons are YOU learning this summer that will forever change how you do business? Share your comments here.
