Saturday, December 20, 2008

The Two Hour Vacation

I was filling in for a COO on maternity leave and her staff were complaining about the loss of personal time, fun, playfulness, and enjoyment in their lives. I encouraged them to take a 2-hour vacation. Later, I heard back from their boss that I had told them all to leave work at 3:00pm every day. Oh well. Actually, it would probably improve productivity the rest of the week.

So, what’s your 2-hour vacation?

Try wearing your favorite clothes (nicest, most stylish, comfortable, the ones that make you feel good), to do something recreational (artistic, playful, adventurous, fun, explorational, out-of-the-ordinary) at a place you’ve never been (or at least don’t go to very often), with yourself or those you like to be with.

I was a recreation major back in the day. And, over the years I have buried that under “Executive”, “Director”, “Dad”, and all kinds of other labels in life. What I’ve come to learn is the world needs more people who know how to recreate well! I’ve been practicing the last couple of years, learned a lot, and it’s time to put it out there for the benefit of others.

All of us are worth the good stuff. It is how we connect with our Creator. We are wired to be joyful. Not just happy in the moment, but full of joy no matter what the circumstances. And, as we experience joy, we bring that to the world in ways that serve all.

Our joy comes when we connect to our genius or essence… that moment when we say to ourselves and the world “This is me and it’s good!”… When I was learning how to lead games or construct tournament ladders who knew that what I was really learning was that as we were created joyfully, we can and will be re-created as we experience joy. So, take two hours and get playful. Recreate and bring joy… Joy to the World.

What would guide your steps in a gap year?

In March of this year I decided to end all of my current work and take a gap year in 2024.  It’s been a process of letting go, handing off, ...