The problem with breaks and vacations…

They end.  And no matter how great a break or a vacation can feel, eventually you get more and more aware of how little time is left.  Then you’re back in your normal life.  Doing your normal work.  Usually, whatever life felt like before you went on break is what it feels like a day or two back into it.   And if it doesn’t feel good - then what?  My strategy for many years was:  start thinking about the next break.  

I’m not judging that or questioning the value of time off from work.  I love a good escape.  But let’s also make room for curiosity.  For myself, I hit a wall a few years ago and got curious why I felt like I needed to escape my normal life.  What was I searching for in my finite number of “vacation days” that I wasn’t getting by simply being alive the other hundreds of days a year?

In almost every intensive we do, we ask people to remember a time in their lives that they felt total satisfaction with the present moment.  Frequently people talk about a moment they had on vacation.  Is that because we can only be happy on the beach?  Or is there something about time away or “off” that gives us permission to be truly present to the moment;  that gives us permission to think about what our bodies need, what feels good and right, and lets us follow our impulses to be connected to others and to nature.

In our intensives, our actors help us explore what it would feel like to do those same things at work – to see what it feels like to be deeply present, in tune with our bodies and hearts, and connected to ourselves and others at a deeper level – even when we’re in the middle of a seemingly tense and dysfunctional team meeting.  

So I truly hope that all the incredible leaders we work with have a fulfilling and joyful break over the holidays.  Enjoying a break doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with your life.  And there may be an opportunity to use some of that time or space to get curious about what’s working – and not working - for you in your normal day-to-day.  And whatever date you return to work, maybe that’s the first day that you start giving yourself permission to experience that work differently.  And be even more alive in it.