Have you caught yourself saying the line above over and over again? I have. Anytime I catch myself saying those words, I go on a vacation. You can too. You’re probably saying, “I can’t afford to go on a vacation.” Or, you might be saying, “I don’t have the time to take a vacation.” You’re also thinking, “Frank must have a lot of money.” The answers are simple. Yes, you can afford a vacation. Yes, you have the time to take a vacation. You don’t need a lot of money, but you need to know the meaning of the word vacation.
Life is a wonderful thing. It is something to enjoy. You can spend it all working. You need time to recharge your battery. You need time to turn your brain off and enjoy yourself. This is why people flock to comedy films at the movie theater. Critics will give poor reviews to silly and childish movies. The very same movies will be the most popular movie of the year. Why is that? People need recreation. People need time to de-stress their bodies and minds.
The human body is an amazing machine. As with any machine, it can be overworked, over used and over stressed. You can give it brief or extended periods of time off. Some people think extended time off is the only way – this is not true. A brief break can do wonders for your body.
I asked what you do to enjoy life. Did you write them down? I am sure that there are activities on your list that cost money. I am betting that there a few that don’t cost money. This means that you can afford to take a vacation. Any period of time can be a vacation. People have just been programmed to think a vacation has to last several days. People believe you can only call it a vacation when you leave town. Time in the park reading a book can be classified as a vacation. It’s recreation. It’s time from work. It’s something you can do to enjoy life.
This is where you say, “I don’t have time to read a book.” You also say, “I don’t have time to take a vacation.” Wrong and wrong! First, you’re reading this book. Thank you! Second, you make time for what you want. Stop using the excuse, “I’m too busy.” Busy means something else is more important. Anything you find important you have to make time for. Just like a long vacation, you need to write short vacation times on your calendar. When you write vacation on your calendar, everything gets put on hold. Your vacation is important and you have made time for it. Give yourself a daily vacation. Even if it’s only for a few minutes, it will be good for you and your health.
Going on a vacation puts you in a positive mental state. The moment you begin your vacation, everything about you is positive. You smile more. Your body language is out of this world. Your confidence is sky high. You are relaxed and ready to enjoy yourself. Wouldn’t that mindset and feeling be great to have all the time? You can have it – just by changing your mindset.
You have to recognize that you need to take time to enjoy yourself, no matter how short or long the period of time. You must realize that this is the true definition of a vacation. You need to acknowledge that you don’t need a lot of money to take a vacation. There are countless forms of recreational activities you can do that cost little or no money. Finally, you have to establish set times for you to vacation. Once you put something on your calendar, your mindset changes. Vacations are important to you. Once you’re on vacation, it’s the only thing you are thinking about. You’re not thinking about work. You’re not thinking about the stresses of your life. You’re just enjoying yourself.
Happy vacationing. Feel free to send me pictures of you on your vacation. It will make your vacation feel more real and I’ll be excited to see you enjoying yourself.
