If you lie on a beach, you'll come back with a tan guaranteed to fade. But use your vacation to learn something new, and you could change your life.
A client of mine was struggling with the hard choice of giving up something he had trained for -- being a lawyer -- for something close to his heart -- starting a newspaper in Santa Fe. I urged him to use his already planned vacation to explore his new venture right there.
Here was his assignment: use his holiday to set up the paper. Imagine what he would do if he were actually investing in that magical place. Meet as many people as he could -- in the Chamber of Commerce, real estate agents, newspaper staffs, chefs, museum directors, artists. Introduce himself and express his interest in their projects. Have his meetings and interviews on their sites and in restaurants over delicious meals.
When he returned, he told me that he was sure that starting a newspaper was an appropriate goal. He was surprised that everyone received him so well and, in turn, he learned so much about them. The process was thrilling as he realized that it was possible to meet people who would open doors. This experience gave him confidence that it can be done. However, he recognized that he needed the expanse of a bigger city to live and work in. Only after his return could he know how important this vacation was to developing his success skills.
Vacations can revitalize and recharge you. For example, you can learn more about your body through yoga retreats, meditation, hiking/exploration. You can find release from an addiction in two- week or month-long conference. You can learn a language by immersion, living with a family in Paris or San Miguel. Learn tango in Buenos Aires. Sign up for jazz on a Miami cruise. Develop your own photography in Taos. Join the Fern Society and travel to Oaxaca, keeping a journal like Oliver Sachs. Find specific tour groups on-line offered by alumni groups to Laos, study groups in Jerusalem, adventure groups focused on topics you want to learn about -- architecture, history, arts and crafts, technology.
If you feel stuck with your current life, sign up for volunteer-based vacations like Habitat for Humanity. Or join the Peace Corps, at any age, for your own sabbatical. Working with a team, you will become engaged by doing something extraordinary for others, which will, in turn, make you feel extraordinary, raising your own expectations for yourself.
If you are already set to go to another country and want more than just acting like most tourists, start to collect something. I began a button collection traveling through Europe; small and cheap, buttons gave me a place to start in each city which, in turn, led me to special and unique people and places.
If your annual trip is an obligatory family vacation or reunion, transform it into a mosaic in which everyone in the family participates. Turn your family into committees responsible for choosing hotels, meals, activities, shopping, histories, museums. Plan for a daily emotional check-in to share high points of the day, no matter where you are -- on a cruise or camping, on the beach or in a city. Collect your experiences in a special way. And don't forget yourself; make time even if it's just for an hour a day to explore the things you enjoy -- reading, drawing, surfing. Or take advantage of your time to become proficient on your computer. If you have been a beginner many times, use your vacation to try out becoming a master in something you already know. You will be surprised at what mastery opens you up to.
When your vacation comes and you find yourself stuck at home, turn your own city into a tourist destination. Learn about it, even sign up to serve as a guide or docent. Visit museums, restaurants, historical sites, those nearby and those on the other side of your city, just a gas-tank away. Use your time to tackle a project you've been wanting to do -- reorganize your closets, start a garden, research your family genealogy. Volunteer to help ameliorate a troubling problem or to explore a field you'd like to enter.
When was the last time you felt goosebumps at your own possibilities? It just might be this summer.
Make your luck happen!