Summary:
When you are striving to get ahead, putting in the extra effort and hours required to achieve your goals and create the future that you have envisioned, it can get extremely hectic.
As part of your overall planning and goal setting, it is also important to occasionally reward yourself with some downtime or real time away. This will allow you to recharge your energy, clear your mind and gain perspective on things, so that you come back reinvigorated and ready to create your future.
If you are going all out, being highly productive and possibly creating a business that will provide you with the additional cash flow you require to begin investing and attaining multi-millionaire status, then you will also occasionally need time to recharge.
Don’t think of this as being self-indulgent. It is critical that you set aside time for yourself to do something that you truly enjoy. Doing so will allow you to gain perspective and be more productive when you return.
It’s important that you are actually scheduling your downtime, just as you do with the tasks and goals that are moving you forward. Sticking to a schedule is crucial to accomplishing goals and creating the life you want, and time to recharge should be a part of this schedule.
Scheduling ensures that you can actually enjoy yourself and feel good about taking time out, rather than feeling anxious or guilty about taking unscheduled breaks. Scheduling also means knowing that the break is time limited, which will help you to stay on track when taking a breaks, so that you return to your daily tasks refreshed, reenergized and feeling good about your time off.
You don’t have to take an elaborate or expensive vacation. It may just be a matter of getting away for a long weekend to a place where you can truly feel relaxed and able to unplug from your hectic pace. You should also schedule occasional small rewards for yourself such as going out to a movie or spending time with friends.
Great effort and commitment will be required to create the life you have envisioned, but it’s important to also enjoy yourself along the way. Maintaining a healthy balance will, in the end, ensure that you are your most productive and effective self as you stride toward your future.
Transcript:
Let me ask you, when was your last vacation and how was it? I love taking time to travel and explore the world, what about you?
Have you ever come home from a vacation exhausted and feeling like you just need a vacation to recover? I know I have and usually it’s because I really had a great time. The time was jam packed with adventure, seeing new and interesting sights or maybe I was burning the candle at both ends. However it happens, I know I had a great time.
I say this because I just got back from a vacation. This one was a little different than most and actually it was a two part vacation.
Time to Unplug and Recharge
The first part of the vacation was a on a cruise ship, which I had not done in years. Although there was Wi-Fi available at a hefty price, I chose to only go online once a day and check for emails that required an immediate response. Like the one from my mother, who was looking after our dogs while we were away. She didn’t know how to operate the high-tech remote control that operates the television and sound system throughout the house. This was a must answer email if there ever was one. We couldn’t have our dog sitter without some of the niceties she was there to enjoy.
This trip was quite a switch from my European vacation several months back. While in Europe I was constantly connected to the Internet, would answer all my emails and maybe spend an hour do some other work before we would go out for the day and explore. That said, I enjoy what I do and it doesn’t really feel like work.
However this time, it was really great to just get away and not have to be tied to the outside world. It took me about twelve hours to get used to being disconnected and then I was good to stay that way throughout the rest of the trip.
The second part of my vacation was at the place in Mexico that we go to every year. We actually lived there for several years as well. During our time there I worked most days but only half a day. The rest of the time was spent visiting our friends who live in the area and enjoying the sunshine.
One morning we woke up and walked out on the balcony of the condo. Docked there was the 394 foot yacht of Russian billionaire, Andre Melnichenko. This 300 million dollar yacht is an odd and controversial design due to some of its military lines, but very impressive to see live. You can take an online tour of it by clicking here.
But getting back to the cruise ship…
I found that on the ship, when I was lying by the pool and relaxing with my favorite beverage of the moment, I would start thinking about the many aspects of what I am creating in the Millionaire Academy and how I can best help all of you gain the financial freedom and success you are likely after. It was great to just sit and let my mind get into some deep thought processes of how I can best help and serve the people interested in what I am doing. I also read several books. One of them was, “The One Thing” by Gary Keller & Jay Papsan. Their ideas are very in line with my own and my teachings. It is worth reading if you get the change. I also won first place in a Texas Hold’em poker tournament and revisited one of my favorite restaurants in Philipsburg, on the island of St. Marten.
My time on the ship was really mostly spent recharging my internal batteries.
Clear Your Mind and Gain Perspective
I’m telling you this because I think as part of your overall planning and goal setting, it is important to occasionally reward yourself with some downtime or real time away, in order to recoup your energy and get your mind clear and ready to create your future.
I suggest that you should do this at least twice a year. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate or an expensive getaway and it doesn’t have to be for a week or two. You can go camping if you like that, or some other place that truly allows you to relax, unplug and take stock. Take at least a weekend though and go away somewhere. If you have a “significant other” take them along with you. I know when I am in full work or creation mode I am in my office most of the day, with the exception of my gym workout.
I like to do something regularly with my wife that is just the two of us. In the summer we take our boat and go sailing about every other weekend. This is a great time for the two of us to talk and reconnect. Then when we arrive at our destination we will often meet up with other people and enjoy some social visits.
Strategic Breaks Are Critical for Balance
If you are being highly productive or possibly creating a business that will provide you with the additional cash flow you require to begin investing and attaining multi-millionaire status, then you will also need time to recharge. It is critical that you set some time aside for yourself to just relax and do something that you really enjoy.
I know I talk a lot about the importance of creating power habits of success, the need to be highly efficient and the need to create extra cash flow, even if this means putting in longer hours. That’s why I felt I should give you some perspective on balancing this with the need to also recharge and reenergize yourself. Don’t think of this as being self-indulgent. It is actually critical that you allow yourself some time to unplug, clear your mind and recharge. Doing so will allow you to gain perspective and be more productive when you return.
It will take some strategically hard work to get where you want to go, but it is important that you enjoy the journey and reward yourself along the way, even if they are small rewards. Even something as small as going to a good movie can be a minor reward.
Scheduling your Downtime
It’s also important that you are scheduling your down time. When you schedule your time off, your rest time and vacations, it helps prevent you from letting outside influences distract you from the important tasks you have that are going to carry you to your goals. Sticking to a schedule is crucial in accomplishing goals and creating your life. That means not only do you want to schedule everything you want to do each day that moves you toward your goals, it also means creating time slots to have fun and rest.
Vacations can really be a great time to recharge. So as I said, make time for them in your schedule. Make time to get yourself recharged so that you hit the ground running when you return from your vacation. Be sure to set enough time aside to get you excited and carry you through to the next time you have scheduled to refuel and recharge.
Please tell me below what you do to recharge and how you schedule your time off. Be sure to go to my web site: tonyenumeyer.com and if you haven’t, be sure to register to receive these and other great lessons for free.
Work hard, schedule your play time and always Live Rich!
