This post is a part of a sequence of personal posts I have been writing. With the world tossed around from Covid, left seems right and up seems down, hence it is a great season to reflect and grow.
Although, it is quite hard to reflect, grow, work, sleep, workout, dance, play, and live all in the same place, at home. The quarantine is a blessing in that is makes you stop and pause for a minute, but a curse in that you really do not have an option to go places or branch out. It can make you feel stuck.
Atlanta Workers Need a Vacation
Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that Atlanta workers (including myself) need a break from work and their home. They need a vacation, a getaway.
Let me preface this with my old personal (wrong) beliefs. In my early 20’s, as I climbed ladders and worked day and night, I did not fully understand why some people needed vacations so badly.
I didn’t understand the TGIF’s or the weekenders or really what the big fuss was about working. I mean why did people hate where they worked? Why did people shout, “Thank Gosh it’s Friday!”
I didn’t get it.
I thought… it was strange.
Fast forward several years working in a corporate setting, commuting 2-3 hours a day, and trying to change my life for the better, and let’s just say I get it. I freaking get it.
I totally get the TGIF’s and the importance of the weekend now. Likewise, I understand why people would say, “I NEED A VACATION.”
It wasn’t because they hated their life. I wasn’t because they hated people. It’s because you get… well stuck.
Humans need, no crave, progress. After awhile of being stuck for so long, you need to just getaway, reset.
Getting Stuck in Life
Finally, after all of my life I see and have experienced what people mean when they feel lost or stuck.
Naturally, I was blessed with a drive and focus that I guess other people just don’t have. Due to that, I never had to suffer from being lost or feeling stuck in almost any situation. My brain was pre-programmed to find a problem, formulate a solution, and then execute it. Keep moving forward, regardless.
Sadly, that is not the case as much anymore. I find myself slipping as my inner circle and personal life struggle. Although, I still have plenty of drive left in my metaphorical ‘tank’, feeling stuck is prevalent more than ever.
It does give me a better perspective though. It helps me understand people better. I can now relate to the problem, and sympathize where before, I took the approach of toughen up, be a man, or figure it out.
Although now I see, these feelings are not a decision, but a pit. It’s a place where your thoughts fall short, your motivation is asleep, and your emotions are almost lies themselves. Almost as if your soul has taken a break from reality. Maybe it’s busy?
I say all of that just to dive into why I now believe, Atlanta workers need a vacation more than ever. Do not work yourself to death. There is always another project, another client, more paperwork, more numbers to crunch.
Take the time to love yourself. Take time to love your family and your friends. Take time to rest. God created rest for a reason.
Now, let’s dive into my first reason for Atlanta workers taking a vacation.
Resetting Your Mind
While this might be overlooked occasionally, removing your self from a bad situation or a habitual habitat, can do wonders for your mind. This is what a vacation is for.
Sometimes your biggest enemy is where you are most comfortable. Lately, it seems the place I am most comfortable is at home. It’s easy to sleep in, stay up late, neglect my work, play games, eat unhealthy, and live like a slob.
Unfortunately, I have not been taking advantage of the time at home and continually abuse the gifts and graces God has given me. In reality, I need uncertainty. I need difficult situations, and I need a place of discomfort to propel me forward. It makes me realize – Hey, this is not where I want to be. Get my butt in gear and go boy.
A friend of mine luckily texted me out of the blue inviting me on a last minute trip. I jumped at it because I knew it was my chance. It was my chance to feel out of place. To feel things that would make my mind start spinning again.
Move Zach, I told myself, move.
Here I am, two days into the trip. Sitting on the floor of some random persons apartment I met yesterday blogging, and I do not have a clue about what tomorrow will bring. Although, I am more focused than I have been in two weeks at home. There is something about stepping out and facing new challenges in unfamiliar places that resets your mind.
Go reset your mind and find yourself.
Changing Your Atmosphere
As I mentioned above, you need to take a vacation to change your atmosphere. This is the best way to reset your mind and ultimately lead you to a better place.
Changing your atmosphere does three things.
First, as mentioned above, it makes your mind think. It makes it process new information constantly that it usually did not have to. That new information is your surroundings, the people you meet, and what is coming next.
The second thing that changing your atmosphere does is give you a fresh start. So many times at home we get stuck in a routine or in habits we do not want to have. On a vacation, you have a fresh start every day to change those habits or remove them all together by focusing on new experiences. You have a chance to create new habits all together.
The third thing that changing your atmosphere does for you is it allows your mind to reflect and process in ways it traditionally never has time to do. You have moments of being static where in your normal life, you probably don’t make time for it. You go from one thing to the next to the phone to the TV to the bath to eat and on and on. On a vacation your mind has a chance to slowly start to process all the accumulated information from months and maybe even years of life.
You will be amazed at how you start to think and how your perspective starts to change on vacation.
Reflecting on Life
Digging further into these topics, once you have reset your mind by changing your atmosphere, you can now start reflecting.
It will take your mind some time on vacation, but slowly after it processes those months and years of information, you will start to see things more clearly.
Maybe there was a breakup and you don’t know why you felt certain ways. Maybe there was a traumatic event and you really could never express how you truly felt about it. It could even be that there was someone you loved more than yourself, but you didn’t realize it until they were gone.
It’s crazy what our minds can tell us when we stop, reflect, and listen.
I know that as my vacation extends, things start to become clearer to me. Feelings, emotions, motives, and even fears are starting to become clear. It is like my brain is a computer just waiting to upload certain files for months. backed up by lack of sleep, constant work, and daily routine, the files just never got uploaded.
Focusing On What Matters
With the files uploaded and the path starting to become straight, it leads me to the next benefit of vacation. Vacation allows you to relearn how to focus on what matters.
Before vacation I was wasting time watching Netflix, hanging out with people who were not on my path, and lacking focus in my execution of things. With a clearer mind and wayward heart, I can start to focus on what truly matters to myself.
This might be different for everyone, but what matters to me the most is the people I love. My quiet time tells me to work for them. It also reminds me to work for myself just as hard.
You see, I am also learning to love myself along with these people in my life. From that, my drive and motivation are reaching places they haven’t been in a long time. My vision and image of myself is also improving. I had forgotten how to respect myself and the things I was capable of.
There used to be a fire in every step.
By focusing on what matters to myself fully, the fire is returning slowly in every step.
Setting Off on the Right Foot
Unintentionally, my final point to taking a vacation is to force yourself to set off on the right foot (step) when you return home.
Vacation is only temporary. It’s real reason is to properly prepare you to come home and face your life with a full heart, clear mind, and inward drive that will not be easily broken. Vacation is the key to re-opening your door, but you must then walk through.
Remember you have to return to your life, your good and blessed life. Find your peace by resetting your mind in a changed atmosphere. From reflection, start to dig into what really matters to you and focus on it. Once you have that in your sights, set yourself off on the right foot. Step with fire back into your life with full confidence, courage and strength to face any obstacle.
Cheers and God bless.
