Guest Blogpost by Laura Wallace, Owner and Creative Director, Worx Graphic Design, based in Hagerstown MD. Laura is a branding expert, author and speaker.
I’ve been seeing a lot of memes that say, “Build a life that you don’t need a vacation from.” At first, this makes a lot of sense. There are far too many people that loath Mondays and are always counting the clock to get out of their jobs. Sometimes you have to do what you need to do before you can invest in what you want to do.
But what happens when you have made that transition and love what you do every day? Maybe you’ve taken the plunge and started a business and are FINALLY doing that thing that’s been calling you. Or perhaps you’ve turned your side-hustle into your full-time hustle! You’ve been through the motions, done your time doing what you “had” to and are now living your dream job! What an incredible feeling!
This is where that meme pops into my head. What if you’ve created a life that you love but are still tired? What if you still need a break from it? Is this weird because you love what you do but still want to step away from it from time to time? Heck no! This concept creates an unrealistic expectation that you should never be tired or overworked or in need of some simple down-time to celebrate a recent success. Just because you’re doing what you love doesn’t mean you never need to take a hot second to regroup yourself.
Let’s face it, investing time and energy into creating a life you love takes effort! You may absolutely adore what you do for a living, and for that I give you a high five. But that doesn’t exclude you from needing a break. What if we changed the concept? What if instead of feeling like you have to escape from your life we change the mindset to taking a break to refresh and celebrate? You’re not running away from a life that you dislike, rather investing time in your body and your mind to reconnect and energize your thoughts and ideas.
Taking a break – be it a vacation or a day sinking into your couch watching movies – is a valuable part in any major change, project or scenario. Let’s say you’ve just invested a lot of time in creating and planning a new podcast. You’ve invested countless hours into the concept and execution, and have created a podcast channel that you’re proud of. That takes an intense amount of mental and physical dedication. To want to “get away” after this level of project is a natural human desire and is not a reflection of your passion for it. Just because you love it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t want to break from it.
Consider the next time you do something big – a project, a new adventure or something that has occupied a lot of your time – taking time off after it’s completed. And here’s the kicker, don’t feel guilty for doing it. When you step out of your daily routine to rest, and I mean leaving the laptop, phone, and email at home, you’re investing in your personal and professional growth. When you return, you’ll be sharper, rested and ready to tackle the next great idea that contributes to your ongoing success.
