Live a life you don't need a holiday from.

“Instead of wondering when our next vacation is, we should set up a life we don’t need to escape from.” ~Seth Godin

If the days left to Christmas break feel like they are passing like years, if you’re wondering if you have enough sick leave to have another day off or if you struggle to get dressed for work each day, you may be questioning your current situation and wondering what else is possible and how you can live a life you don’t need a holiday from.

When we think of a holiday we think of a great time away, relaxing, recharging and de-stressing from the activities and responsibilities of our everyday life. A break from reality.

What if instead of a break from life we turned that beach holiday into an extension of our life? 

So how can we have a life we don’t need a break from?

Someone asked me this very question recently and whilst I know exactly what it means to me, it stopped me in my tracks… What does it actually mean?

How do we create a life we don’t need a holiday from?

If you search the internet for “how do i create a life I don’t need a holiday from?” You'll see a lot of advice and options like “throw in your job and move to the beach”. You’re probably thinking that that option seems to be only available to the rich or the young who haven’t yet taken on the responsibilities and commitments of life such as children, mortgages and preparing for retirement. 

Of course, you don’t have to quit your job. 

The goal is to find what lights up your soul. 

For some, working an 80 hour week in a job lights them up, for others, it’s traveling the world, working from a different coffee shop each day.  

It’s waking up each day happy to be alive, grateful for the opportunities ahead and excited to see what the day brings.

​​Living your dreams is more than being rich or living in some exotic location. It’s the belief that you are living a life aligned with your purpose.

A lot of people are now putting their health and quality of life first. #worklifebalance is becoming a priority for many of us and we are focusing on what we value and we want to spend our days doing things that are important to us.

So, how do we live a life we don’t need a holiday from?

1. Identify your values. What do you value? Knowing your unique hierarchy of values, or highest priorities, is the most important place to start.
2. Create the vision of what your ideal life will look like. Think about what you’re good at, what makes you tick, what you love to do.
3. Ask yourself why. Why is this vision important to you? How will you feel when you're living this ideal life? Is this setting your soul on fire? Changing your life with little understanding of why you want to change or without a purpose won’t have much impact on your happiness.  
4. Take action. The only way to get where you want to go is to take action. Work out your dreams and desires, then take the steps towards them: enroll in a class, chat with a recruitment agent, or book that trip.

Don’t get me wrong. Taking action to change our current situation can be scary. Our jobs and existing life is full of security - it pays the bills, we know what we are doing and don’t have to learn anything different. There’s less chance of failure. We often feel like we can’t leave our existing roles whether it be the pay, the perks, the career opportunities, or the feeling of getting looked over if we try to move and then having to build our reputation again.

We stay due to the fear of the unknown. This fear is natural and it makes it very easy to find reasons for putting off the change and staying where we feel safe.

We let the security of the ‘known’ hold us back, even if it’s not making us happy.  

But, as Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.” Staying in our current situation because of fear isn’t going to make us happy. It’s not going to light up our souls and provide the life we are seeking.

Sometimes, we have to just “face the fear and do it anyway”. Identify the steps to take, hold our breath and jump. At other times, the steps can be easy with no fear attached. It’s a balance! And it’s learning. Learning from the steps taken and growing from the lesson and using this new information to take another step in the direction of our dreams.

The idea is to not settle. Just because you’ve been down a particular pathway doesn’t mean you can’t change. You’re never too old to learn a new trick! 

Check in as to whether it is your path. Are we doing what was expected of us when we first left school? How many of us entered the workforce and then stayed there doing the same job over and over?

Don’t look at the people around you and compare your life to theirs. We are each on our own journey. What lights me up, may not be your cup of tea. That’s okay. It’s about being authentic to yourself and what you want in this life.

Finally, we have to believe that it is possible. And it is all possible!

Want to know more, or start creating a life you don’t need a holiday from? Join me in my “Live a Life You Love” Workshop and together we’ll work out what you want to achieve, create a plan and the steps to take you there. We’ll tackle the obstacles and develop your mindset toolkit to see you achieve your dreams, visions and desires.

https://nicolebowman.com.au/ltlofydland