Summer holidays are not what they used to be before the COVID-19 pandemic. But MD Anthony McCormack argues that they are more important than ever in re-freshing your soul, body, mind…and business goals.
This summer’s holiday may not be what you were hoping for.
There are few people I know who don’t have tales of being forced to cancel trips to far-off lands because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
And even those who have made it onto an aeroplane and gone to sunnier climates may face having to self-isolate when they get back to the UK.
Despite the potential turmoil involved of getting away somewhere this summer, the importance of making sure you do have some time away from home has never been greater.
We have all been in the same boat haven’t we? Stuck inside the same four walls for months on end. Some feeling lonely because we cannot see our friends and loved ones. Others dealing with restless children and home-schooling.
Some of us having been working flat out. While others have been furloughed and getting used to the rarity of waking up with nothing to do.
When monotony has become the norm, escaping that is important. Not only for different scenery but to give your mind something new to process and think about.
So, whether you are being adventurous and actually taking a trip abroad or whether it’s a staycation somewhere in the UK, there are some things to think about while you are away and relaxing.
Things to focus on while having a genuine break but also being in the right frame of mind when you get back to work.
It is all too easy to have a fantastic break and then come back with a defeatist attitude and fall seamlessly into a back-to-work rut.
Maybe we all set the bar too low regarding our re-entry point after a holiday? Perhaps we should expect more? I believe we should.
This summer, surrounding my holiday, I have high expectations for the transformative power of RE-for-ME, starting with RE-fresh, RE-charge & RE-cooperate. I know that RE-for-YOU can be just as uplifting!
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, consultant or manager in a start-up, SME or corporate, you need to invest in yourself to invest in your business.
Author Steven Covey in his classic, ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ (see video below) categorises this as ‘sharpening the saw’. However, this smacks of going straight back to doing the same thing, (in this case sawing), hopefully, a bit quicker or better.
Thinking back to your holiday, I think our dream, vision and goal should be more than that.
In these dynamic times, a sustainable competitive advantage isn’t just about productivity and efficiency (although these are indeed helpful). A sustainable competitive advantage is about innovation and differentiation. The future belongs to dreamers and disrupters! This goes for individuals, products, companies, countries and everything in-between.
But I’m not going to change the world in this blog, so let’s focus on YOU.
Your holiday, your ME time is your RE time, from a work point of view, is for thinking, not for doing. Thinking if you think about it, is of much higher strategic value.
So, think BIGGER. Think about doing the right things, versus doing things right. Dare to dream!
All great leaders start by building up greatness inside before their greatness hits the headlines. Martin Luther King, Mohammed Ali and Nelson Mandela all spring to mind. Who are your greats? So, whether it’s great ideas, great vision, or great self-belief, it goes from the inside out. Robin Sharma promotes holistic greatness via his four ‘interior empires’: mindset, heartset, healthset and soulset.
Incidentally, if you value yourself, and I highly recommend that you do, you’re the only you that you and the world have, then I strongly suggest an R&R-type holiday. I’ve been on plenty of the ‘you need a holiday to recover from the holiday’ type holidays, but if you’re looking to restore your sanity, then Las Vegas or Aya Napa isn’t likely to help!
So as you RE-vive, RE-energise and RE-juvenate on your break, it’s a great time to RE-focus on your WHY, (Simon Sinek), RE-ignite your passion and reflect on your raison d’être.
Ask yourself from a business or a life point of view things like:
This way you stand a good chance of RE-starting from a better point than where you left off, at least mentally, or if you do return to the same place, at least you will be heading in a better direction.
Just like, once you’ve worked out your WHY, your HOW will soon fall into place. If you ask yourself the right questions, the right answers will come. That’s the magic of your mind.
You do have to stop and listen for these answers though.
So, I wish you great success in the renewing of your mind, when you take it on holiday.
Oh, and RE more REs for you … I’m thinking, REstoration, REgeneration, REdemption!
Do you have any more? Let me RE-Phrase … Got any MoRE….
Watch: VIDEO – Hiring turn-offs and easy fixes: Part 1
Read more: Managing your career and the big picture