Lessons From the Pandemic: Part 3 Finding Adventure

Time to read: 56 seconds

If you go to Thailand, the Reclining Buddha really is worth a visit.

A client of mine just returned from a wonderful vacation with his family. He made a comment about the contrast between the spontaneous surprises of vacations and the grind of daily living.

One of my core values is adventure and although I love a good international trip, it doesn’t take a grand gesture or money to find adventure. Adventure is a state of mind.

Consider this example:

Years ago, after 4 months of traveling, my husband and I made our final stop in Thailand. I remember sitting in a hostel in Bangkok asking:

Should we visit the royal palace?

Nah.

How about the famous Reclining Buddha?

Nah.

Truth is, we were done. Even incredible sites lose their sparkle when they become every day. We spent our final days in Thailand sitting idle on the beach and eating.

During lockdown, I walked one of 4 directions from my house every day. Some days I walked the alley. Sometimes the sidewalks. As part of my “keep Christina sane plan,” I decided these walks would be an adventure. I acted as if I had never seen these streets before. Birds became exotic. My neighbors grow incredible gardens. People discarded amazing stuff. Little Free Libraries were a bastion of discovery.

Now that travel is back on the menu, the grand adventure has returned. (Yay travel!) And, the pandemic revealed that daily living can be an adventure if you look at the familiar with new eyes. Expect surprises. Open to wonder. Marvel at life.

Here’s to a summer of adventures!

Want to chat about hosting our 90-minute Return to the Office interactive event for your team? Email me here to get more information.

Why You Must Take Your Vacation

Time to read: Less than one minute. You've got fun stuff to do!

On vacation, you get to to stuff like this!

Hello Corporate Rebels!

Children are out of school, it is finally sunny and warm-ish here in the North, and it's time to think about... TIME OFF!

The sad reality in the United States is that 54% of Americans leave unused vacation days on the table each year, many of them forfeited forever. That amounts to 662 million unused vacation days according to a 2017 study by the Travel Association's Project Time Off. If all those days were yours, that would be like being on vacation for the next 18,000 years. Imagine that.

Are you worried about the mountains of work that will be waiting for you or how you might appear uncommitted if you take time off? Do you get mixed messages from your company about taking vacation?

Reports show that fear is the primary driver for keeping your butt in your chair rather than under an umbrella with a margarita in your hand. Clearly, from the data, you are not alone.

Time off isn't just a nice benefit. It's actually part of your employment contract (meaning, you have a right to your time off). Even more, it's vital to your success as an employee. Here are three reasons to take your vacation time:

1. Vacations keep you healthy. Your time off reduces your stress which in turn, reduces your risk for all kinds of bad things - like depression and heart disease.
2. Vacations make you more productive. After time away, you return to the office refreshed, focused and full of new energy and ideas. Ironically, time away from work makes you more productive. Liberal vacation policies lead to loyal and more fulfilled workers.
3. Vacation makes you a better employee. The Travel Association study showed that employees who failed to take vacation were lower performers. They are less likely to have been promoted in the past year or to have received a bonus in the past 3 years.

Vacation also makes you happier, more fun, improves your relationships and helps you have better sex.

Do you need more reasons to take your vacation time this summer?

Here's to you, a map, and an open road.

With rebel love,

Christina

P.S. Do you know someone who is afraid to take their vacation time? You can help by forwarding them this email. Then they can join our merry little band of corporate rebels right here.

Summer is NOT Over Yet. What You Do With These Days Matters.

If you're in the USA, this weekend is Labor Day and Labor Day is the official end of summer and the return to well….labor.

And, it is still summer. You have 4 and a half glorious days of summer left. You have a long weekend. The pool is still open. The sun is shining.

Here's why this matters for you and your work:

1. Be present. Fall will come on its own whether you enjoy a trip to the lake or you worry about the rocket ship that launches in a few days. You may as well enjoy yourself. The practice of being present will serve you at work as well as in your leisure time by offering you less stress and more attention to opportunities.

2. Joy. Relish the joy of your time off. Laugh. Hang out with your family and friends. Eat. Play. A little joy will let your creativity soar over the weekend and will spill over to work on Tuesday.

3. Rest. Giving yourself time to rest and rejuvenate ensures that your best self will show up at the office on Tuesday (and incidentally, every day). You'll be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed next week.

And, next week is a short week for those in the USA! That's pretty great, too.

Enjoy your last gasp of summer. I'll be at the state fair with my family and hosting BBQs in the backyard.

Hit reply to this email and tell me your plans. Or pop into the Corporate Rebel HQ Facebook Community and tell us all about it.

With rebel love,
Christina

P.S. Even better than enjoying all this rebelicious insight yourself is to share it with your friends and colleagues. Forward this email  and they can sign up to receive all the juicy content right here.

Something I rarely do!

Estimated read time: 50.44 seconds

I'll be chillin' with these two!

I've been a busy bee this summer. It's been fun. I've loved the interaction with all of you and the cool new things I've gotten to do. Our family has had fun travels and are enjoying our new house.

And, I tend toward workaholic, to believing that my self worth is tied up with production and constant forward movement. I have to be disciplined about slowing down, staying present, letting go, and chilling out. Can you relate?

I'm going to do something that feels even more risky to me than putting videos of myself in public. I'm going to take a week off!

Next week, my kids and I are going blueberry picking. I'll chow dairy products at the Minnesota State Fair, sleep in (oh yes!), buy folders and pens for the start of school, and watch stupid movies. (Mall Cop, anyone?)

Research shows that you are more creative and more productive when you let yourself rest. Yet, how often do you allow yourself to take a break? To recharge. To gain a new perspective?

If you feel like you drive yourself hard, that you've got too much to do and not enough time to do it, or that you would like some balance or rest, let's talk. Click hereto be taken to my calendar where you can schedule a time to chat (after next week, of course). As a recovering workaholic, I can help.

And if the whole chilling' is one of your gifts, please hit reply to this email and share your tips with me. It's my growth edge!

Here's to sleeping in!

See you in a week!

Christina

P.S. If you know someone who would like to receive this newsletter, they can sign-up for The Corporate Rebel Video Podcast and Newsletter HERE.