Can You Switch Off?

When was the last time you just switched off?
I mean really switched off?
No television, no email, no Facebook, no cell
phone?
Can you even imagine it?

I suspect you might not remember when it happened
last. 
If you’re saying, “Hey I do that often,” all I can
say is, “Well done!”

This week I totally switched off for 4 days. 

After travelling for a few hours, we arrived at
the campsite, scoped it out and found a really
nice shaded area, under an expanse of branches and
beside the stream.  We unloaded the car, pitched
the tent and made ourselves at home.

The kid’s went off to paddle in the stream and
explore the area, we started the barbeque and
began to plan the next few days.

That evening I lay on a mattress under the stars. 

I realized that it was the first time in ages
that I was completely switched off!  I have to
admit it felt really strange for the first day or
so.   It was that feeling where you keep thinking
you’ve forgotten something and then you realize
that there really is nothing to do other than
enjoy the moment.

By day 2, it was completely blissful!

You see, one of the costs of the passion that
entrepreneurial coaches have for their business is
the kind of obsession that can take over your
life.

You start to think about ‘work’ all the time.  Not
because you have to answer to a boss or make some
kind of performance measurement but because you
love what you do and you wish in your heart and
soul for it to succeed.

This can take over, and leave no space for the
other parts of life; your relationships, your
other interests, your taking care of yourself.

Driving home on day 4 I realized that I had
succeeded in completely switching off.  I had left
my laptop at home, the mobile phone stayed in the
car most of the trip and so I had no contact with
the outside world. 

I had managed to not think about my business or
talk about it during the whole trip.

It was a blast!  So refreshing and as I headed
home and started to think about the next few
months and what lies ahead, I realized that I had
a ton of energy and excitement, I was ready to
roll!

When was the last time you took the time to really
switch off?

It’s so important to just let it all go, even for
a few days, to recharge, spend quality time with
family or friends and just be present in the
moment. 

No planning, no strategy, no reflection;
just being in the here and now, to drink a glass
of wine or take a walk in nature; to lie on a
mattress under the stars with your kids and tell
them stories of your childhood!

And the amazing thing is, when you completely
switch off, you don’t miss anything!  Nothing
changes when you come back, you haven’t missed any
opportunities, you haven’t lost any business
deals! 

Like the hero’s journey, you come home to find it
different but realize that ‘home’ has not changed,
you have. 

After switching off, maybe you will
change like the hero.  Be a little less work
obsessed, a little less connected to the ‘virtual’
world, a little more free to enjoy the taste of
the coffee you are drinking and notice the shadows
creeping through the garden as the sun goes down!

When was the last time you took the time to really
switch off?

I’d love to hear what you did to get away, why not
add a comment below.

Best wishes and best stories

Lisa