By BIS Contributor Debbie Lane
Has life knocked you down so many times that you can’t seem to bounce back? You may be in need of “Recharging.”
I know I was! I kept getting “hit” from all areas of life and before I could bounce back I would get “hit” again…and again…and again. My boss noticed that I needed a break from life and work and said “Deb – you need to take a vacation. Go somewhere nice and spend some money on yourself.”
If he hadn’t said those exact words to me, I probably would have taken a “cheap” vacation – you know the ones I’m talking about…a cabin in the woods with minimal furnishings or a trip to a beach in an inexpensive hotel filled with meals of fast food or crackers and Vienna sausages. But…I was in dire straits. So, I decided to take the wise counsel of my employer and I quickly booked a flight and hotel for 5 days of “Recharging” (by myself in Cancun at the Ritz-Carlton). When my family heard my plan, they said “Are you crazy? A woman traveling alone to Mexico?!!” My friends said “What a great opportunity – go, enjoy, you’ll be fine!”
With fear and trepidation (because family always knows what is best – right?!), I arrived at the airport and quickly boarded the airplane. I arrived in Cancun, cleared customs and was on my way to the hotel in no time. My driver assured me Cancun was a safe place as he talked about some of the interesting sites we passed by. I was starting to feel a little safer!
After checking into the hotel, I quickly got settled, had a wonderful lunch and headed to the beach with a book and my notebook. I spent the next four days on that incredibly beautiful beach, under an umbrella, reading books to try to come up with ideas on how to handle my work situation and taking copious notes in my notebook so I could formulate a plan. In between turning pages of books and writing, I would inhale the beauty of the turquoise water, the white sand and the glorious clouds. I was completely pampered by the staff at the Ritz- Carlton as they made sure I had plenty to drink and eat. Even though I was in the most relaxing place imaginable, my insides were in turmoil because I couldn’t seem to find a solution to the problems I’d been facing. At night, back in the hotel room, I would watch videos from “The Abundance Factor” and take even more notes in my notebook until I fell asleep.
After 3 full days of filling my head with positive messages from “The Abundance Factor” and all the self-help books I’d read, everything jelled. The answers I’d been searching for seemed to materialize out of thin air.
I slept restlessly the first 3 nights and had bad dreams about the life and work situations I was struggling with back home. Finally, on the fourth night, I slept blissfully (no more work nightmares). When I woke up that morning I felt like a load had been lifted off my shoulders. After 3 full days of filling my head with positive messages from “The Abundance Factor” and all the self-help books I’d read, everything jelled. The answers I’d been searching for seemed to materialize out of thin air.
As I hopped out of bed that fourth day, I wrote out a comprehensive plan for next steps at work (something I’d been struggling with for weeks), ate a quick breakfast and headed to the beach where I wrote the entire first draft of a book I intend to publish, and read a 164 page fiction book from start to finish. I wasn’t trying to do all that (and looking back, it seems unbelievable even to me that I could do all of that in one day), it all just poured out of me!
Sometimes life knocks you down so many times, that the only way you can move forward is to do a complete “recharge” – get away from your circumstances, go somewhere beautiful and nurturing, and spend every ounce of energy focused on taking care of yourself (physically, spiritually and emotionally). For me personally, I plan to do this again, but I plan to “Recharge” BEFORE my batteries are completely out of juice! I hope you will do the same for yourself.
