I just came back from a one week conference last week.  I have been able to use that time to catch up on some readings, as well as enable me to take a break from the daily grind and gain some new perspectives in my business as well as my thoughts.

I am starting to think that regular trips out are essential.  It takes out the routine which can become a grind, but most important, it allows you to retreat yourself or take yourself up a few thousand feet so that you are not always facing the trees, but are able to see the forest.  A 10,000 feet view from way up to see the traffic, and the problems, and refresh yourself on what is really important.

Maybe that’s why vacations are so important. Not really to physically rest. In fact, most of the vacations which I took ( many with my family with my little kids) can be as physically gruelling, and challenging.  Logging around big luggage, having the tension of trying to catch schedules, or hitting some unfamiliar traffic somewhere can be physically challenging, and most of  us don’t really sleep that much during these trips, as well as endure hours in the plane or in the airport.

Maybe recreation works by at least forcing the things out of your brain for a few days, and replace it with different challenges, and environment, so that when you reenter the same old problems after a few days, you will be able to see it in a new light.  I also like travelling in that you meet different people and different situations, and if you take time to observe, it can sometimes teach you a lot of things.

I was inside the plane, and there was a 2 hour stopover.  But as usual, when the plane stopped in front of the gate,  everybody scrambled to stand up and try to be the first to rush out to the gate.  I did that as well, most likely out of  habit.

But then I stopped myself - hey, wait a minute.  I have a 2 hour stopover, and I hardly have anything to do anyway.  Why charge up your adrenalin and compete to be first?  Why get charged up so that you can be out of the plane two minutes earlier?  And it occured to me that we do that because of habit — we are in a habit of rushing and winning, and when it comes to these, we dare not be behind. Don’t you notice people who get upset when somebody overtakes them on the highway?  Why should they be?  That is taking competition to the wrong battles.  They are so used to competition that they compete even if there is no need to, or winning is hardly meaningful or necessary.

Sometimes, I think there is value for us to just consciously slow down.  Maybe just sit down the plane, and wait everybody to rush out instead of joining the fray. So I did that and I feel good.

Soon, it was time to get back to the plane.  I noticed ten minutes before boarding, people were standing up in line so that they can go into the plane first.  My, are we that tense or what?  The plane was not going anywhere that soon.  Hey, we have seat numbers assigned.  So if you go ahead, and get seated, what do you do?  Why not sit outside in the airport where it is more comfortable?

I did that as well, and it felt good.  I was not harrowing myself into unnecessary battles in which winning was meaningless.  And I made myself think — what are other life battles which we spend so much energy to be ahead, instead of just letting go?  Why not compete where and  when it is important?  Why not choose your battles? 

Related Posts:

-Being busy without prioritizing 

-The Not to Do and Not to Know List

-Success Fails

-What for?

-One Thousand Marbles

 Also check out:

The 5th edition of Carnival of Debt Management,  and The 6th edition of Carnival of Credit Card