Time and Space
Vacation. Road-tripping. Picture with me that big, endless, and inviting horizon line. The promise of novelty, adventure, and reprieve from the daily grind. A line up of podcasts and playlists queued up. Road snacks stashed in the middle console. A favorite beverage in hand. And in my case recently, a sleeping hubby and toddler in the back seat.
Silence. Space. Uninterrupted time. (Three novelties!) I’m driving, so there’s no mindless technology available to distract. I have hours of open road ahead. This is how my latest vacation began. Headed out to Southern California for the beach, summer vibes, and a family reunion before this fall rushes in with new work, back to school momentum, and the next season marking the passage of time.
It’s been a while since I’ve had this much available headspace to simply…be bored. To think things through to completion. To allow my mind to wander. To daydream. And most importantly, to intentionally reflect on the state of affairs in my life, my relationships, myself, and my health.
I’ve found that one of the benefits of travel is that when we get away from home and work, we get a chance to separate ourselves from our daily lives in a way that’s really healthy. We have a unique opportunity to see how we’re spending our time, how we’re really doing, and where we’re headed.
The Value of Reflection
Taking time out to get a birds eye view of our lives is like a breath of fresh air. It allows for a different perspective on how we need to move forward–what we want to keep doing, what we want to stop doing, and what we want to start doing. The ritual of self-reflection is an art form. And vital to continue making progress toward the vibrant well-being we all crave.
It struck me as I took in the changing scenery and watched the mile markers pass by, that I would never run my business as I sometimes run my life. Unfortunately, I often find myself running my life like this: what’s important to me vaguely on my mind, fixed obligations blacked out on my calendar, and any extra time focused on what feels most important or urgent in the moment. As a business owner I know better. I have yearly, quarterly, monthly and even weekly time blocked out for review and reflection. My team and I are continually re-prioritizing our workflow to align with the bigger goals of the business. We’re regularly evaluating the effectiveness of how we’re spending our time. We’re always keeping the health of the business, and our deeper values not just in mind, but alive with actionable steps.
So how can I continually approach my health and well-being with the same intention and skill with which I manage my work? Let’s face it, our culture isn’t great about prioritizing self reflection when it comes to our physical, mental, relational and spiritual well-being. But we’re really good at staying busy. The problem is, we confuse busyness with productivity.
Busyness doesn’t always equate with purposeful, effective, and rewarding results. The real questions to ask ourselves aren’t: “Am I busy? Am I checking everything off on my list?” They’re: “Am I doing the things that are really important for me to be doing in the big picture of this season of my life? Am I investing intentionally and productively in the parts of my life that sustain my health, my relationships, and a purpose-centered approach to living?
A Seasonal Ritual For Intentional Living
One of the biggest benefits of my recent road trip was realizing I didn’t have an effective strategy for self-reflection around my health and well-being. I needed a formal way to regularly take time out, and slow down enough, to notice how I’m really doing, evaluate what’s working, and plan for intentional and manageable steps forward. Something easy and simple, yet meaningful and rewarding.
So I created a Luminary Seasonal Wellness Self-Reflection Guide. For you all, but mostly for myself! You can access it for free HERE. Friends, may it help all of us get better at carving out regular (at least quarterly, okay Luminaries?) time to slow down and gain perspective on what’s happening in the most important parts of our lives, and start thinking, in an actionable and productive way, about how we want to invest our time and attention moving forward. So as this next season approaches, schedule in an hour or two to go somewhere where you can think. Where you can get quiet. And use this guide to reflect and plan for how you want to invest in your health and well-being this fall. Try it out, live it out, and then reach out to tell us how it goes. Here’s to living a purpose centered life together!
With love,
Cara
Team Luminary
