Do you put off taking leave?
Or do you wait till the end of the year for the compulsory 2-week closure?
Are you someone who feels bad for taking time off because taking holidays can feel indulgent? Or do you feel like you are letting your boss or the team down?
Or are you a business owner who doesn’t feel you can take holidays because everything in the business is reliant on you?
Whatever your reason for not taking a holiday, know it is holding you back.
How?
Firstly holidays are a must. They are a time for decompressing, letting your imagination roam, for slow days, indulgence, rushes of adrenaline and a chance to be YOU. The you that is not a therapist or business owner. The inner you.
Secondly, holidays whether they are at home or you are travelling, allow you to tune into the parts of you that get left behind in the hustle of work. They are also a time to reset your priorities, to redefine what you want and to get curious about what is possible. They are a time to reconnect with not just the inner you but your partner, loved ones and friends. They are also an opportunity for building self-trust, getting out of your comfort zone and exploring.
A life without holidays is incredibly dull. It’s a lot of grind with no life balance. That’s why when you see everyone in Europe, Bali or somewhere else magical you feel envy. You get upset. You feel disillusioned.
So let’s look at what is stopping you from taking time off. Whatever it is, it’s also stopping you from chasing your dreams, taking a chance and most of all thriving. Why? Because that hurdle or barrier is not just coming up when we talk about holidays, it’s coming up in different aspects of your life so let’s unpack this.
If you are not taking a holiday because you are waiting for your friends, then how often in your life are you waiting for others? If you stopped waiting, took a leap and made a decision, how different would your life be in 12 months?
If you are not taking time off because you feel you are letting people down, where else does this play out in your life? With your family? With your friends?
Are you a business owner thinking going on holiday means so much work before you go on leave, answering so many questions when you are away and then returning to a pile of work when you get back? I mean, why would you take leave? But where else is this playing out? How many of your days get hijacked because you are the ‘go to person’?
Often, not taking holidays is a symptom of a bigger problem.
It isn’t the actual problem.
So what can you do to eradicate this symptom?
My suggestion is to take action by booking time off. Put in the leave application or tell your team the dates for which you will be away.
This will force you to confront the issue head-on and put strategies in place to make it work.
Will it be perfect? Absolutely not.
But will it mean that you have had a break and worked out what you need to do to take another one?
Definitely.
