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Showing posts from March, 2015

The Why versus the What

This post is #9 in a #17 post series about workcations. The learn more about workcations and see the full eBook, check out  Workcation. Have the best life now!  on Amazon. It's free to borrow, if you have a Kindle device or Amazon Prime.  It is easy to focus on a goal without understanding the reason behind the goal. If you don’t focus on the motivation behind accomplishing the goal, then it can be a struggle to set in motion the plans and initiatives to accomplish the goal. For example, your goal may be to run a half marathon, but if there is no why; it may be harder to push forward with accomplishing the goal. However, if the goal is to run a half marathon to raise money for a charity, lose weight or increase distance from the last race run, then it can become a lot easier to step forward with running the half marathon. The why behind our goals is as equally as important as the what . In the case of the workcation, the why may be to spend more time with family, take a b

Experience & lessons from my first Workcation

This post is #8 in a #17 post series about workcations. The learn more about workcations and see the full eBook, check out  Workcation. Have the best life now!  on Amazon. It's free to borrow, if you have a Kindle device or Amazon Prime.  The idea of having a bonfire, sleeping in a tent, showering, and returning to work may not excite everyone, but it warmed my spirit! I felt I became so accustomed to the comforts of my house – running hot shower, comfortable bed, and toilet – as well as the comforts of technology – including watching programmed DVR television, perfectly arranging my Netflix queue, responding to email at a moment’s notice  – that I lost touch with unplugging during the workweek. The idea of going somewhere local and unplugging for a few days, while still going to work and contributing during the day, made me feel I could have the best of both worlds – a stable career and dedicated time to relax. My first workcation was spring 2013 for two days at Doheny Cam

Introducing the Workcation

This post is #7 in a #17 post series about workcations. The learn more about workcations and see the full eBook, check out  Workcation. Have the best life now!  on Amazon. It's free to borrow, if you have a Kindle device or Amazon Prime.  Our comfortable culture of working hard, not taking vacations, and taking forced “staycations” continues to transcend into the habits of our daily lives. Today, more and more Americans are dining “al desco” and enjoying “no resco.” Our culture is engrained to go, go, go! But at what cost? We need to take time for ourselves in order to have a balanced life and be refreshed. Frequently, it can be major setbacks in our life that cause us to question our purpose and open our eyes to what we are really pursuing and if that matters to our life goals. I’ve endured various physical injuries, including my bicycle accident and lost close family members in my life, including my brother. These moments are all very painful –both on physical and emotion

Staycations are Pointless!

This post is #6 in a #17 post series about workcations. The learn more about workcations and see the full eBook, check out  Workcation. Have the best life now!  on Amazon. It's free to borrow, if you have a Kindle device or Amazon Prime.  Don’t hate the title, before you read the explanation. “Staycation” involves staying at home during your pay vacation time and enjoying leisure activities within driving distance, while sleeping at home during the night. The term achieved popularity during the subprime financial crisis of 2008. During this time period, American unemployment increased from 5% at pre-recession levels to over 10% by late 2009. Home prices plunged over 30% in a three-year period, causing millions of Americans to be underwater on their home or own more than the house was worth.  Additionally, the S&P 500 index declined over 57% from its peak in October 2007. As more Americans lost their jobs and saw their net worth decline, more and more became afraid of lo

No Vacation Nation: The habits of an overworked society

This post is #5 in a #17 post series about workcations. The learn more about workcations and see the full eBook, check out  Workcation. Have the best life now!  on Amazon. It's free to borrow, if you have a Kindle device or Amazon Prime.  This post is short, but it’s important. It’s full of statistics to share one important takeaway with you: take advantage of your rest time! No matter how you spend your time, it’s important that you spend it pursuing activities that interest you and to use your earned time off! In today’s era, more and more workers, particularly Americans, are failing to take their vacation days. According to a recent study by Harris Interactive, an Internet-based market research firm, 57 percent of Americans ended 2011 with unused vacation time, failing to take, on average, 11 of their allotted days off — or 70 percent of what they rightfully earned. Other national surveys have calculated that as many as 66 percent of us keep working when we could be ki