General Information
In the world of business, it is relatively easy to measure success. There is a bottom line that calculates all the plusses and minuses until you end up with a number that is either positive or negative. If you have more money at the end of the month you succeeded. If not, then you failed. It would be very helpful if our lives had a bottom line. It would tell us when we are making progress and when we have fallen behind. There is one. And, it can be applied to having a good vacation. What is the bottom line? How do we know we have had a good vacation?
Life is good when we feel ourselves being drawn into a deeper and more meaningful relationship with the people around us, as well as with ourselves. It is also good when we find that we can move through difficult situations with enough bounce or resilience to learn and grow. I believe we are healthiest in body, mind, and soul when we feel ourselves growing in a greater capacity for love and trust in relationships. We are also healthiest in body, mind, and soul when we have a greater capacity for joy and trust in our daily situations. Love and trust, joy and hope are the bottom line for our lives, and thus for our vacations.
A relationship that is growing in the ability to put the other people first (love) and trust that the other person will look out for our needs, is a stronger, more satisfying relationship. A vacation that ends with the two people barely speaking to one another or with the old wounds remaining sealed away beyond healing has not been very successful. When our capacity to bounce comes up short, we become more angry or disappointed in our lives. We lose our ability to trust that things will work out and our hope wanes. When we return from vacation just as frustrated and angry and despairing as when we left, it has not been a very successful vacation.
The bottom line is “How has this vacation changed you?” Are you better for the journey? More loving and trustful? More joyful and hopeful? By accepting responsibility for the bottom line, we are better prepared to temporarily vacate our old life and return ready and willing to engage our daily work and personal lives once again. We are each responsible for our vacations.
Life is good when we feel ourselves being drawn into a deeper and more meaningful relationship with the people around us, as well as with ourselves. It is also good when we find that we can move through difficult situations with enough bounce or resilience to learn and grow. I believe we are healthiest in body, mind, and soul when we feel ourselves growing in a greater capacity for love and trust in relationships. We are also healthiest in body, mind, and soul when we have a greater capacity for joy and trust in our daily situations. Love and trust, joy and hope are the bottom line for our lives, and thus for our vacations.
A relationship that is growing in the ability to put the other people first (love) and trust that the other person will look out for our needs, is a stronger, more satisfying relationship. A vacation that ends with the two people barely speaking to one another or with the old wounds remaining sealed away beyond healing has not been very successful. When our capacity to bounce comes up short, we become more angry or disappointed in our lives. We lose our ability to trust that things will work out and our hope wanes. When we return from vacation just as frustrated and angry and despairing as when we left, it has not been a very successful vacation.
The bottom line is “How has this vacation changed you?” Are you better for the journey? More loving and trustful? More joyful and hopeful? By accepting responsibility for the bottom line, we are better prepared to temporarily vacate our old life and return ready and willing to engage our daily work and personal lives once again. We are each responsible for our vacations.
Tips -- Measuring a Successful Vacation
When the vacation is over and all the unpacking is complete, are you able to say that you have grown closer to yourself and those around you?
In short, do you have a greater capacity for love and trust, joy and hope as you resume your life in the everyday world? If so, then you have vacated your everyday life very well. If not, what might you do next time to better care for yourself on your next vacation?
- The “Me” Test – Are you more aware of the other person’s presence and desires than you were before your vacation? Or is it “all still about me”?
- Are you more likely to trust your companions to take your needs into account now, than before your vacation?
- Are you better able to laugh off the little “bumps in the road” than you were before your vacation?
- Are you better able to look down the long road into the future with less anxiety than before your vacation?
In short, do you have a greater capacity for love and trust, joy and hope as you resume your life in the everyday world? If so, then you have vacated your everyday life very well. If not, what might you do next time to better care for yourself on your next vacation?
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