This year, I took the month of July off. I believe that God and the Universe made it happen. My clients were the people I was most concerned about impacting in my absence, but they turned out to be my most encouraging cheerleaders.
Before I chose to take a month off, the voice in my head (my ego) said:
“You can’t take a month off. Your clients will leave you. They will believe you don’t care about them. They will find another coach. “
My spirit voice (my intuition) said:
“You are not all that. Your clients will be fine if they don’t talk to you for a month. They won’t even notice. They will see that you are practicing what you preach.”
Luckily, the spirit voice won. I am so glad I listened and didn’t pay attention to the ego voice. What did I do with all of this unchartered vacation time? I slept late; watched movies; sat and looked at the water right in front of my house; visited with the people I love most; journaled; read; went to visit nearby Asheville; got a massage; got a facial; and practiced so much self-care.
I got to the end of the month and said to myself. “You could have done it better, Darienne. You failed at ‘Operation: Time Off.'” I expected to have some great epiphany and clarity around what really matters moving forward. What will I be when I grow up? Yes, I know I am almost 63, but that’s what was going through my head. I expected something more.
The truth is that after reflecting on my vacation, I did figure out some things out. This is what I know for sure:
I love my work. I am honored and blessed to get to work with the clients that I have. I am not ready to give that up yet.
I was listening to a podcast and instantly knew that this was the content for my next women’s retreat. My creativity was flowing.
While I want to continue to work, I want to be more selective in what I say “yes” to. I don’t have anything to prove anymore. I have been successful, now success to me is a productive, happy life. From now on, when I say “yes” to a client or a new project, it needs to be a “Hell Yes!”
I am content. This is a biggie for me. I have always lived with one foot in the future. When I get this, when I weigh this, when my house looks like this – THEN I will be content. I realized that now is all that matters. Being content today is the key to living my best life.
The way to find that contentment is through gratitude. My gratitude practice had waned. I wasn’t as diligent. During July, I started each day with prayer, meditation, and gratitude. When you look for what is good, you will see more of that. Contentment comes from recognizing that today I am enough, and I have enough. Contentment is not complacency. I have not given up; I am happy with today and definitely still have goals and dreams to keep me moving forward.
To wrap this up, my month off was perfect. It was exactly what I needed to recharge and reset. On August 2nd, I could not wait to start back supporting my coaching my clients.
What do you need to recharge? Not everyone can take a month off, but how much time can you take off? Look at your calendar and get back with me. I will definitely be taking off next July too.
Start Your Virtual Coaching Journey Today
If you’re ready to take back your life and focus on what’s important to you, contact me today to set up a virtual coaching session.