20 Jan Taking a time-out for travelling
Many dream of taking a career break and doing something they have always wanted to do. But to take a longer time only for oneself and one’s personal interests usually remains exactly that: a dream.
We recommend that you make your dreams come true! Yes, exactly. Turn the illusion into a reality. Probably you will be able to give many good reasons why it is impossible to realize the dream of a time-out: indispensable in the job, no money, no vacation, no acceptance from colleagues… all of which is plausible, of course. But mostly the actual inhibition is the failure to… just doing it.
A few years ago our Consigliere Lukas did exactly that: he drove to the North Cape with his wife and then 7-month-old son by camper and with a time budget of 8 weeks. Still today he is raving about the wonderful time and works hard to free himself again for a longer period of time.
From a meta-level point of view, a time-out brings us countless benefits that help us to continue to be good at our job or even to become better. We would like to present a small selection here:
1. You will be calmer
During a time-out, especially if you use it for a trip to unknown countries, you can’t help but relax. Many seemingly unsolvable problems simply lose their horror because of the newly gained serenity
2. Leaving one’s comfort zone
A journey always means getting involved in something uncertain. With every step you take, you push your personal barriers and boundaries a little further outwards. In other words: you dare to do more and become more courageous.
3. Learning something new
You don’t have to travel to the most exotic countries to learn new things. It’s enough to escape your everyday life and get to know new processes and rhythms. One learns to carry out small repairs by oneself, realises that children can also splash happily in cold water or how to catch fish in the sea as a non-angler. Your brain and the new data highways will thank you for it!
4. Practicing mindfulness
When time doesn’t matter so much since because you don’t have any appointments, you can focus your attention on things that you’d otherwise miss in everyday life: the beauty of a sunset, the taste of homemade food, the laughter of loved ones, your own body, emotions and much more. All this enlivens and enriches everyday life immensely.
5. Broadening one’s horizon
Other people and other cultures do things differently. In Scandinavia, for example, there are no reservations about women in “supposed male jobs” – much is a question of competence, not gender. This world view would do us all very, very good. And as Alexander von Humboldt said: “The most dangerous world view is that of those who have not viewed the world”.
This list can certainly be expanded much, much further – but we leave that to you when you tell us about your experiences from your time-out. Enjoy!