When I was a kid, I loved the Bernstein Bear books! I remember sitting on the floor with my sister
dividing up our HUGE stack 50/50 to each read and then swap once we’d finished our pile!
Truthfully though, even in the dozens of times we read those books there is one specific one that is
always the one I think of first when I smile at that memory.
Too Much Birthday!
Here’s a run-down…Sister Bear is so excited for her birthday and they keep planning all the little
details exactly how she wants it (even though Mama Bear tries to reign them in the whole time!).
Eventually it gets to birthday party day and there’s so much going on, so much packed into the time,
that by the time it gets to her birthday cake Sister Bear is so exhausted and worn out and
overwhelmed by how MUCH there was to her party that she can’t even enjoy it.
Thankfully after a cry her friends and family help her finish the day with some smiles and memories…
but the point being it didn’t have to be SO MUCH that it got to that point. A little less would’ve
decreased the overwhelm and increased the fun!
This is the best motivation I have been able to come up with whenever it’s time to plan something in
my life whether that’s a party, day off, or vacation!
A little goes a long way when it’s the little you actually want to do!
This goes back to what I always say about personalization on your vacation! It’s not about trying to
get every single thing into a trip it’s all about getting the things that matter to YOU into a trip!
If you’ve been working non-stop for months and now, you’re so excited to get away and hit a reset
button, but you’ve booked an excursion or activity all day everyday so that you don’t miss anything…I
can all but guarantee you’re going to come back even more exhausted than when you left! And if your
destination is a Disney themed trip go ahead and double that exhaustion!
Here are 2 things to check yourself on before you start overplanning your vacation days and end up
like Sister Bear in your version of Too Much Vacation:
- Get 100% clear on your Why for your trip – Are you needing to relax and rest, do you want to check
a specific destination off you bucket list, or have you always wanted to do something specific together
as a couple (swim with sharks, go zip-lining through a rainforest, or ride camels in the desert). Getting
clear on your Why will help you cut out the things that don’t matter and leave room to truly enjoy the
things that do.
- Have relax days built into your trip (no matter what your Why is) – Everyone needs down time.
Creating a trip that is non-stop from take-off to return flight is a recipe for one thing…raw tired nerves
and short fuses! If you want to use a trip together to build up your relationship then creating an
environment that is calm and exciting is the way to go. Rest built into your trip will always help with
that.
Here’s our quote for this blog…
C-3PO, Empire Strikes Back
“Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1”
I’d leave you with this revised version, “The possibility of successfully navigating a non-stop vacation
is approximately 3,720 to 1”. Give yourself the best odds for an amazing trip and build in that rest time
and activities that honor your Why.
