Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you. – Anne Lamott
It’s true. As small business owners and entrepreneurs, we’re wired to think we need to go, go, go. We’re constantly working in our businesses and rarely working on our businesses. We often feel guilty when we’re not working or prospecting—or when we’re sitting still.
We don’t give ourselves the grace to slow down. Decompress. Unschedule. Unplug. Step back and evaluate.
Retreat
I’d been wanting to do a weekend retreat for more than a year. I finally did it. I’m in the final hour before checkout and this is how I’m choosing to spend it. What does it mean to retreat? To step back—to step into, look deeper, be stiller, be quieter, be more aware.
This weekend I found peace and serenity. And it didn’t take long. I signed up for a 43-hour personal retreat oceanside. My room overlooked the ocean. I could open my patio door and breathe ocean air. I fell asleep to the sounds of waves crashing. I’m looking out at the foggy ocean as I type. It’s glorious.
I spent the weekend reading, journaling, meditating, doing yoga, thinking, ideating, writing, and taking long, hot baths. I wrote a blog (now two) for Uncommon Content. I spent hours writing my memoir.
I sat on driftwood with my feet in the sand and thought about ideas for my business. I thought about nothing. I sat in silence and the ideas flowed. When they didn’t, the ocean waves did. I looked out at the horizon and breathed.
It may not mean much coming from me, but I give you permission to unplug. In fact, I encourage it. Go away, even if it’s just a committed hour of quiet unplugged alone in your room, in a nearby park, on a nature trail.
When the ideas flow—and they likely will—you’ll recognize how plugged in we tend to be. Maybe you’ll recognize how much you needed to unplug.
To tie this all in to Uncommon Content, well, it’s one of the things that makes us uncommon. We encourage you not work. At least not all the time. And we encourage you to create content—journal, explore where your mind takes you, ideate blog ideas, come up with new ways to tell your business story. When you need help, we’re here. But not while you’re on a retreat.