I’m becoming a bigger and bigger believer in that whole thing about the Universe being a giant hologram teaching us what we need to learn along the way, as we try to help others learn what we need to know ourselves.
Last weekend my family of slept away together for the first time since there were 4 of us!
I made a conscious decision NOT to bring my laptop.
Even if I had, it probably would have just taken up space, which we certainly didn’t have in the car, but worse than that, it would have taken up headspace.
The Universe forced my husband to be even more brave than I was sans laptop.
I dare you to do what he did this weekend.
There we were, pulling out of the driveway, and he says he forgot his phone, that thing we all tend to have surgically attached to us.
I’m guilty too of the surgical attachment – even moreso since bringing more of my business online – the checking, the Facebook, the emails, now the Periscope, oyyyyy.
For him, it’s the NY Daily News (yep), ESPN, reading the latest horror about the NY Knicks, etc.
So we took turns running back inside with 2 content kids in the back (at that point) and tore the place apart, with no luck finding his phone.
“It’s ok,” he said, parting with it for a long weekend, “I’ll just have to talk to people.”
I did not envy him, but made a conscious decision to also be with my phone minimally.
A few emails and messages here and there, sure, and I took full advantage of my phone to capture images like these:
He used my phone to occasionally check his news, his teams, and got a golf score for our buddy on Saturday and found out the Women’s World Cup updates on Sunday for my aunt…
But overall, the phone was an afterthought.
So while part of me thought maybe I “should” be periscoping my life to be more in-your-face visible, or tweeting a “divine download,” and reposting it on Facebook and instagramming the pure beauty of my life so that you would know you just HAVE to work with me (please know I’m saying this tongue in cheek), I chose to take my cues from the Big U and just turn it all OFF.
And it was awesome.
Truly an Independence Weekend.
As much as I proclaim the glories of truly being here now, I am as guilty as the next person of sometimes letting my head get swept up with the millions of online distractions.
We are not built to multi-task, we are built to be present in every amazing moment that we’re given.
We’re not going to remember all of those Facebook posts we missed on our deathbeds (unless they were REALLY good…just kidding).
I was truly *with* my family last weekend. And some dear friends. My husband’s multitasking packing frenzy which led him to lose his phone forced us to enjoy each other’s company that much more.
As an online business owner, you are especially at risk for being swept away by the bright shiny objects and all of the awesomeness around you online.
My advice?
Pay more attention to the awesomeness within you and before you in your life offline too.
I dare you to shut off. Unplug.
Yes, you should figure out how to keep your business running without you if you want it to be sustainable, but if you need a break, please take it and be with the people who matter most.
You’ll come back recharged, ready to delegate more and create more of your empire.
Cheers to thriving in business & love,
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