ESCAPE TO YOUR HAPPY PLACE

When I got married in 2013, the new hubs and I honeymooned at this boutique all-inclusive resort in Jamaica. We loved it so much that, the minute we boarded our flight home, we wanted to go back. Since then, we’ve worked hard and made some sacrifices, and thanks to our efforts, we’ve been able to make it back to “our” tiny piece of the Caribbean a handful of times.

This little resort really isn’t anything special. While it’s certainly a charming place on a beautiful piece of the Jamaican coastline, I wouldn’t classify it as high-end or fancy. It only has a few restaurants, the beach is pretty small, some of the rooms need a bit of updating, and requests to the front desk often happen on “island time.”

But, it isn’t about the amenities, or the excursions, or the variety of entertainment, or how quickly room service is delivered.

It’s about what it represents.

The first time I stepped onto the sand, smelled the salty air, and waded into the water, I found it … my hands-down, all-time, super-duper, couldn’t-be-more-perfect Happy Place.

There are no decisions to make. Nobody needs me for anything. I’m completely cut off from the rest of the world. I take naps on a beach chair. I don’t count calories in my fruity cocktails or worry about moderation when ordering from the dessert menu. I overdose on vitamin D. I read mindless, brain-candy books. I find it exceptionally easy to be in (and stay in) the present moment. If I make a new friend at the bar, I know “Tell me about your business…” will never be a conversation starter.

For an introvert like me, these are all the ingredients for not just any Happy Place, but the Happy Place to End All Happy Places.

I have other, smaller, lower-case happy places when life gets a bit overwhelming. Tucking myself away in our family’s dinky, run-down little cabin in the Wisconsin Northwoods. Taking a long, leisurely walk with my dog. Sitting outside on a warm evening surrounded by a few friends, cheap wine, and grilled food. Getting caught up in a great book or movie marathon for an entire afternoon.

These are all excellent happy places, and I need them because my bank account doesn’t allow me to visit my Super Duper Awesome Perfect Happy Place very often.

As overwhelmed and overworked business owners, we need to find our happy places. We need them to take the edge off facing the challenges we do … difficult clients, huge projects, a rough financial month, tight deadlines, staffing challenges, or any number of countless obstacles we face.

The best part about happy places? There’s no limit to how many you can have, and they can be anything you want. The only requirement is that you intentionally go to whatever your happy place is and, when you get there, you feel … well … happy. Your stress level drops a bit. You can breathe. You can think. You can laugh. You can escape (even for just a little while).

You can find as many happy places that serve as many purposes as you need. They can be large (vacation on the other side of the world) or small (a favorite coffee shop), short (a walk around the block) or long (a week-long road trip), by yourself (meditating or journaling) or with others (playing with your kids).

As a business owner, I chose this life. I have no regrets for making the choice to run a business, define and attempt to build a life that suits me, and blaze my own trail. It’s truly an absolute honor to work with our clients, and most of us business owners can’t imagine life any other way.

But, even though we love our work, that doesn’t mean we don’t need a bit of an escape now and then. Burnout is real, even when you love what you do.

After all, there’s a reason they say, “Even the sun burns if you get too much.”

Which is precisely why I take my naps on the beach under an umbrella.