Take Charge! Live Large!

Take charge and live large…that was the theme of a conference I keynoted on Friday for the Texas Women’s Chamber of Commerce.   It was fitting.  After a week of vacation in Colorado, renting a motorcycle and riding in the mountains, seeing two shows at Red Rocks, and having a blast, I definitely felt like I was living large!

But what do you do when you can’t go on vacation or get away?  You do the next best thing and bring vacation to you!  We all need a break every now and then to physically, mentally, and emotionally recharge.  Even if you can’t get away, try these strategies to take charge and live large right where you are!

1.  Unplug. Do you check email on the weekends? Are you thinking about work when you aren’t technically working?  I know I’m guilty of this too, but at times it is important to completely unplug.  I know it’s hard to believe, but people used to survive without cell phones, texting, email, Twitter, Facebook, and all kinds of wonderful distractions that we have today.  Take a couple of days and just unplug.

2.  Do something out of the ordinary.  Austin is an incredible city with so much to offer.  Unfortunately, we get stuck in
our ruts and do the same things over and over. You’ve probably heard me say it before, but a rut is just a grave with no ends.  Try something new.  Live music, great food, hiking, paddle boating, a picnic at Zilker, a movie at Alamo Draft house, the options are endless!  If you don’t live in Austin, find out what fun things your city has to offer and view it from a tourist’s eyes.

3.  Do nothing.  I swore that one day of our vacation I would do absolutely nothing but maybe watch Law and Order re-runs.  While I only made it through 2 shows and then got bored, I still managed to do a whole lot of nothin’ the rest of the day. There is definitely something to be said for being a little lazy every now and then.

4.  Take a mental health day.  Don’t wait until you get sick to take a day off of work.  Take a mental health day when you are perfectly healthy.  Sit under a tree and read, get a massage, take time to meditate, read your favorite book, or do all of the above.  Just take a day off to recharge.

5.  Think. Most of us are so busy doing; we don’t take time to think about what it is we want for ourselves and our lives. We spend so much time reacting and not enough time being deliberate about what we want our lives to look like.

6.  Laugh and Play.  One of my favorite things in the whole world is one of those belly laughs that leave you gasping for air.  Never underestimate the power of playing and having fun.  Your age is just a number.

7.  Remember what you’re grateful for at home.  While I had an absolute blast, it also felt amazing to come home to hugs, puppy licks, sleeping in my own bed, a hot shower, and snuggle time with the kids…I’m livin’ large!

P.S.  The NAMI walk was this Saturday, and we had a fantatsic turnout AND exceeded our goal of $200,000!  Thanks so much for your continued support in helping to reduce the stigma of mental illness!