I have an annual overseas holiday. This is something that I choose to do because I think it’s necessary to go somewhere unusual for relaxation and reflection.
Changing the environment gives me a new perspective.
When I was younger, I had a boring job which wasn’t bad – it served its purpose at that time because my plan was to have a stable day job which didn’t require me to use my brain so that I could have enough energy to set up my side hustle after work. When I was working there, a co-worker told me that I didn’t have to stay there because he could see the manager was bullying me. At first, I thought he must be a real friend of mine. However, during my annual leave, I had an overseas holiday and had more quiet time for myself, so figured it out: Chances are he wanted me to resign because he wanted to have more shifts at work (he casually mentioned that he might have to resign and find a new job as he didn’t get enough shifts at that workplace). What’s more, when he realized that I wouldn’t resign, he angrily said, “Are you going to do meaningless work like this when you are 75 years old?” (He must be very frustrated because he couldn’t get what he wanted.)
So, I learned something powerful and important: People who are easily offended are also easily manipulated. Because I wasn’t offended by the mean manager and wasn’t even offended by the angry co-worker, I didn’t have to do whatever they wanted me to do. In other words, I was able to do what I decided to do and what was right for me at that time.
That job lasted for many years. Other people might consider that job to be very boring. Nonetheless, I find that job very nice and easy because it suited my blueprint at that time. Honestly, I was quite happy there because the mean manager and the angry co-worker were both relocated quickly. Also, because the day job was just active work without using my brain, I was able to set up my side hustle after work and make my side gig work really well over time. Eventually, I left that job for my freelance writing career when I was ready to be self-employed.
- A different environment helps me make an informed decision.
Many years ago, I was in a relationship with a man who was divorced twice by the age of 30. Everything seemed fine in my relationship with him until I had an overseas holiday alone: He went away for a business trip while I went overseas for the holiday. Because I had lots of time for myself, I figured something paramount out – my entire relationship with him was wrong – his motive was questionable; he was gaslighting me. Indeed, whenever he was present in my environment, I couldn’t see any of those red flags because he was very charming. Nevertheless, when I changed my environment, everything became crystal-clear. As a result, I left him in the end at the right time and that’s the best decision I’ve ever made.
“What I’ve written so far is more about two truly huge epiphanies in my life. Both epiphanies happened when I was on holiday all by myself. In fact, there are other smaller but meaningful epiphanies that I had every time I went overseas for a solo holiday which gives me sufficient “me time” for reflection and relaxation. That’s why I have decided to have an overseas holiday every year.”
