Why taking a road trip is good for your business or career
I’m sat here on a Monday morning in Manchester. I think its pretty safe to say that Manchester is running true to form, it’s grey, wet and way too chilly for a mid June day.
It’s moment’s like this that I am beyond grateful for my recent adventure – I got to take a little California road trip.
Now, before you think “Bore off with your holiday adventures…”, this trip was THE biggest button reset that I’ve had in years. And after a lot of reflecting, it wasn’t the actual destination that helped with the reset – it was about so much more.
We all need the capacity to find the reset button and we don’t need to run off over 5000 miles away to get a new perspective on what’s happening in our life.
Here are some of the things I learnt on my trips : :
- Change of scenery – Different foods, different culture, history, different sights, colours, sounds really inspired me and tapped me back into my inspiration. Changing things up can really help you to change your state. If things are feeling a little mundane and you’re stuck in a rut, sitting yourself down in a completely different environment can be just the ticket to getting you on track to feeling good.
- Bounce out of the burn-out – I have a lot of planning and routine in my life. I need it, it helps me keep on top of all the moving parts and on track with life and my business demands. But routine can also give you a little routine-burnout. Taking a road trip can (even if its to the local coffee shop!) help you get out of procrastination mode, ease the fidget and give yourself a new routine. Routine is good, but change it up every month to keep you away from routine burnout.
- New experiences are good for growth – getting to make memories and have new stories to tell that we can share with others can be one of the most educating things we can do for ourselves and others. We grow ourselves by experiences. And growth is good.
- Get paid to see the world – no matter how far or wide you travel, when we are travelling for business, we are literally being paid to experience the world. I’ve been very fortunate that for the vast majority of my career I’ve had the opportunity to travel and been paid for doing so. At times I’ve cursed another Sunday evening spent packing, but when I look back, those business trips have been the most life enriching for me both personally and professionally.
- Challenge yourself physically – one of THE best trips I took was travelling around Australia. On New Years Eve I decided that along with all the other physical challenges I put myself through, I’d jump out of plane at 14,000ft – I’d go sky diving over Bryon Bay. I was terrified. I was beyond fearful. That one decision of putting myself RIGHT out of my comfort zone changed everything for me. I decided in that moment that I jumped out of the plane that I could do anything I wanted – I could leave my corporate gig and start my own business. 18 months after that massive leap of faith and I did just that.
- Sunrises and reflections – Taking a trip can literally energise you. I love taking a little solo trip for one to a teeny cabin close to the shores of a beautiful beach in North Wales. When I’m there I have the energy to hit up the sunrise and walk along the beach. This experience calms, centres and focuses me; I come back with ideas for myself both professionally and personally that sometimes I don’t always have the energy to generate.
- Grow your circle – I love to meet new people. Whether it’s a mum at the local coffee shop who needs me to hold her baby whilst she takes a pee, or a kick ass women who is killing it in the entrepreneurial game. Sometimes with routine we can isolate ourselves and it can be hard to meet new people, human contact is an essential human need so get yourself out and about could mean you meet your new next client our the person who is going to help you change your lifestyle for the greater good. Oh, and you just may get to hangout with Superman at the ballgame.
- Deepen existing friendships – I was lucky enough to recently travel with my business accountability buddy Laura. We laughed (A LOT!), we cried (A LITTLE!), we supported each other in those dark night of the soul moments, we had outrageous fun, we helped the other to grow and try new things. We have built an even solider foundation for our friendship and business growth. I can honestly say this trip has given us the scope to push and support each other even harder to achieve our dreams.
When we take trips, it’s a chance for us to grow as individuals, when we grow as individuals we can throw that growth around like confetti, it ripples out and we help others to grow too. Never underestimate a trips potential to be life changing now matter how far or close.
On a final note, I acknowledge that travelling can be tough too, I’ve had a lot of travel this year and I’ve been grateful for a month of being at home but the big picture view is that all this years travel has added so much to my life.
So get out there and take an adventure – where will you next go and the local coffee shop is a great starter too?