“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
– Albert Einstein

I’m a big believer of NOT sacrificing any aspect of your life. I believe you can have that big business, enjoy family time, take that big holiday, and live your dreams NOW.

Most people delay taking a much-needed holiday or a vacation out of fear of not having enough money, not having enough time, or being negatively judged by their peers and colleagues.

In this post, Marco Aguilar and I discuss the hidden benefits of taking a vacation, and how it can boost your bank account, help you get more done in less time, meet inspirational people who can transform your life, and in many cases, unlock a BIG business idea that will take off!

And these days, there is no better time to take a vacation than now! You can find great flight deals, accommodation deals, and go somewhere our parents and grandparents NEVER got to go! And we can do this on our Smart phones while we are sipping tea at a café!

Here are the 5 REASONS why a vacation can earn you more money and help you gain more life.

1) YOU GET TO WORK ON YOUR LIFE INSTEAD OF JUST BEING IN IT

As a coach, speaker, and international trainer, I see this all the time. Let me give you a metaphorical example:

Clients often say to me, “Steve!! My eye is hurting! Why is it hurting?”

I say to them, “Well, because your right hand is holding a fork and you keep jabbing the fork in your eye.”

Their response? “What fork?”  

We can’t see our blind spots when we are busy doing, doing, and doing. A painter can’t see what painting he’s painting if he plants his face on the canvas. You need to step out of your life and do something different to get perspective.

That’s exactly why my signature course MORE BUSINESS MORE LIFE was designed as more of a retreat. I take clients who want to earn more money, grow their business, and do more of what they love—they come to my retreat center in Northern California, where we go deep into what they want in their life, and how their business can be built to support that. Life first!

Here’s a few ideas that Marco and I discussed that could help you if you want to take a holiday:

• Take a holiday that is meaningful to you. You could always volunteer and help at a local orphanage or join a cause.
• A vacation doesn’t need to be super long. It could be one day, or one afternoon. Just as long as you regularly take a vacation.  (*Note: staycations don’t count)
• Vacations don’t need to be costly. And even then, you are spending your money SOMEWHERE. Maybe it is coffee, energy drinks, soft drinks, alcohol, or eating out. If you set aside that money, you will be amazed how much money you can save in a month!

2) DISCOVER IDEAS AND PEOPLE THAT WILL GROW YOUR BUSINESS

Read about successful entrepreneurs like Richard Branson and you will find some of his biggest networks and business ideas came from trying something new and meeting someone new. And suddenly, they got a big idea for a company!

For me for example, I met Marco Aguilar while he was traveling from Mexico to Northern California. Or, for example, when my friends Trevor Crane and Robyn Crane came to visit me from the East Coast, and together we came up with an idea for a book (One Hour a Day to Six-Figures). And today, it is a best-seller!

That book itself has led to more business for me. It has also given me more of an opportunity to make an impact on people’s lives worldwide.

3) INCREASE YOUR PRODUCTIVITY

The more breaks I take the more work I get done. Every day your brain is making new neural connections. And when you are busy working, working and working, you are always challenging your brain to make more and more connections. But if you don’t take a break you don’t give them time to finally settle.

If you have read my book CAPTURE CLIENTS CLOSE DEALS, I share the story about how I used to work so much that I became overweight and depressed. And I thought I HAD to work that hard or I wouldn’t earn enough money.

But here’s the thing, when I took more time off work, I made MORE business and had MORE money.

How does that work? It’s like growing a tomato plant. Once you plant the seed and water it you just need to give it time and space to grow.

What I was doing instead, was busy doing, doing, and doing—it was like digging up the dirt every day to see if the seed of my tomato plant had germinated.

But the truth is, the work I needed to do was already done. I just needed to get out of the way! And that’s exactly what a holiday or vacation can help you do.

4) REGAIN YOUR LIFE

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index surveyed 94,000 workers across 14 major occupations in the U.S. and found that the total annual costs related to lost productivity due to illness, totaled a staggering $84 BILLION!

How much does it cost you when you aren’t filling well?

Your health is one of the pillars of true wealth. You can’t grow more business and have more life by trading your health and life away. I look at myself as if I were a battery. If you work, work, work and you drain your batteries, eventually your batteries will die. I’ve tried that. Many other people have tried it. And it doesn’t work.

For example, I worked a lot more without taking a vacation and I was making more on top-line revenue, but my personal profits were suffering. Because I was spending money on food, lots of coffee, and making poor financial decisions.

No surprise, I was close to having a heart attack! I knew that if I didn’t change something I would lose my life, my kids would lose their father, and my wife would lose her husband.

5) STRENGTHEN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS

Taking a vacation also gives me time to spend with my children and my wife. That’s a big reason why I do what I do.

When my son was studying Thomas Edison, we went to southern Florida to visit his winter lab. He’s now in love with comics, so we took the family to Comic Con and my kids could meet Stan Lee, an Icon in the comic book industry, previous president of Marvel Comics.

After we did this my son came to me and said, “Dad, thank you for taking me to Comic Con. Most kids don’t get to go to something like this and you also paid more so I could meet Stan Lee. Thankyou Dad.”

I told him, “You’re welcome and I’m so happy you are filled with such gratitude.”

This brings a tear to my eye. Each year, I’m gaining more family time, while my businesses continues to grow.

I’m not sharing this to brag, but more to tell you what is possible. Because many people (my clients and peers) are discovering it is possible for their lives too.

So, plan that holiday now and make it happen! 😊

Choose Gratitude Create Freedom

Steve Napolitan