Why I never work in August

Mel LarsenArticle Leave a Comment

It all started with this great video I saw on TED – below. It’s well worth a watch. It tells the story of a New York ad agency CEO who takes a year off every seven years.

I was totally inspired after watching it and decided that my version would be taking a month off every year where I do whatever I want to do. I chose August because it tends to be a downtime for most of my clients and it’s also a beautiful time of year.

I really LOVE my work but I also look forward to this sacred summer month. It’s my home-designed spiritual retreat where I…

…sleep as much as I want to
…stay at home or travel
…stop looking at social media
…make art (usually mosaics, but I also doodle, paint and collage)
…read a lot of books
…daydream a lot
…stare into space and do nothing
…try out new recipes
…de-clutter and organise stuff
…explore all kinds of ideas and experiences
…realise that all the things I think are so urgent and important, aren’t really

I usually take two weeks off at Christmas too which although lovely, is not quite the same. There is something about this long summer space that is very creative and special to me.

Coming back to work after this sunny month is exciting. I feel relaxed, blessed, inspired, clear and in the moment. Its a wonderful gift that I give to myself every year.

I really recommend you watch the video and if it inspires you too, have a think about what your version would be. A month of relaxing and dreaming could be the start of a Dream Project springing to life.

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