Day 199 of 2025- Leading Myself-A Vacation Lesson

 Hi Friends,

I used to think vacation was an escape from work, from responsibilities, from myself. But this time, I’m noticing something different: no matter where I go, I bring myself with me. And that’s not a burden it’s an opportunity.

I’m realizing how much of self-leadership is just about staying connected to myself, even in a new place. It’s the gentle awareness that my needs and wants don’t go on hold when I’m “out of office.” If anything, they speak up louder when the usual noise quiets down.

Here by the mountains, and the little café I keep going back to, I’m practicing listening:

• To when my body says, “Let’s move” and when it whispers, “Stay still.”

• To when my mind wants adventure and when my heart wants a slow day with no plans.

• To when I crave connection and when solitude feels like the deepest kind of nourishment.

Self-leadership on vacation looks like trusting that I know what I need moment to moment. It’s letting go of “shoulds”: I should see every landmark, I should wake up early, I should do more, experience more, maximize every minute. Instead, I’m asking, “What do I want to remember about this?”

I want to remember the taste of the coffee I took two hours to sip while people-watching. I want to remember the long walk that cleared my head and the nap that followed. I want to remember that I didn’t try to outrun myself, I stayed close. I led with curiosity, not pressure.

The biggest thing I’m learning? Vacation doesn’t change who I am, it reveals who I’m becoming when I listen deeply and respond with care. That version of me is welcome to come home. She’s the one who knows how to rest when she’s tired, say no when she means it, and say yes when it lights her up inside.

Self-leadership doesn’t take a break just because I’m on one. And honestly, that’s the best part.

Wishing you peace and happiness from my heart to yours!

Peace

Monita