While vacationing recently, I took long walks on the beach. The wind in my hair, the sun on my face, the sand under my toes… pure bliss. After a few days, I began to look around at the other folks enjoying their time on the beach as well. What I noticed was shocking… not a single person was on their phone. I didn’t see a soul on an iPad. I didn’t even see a Kindle. What I did see was people talking to each other. I saw people playing games together and building sandcastles with their kids. I saw people napping, eating, reading and working.
Yes, I did say working….
After sitting on the beach for a while, your mind wanders. You look around to see the surroundings and, lo and behold, inspiration strikes. In addition, your natural biorhythms take over when you are around the ocean. Your nervous system regulates. People made some of the most beautiful sandcastles, wrote inspirational messages in the sand, collected seashells and created artwork. They were working.
The word “work” means “an activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result”. And at the end of the day, people were satisfied.
Work has literally become a 4-letter word… something that we have to endure in order to live. I think work is a beach. When we are inspired by our work, we create and innovate. We are more willing to try new things, and we sometimes make mistakes. We are learning!
So, if you are thinking to yourself “Work is a bi*%h”, then I encourage you to visit a beach… stat!