5 Ways I Made a Trip to Cabo Calming AND Constructive

We started an annual family tradition when my son graduated from high school by taking an exotic vacation to a new, uncharted destination. In 2013, we journeyed to Costa Rica and had an amazing time zip-lining through the rain forest, white water rafting, and surfing on some of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen.

My daughter graduated two weeks ago and we jet-setted off to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico less than a week later. In six glorious days at an all-inclusive resort, we experienced the most incredible weather, lounged on the beach and at the pool, ate our own body weight in guacamole, and sampled every blender drink at the swim-up bar.

We also worked out every day at the gym and went snorkeling, paddle boarding, and kayaking. But, outside of the invaluable family time and memories that will last a lifetime, my greatest reward was figuring out how to make a vacation relaxing AND productive.

Here are the five ways I made a trip to Cabo calming and constructive:

Revisit Goals –

Like everyone else, I needed to find and dust off the list of ambitious goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year. We all start off with the best of intentions, but life happens, and we get derailed, discouraged, and end up ditching the list. Instead of locking myself in my room, I actually used the time on the treadmill, while I was looking out over the ocean, to challenge myself and recommit to the goals I want to achieve.

Read Wisely –

I know everyone has a stack of books they save for their indulgent, page-turning, and often provocative “summer reading” experience. As a kid, it was every single Judy Blume book I could get my hands on, and now my literary escape is what I call Renaissance trash. Even though I stayed true to my guilty pleasure, on this trip I also included a business book that I consumed in a single day. I highly recommend The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy. It’s a quick read, and contains useful and applicable action steps, but best of all I had the luxury of uninterrupted time to absorb and process the information, and think of ways to implement that information when I got home. It was time very well spent.

Get Creative –

It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, every single person leads a very busy and hectic life. But what happens during all that chaos, running around, and over-scheduling is that the creative part of our brain atrophies. It loses strength and becomes weak from neglect and under-use. The good news is that part of your brain gets reawakened at an all-inclusive resort when you don’t have to cook dinner or do laundry. You have time to think while taking long walks along the beach and come up with new content you want to write or new programs you want to create. Let those ideas flow and capture them on a note pad or on your phone so you don’t forget them by the time you get home.

Take Stock –

A vacation is the perfect time to evaluate and assess the relationships in your life. Are those people helping you or hurting you? There is a lot of truth in the idea that you are the product of the five people you spend the most time with. The question becomes, “Are you spending that time wisely with the people who can elevate you, advance your thinking or your position, and make you a better version of yourself?” If your social circle is more concerned with happy hour and spreading gossip than personal growth and development, and that no longer aligns with your values and goals, it could be time to trade in those margaritas and malicious words for a master’s degree and some motivating mantras.

Challenge Your Passion –

Just because you think you found your passion 20 years ago, doesn’t mean it’s still your passion today. As human beings we evolve, we change, and we shift priorities. A vacation can be incredibly productive if you use the time to reflect, to challenge yourself, to test your beliefs, and to question your passions. After a very thorough and sometimes painful gut-check process, if your passion still lights a fire deep within you and you look forward to getting home and hitting the ground running with renewed energy and a million innovative ideas, then your passion hasn’t changed. If the opposite is true, and you’re dreading walking off the plane and returning to your same old life, then you may need to make some changes.

The truth is that you don’t have to fly to an all-inclusive resort in Cabo to do this important work and achieve these results. You can take a hike, go for a bike ride, walk your dog, or sit in a coffee shop…the idea is that you seek opportunities that are both calming and constructive. And, if that opportunity happens to include a fancy umbrella drink? Even better!