The Zero Vacation

Countless resolutions, to what may have seemed an insurmountable problem, haven't been born through intense brainpower. Take, for example, the person who says that their best thoughts come when they are out walking their dog in the park, or during a long and leisurely shower, or when taking a drive through the countryside. So, why is this?

For those of you who have a burning issue where the solution or tactic eludes you, or when you have been working on a task that just seems to have gotten the better of you and you can't make headway, take a mini zero vacation. A what, you ask?

In simple terms, it is sometimes better to let your mind go to zero where you are not consciously trying to arrive at an answer or solution. In order to take this mini zero vacation, you probably will best be doing something totally different from whatever it is you are attempting to overcome or resolve.

Take yourself away from your normal surroundings and engage in an activity that, at least on the conscious level, involves your mind in something pleasurable, different, unusual, or physically challenging.

The time you spend going to zero is not just a few minutes within the same environment in which you work either. The time must be physically away from anything that physically reminds you of where you work and any connection to anything or anyone that reminds you of work or the issues that you are currently facing. In order to do this successfully, you must also put yourself in a vacation frame of mind. This means that you frame your mind to only think about vacation and nothing more. If this means that you pack a bag, or pack a picnic for yourself, then do it.

Then, get in your car, or if you do not have one, take a bus to a park or drive to a beautiful countryside spot away from all distractions. Do not take a phone, or any device that will interrupt you. Now is the time to sit quietly and just focus on all those daily beauties that surround you, the birds singing, the butterflies flying, or the grasshoppers jumping. Do not actively think of anything but the natural sounds or sights that surround you. This is the beginning of going to zero. You will find that when you practice this exercise often that you will have a much calmer and more serene mental attitude, and one that leads to clearing the mind thus allowing for new energy and new solutions to come to the forefront.

It is when your conscious mind is involved in a different or rewarding activity that allows your subconscious mind to work on whatever it is that is giving you a particularly difficult time.

Going to zero doesn't have to mean going on a long vacation to some remote island or exotic getaway either. Going to zero can be as close as a nearby wind swept beach, or tranquil lake where you can put a line in or go for a canoe ride, or simply skip stones across the water.

An activity can be physically engaging like tennis, roller blading, swimming or jogging.

My wife and I had the need to go to zero recently as we had been working non-stop for over a month with no breaks not even a break on the weekend. So, now that the weather is getting warmer, we decided to head out down the road to a friend’s cottage to help them with some spring clean up. So, off we went with no cell phone or laptop. When we arrived, we immediately dove into spring cleanup from raking their lawn to hauling out their floating dock. We worked non-stop from one o’clock until well past six and then sat with them for a little picnic. This was just what we needed. No time to think of anything else but clean up duties. Did it help? Yes it did? Where we tired? Yes we were. Did we feel like we had a break away from our normal routine? You bet, and look forward to another zero vacation really soon.

The point is this: give yourself permission to let your mind go to zero where it concerns whatever task, issue, or challenge you face and are struggling with. You may just find what you have been searching for.