Have you ever considered that there might be a correlation between the type of vacation people take and the level of business mindset they posses?
It’s easier now than ever before to hop on an airplane and travel to anywhere the world we wish. Some people may be constrained in the type of vacation they can choose, because of other commitments or simply the cost involved. However many people are now in the fortunate position where they can take any type of vacation they wish.
If Money Were no Object
If we remove any limitations imposed by cost and commitments and assume people can take any vacation they wish, is there a correlation between the sort of vacation they choose and the level of business mindset they posses? I think that maybe there is.
I don’t just mean rich people who choose more exotic vacations because that’s quite obvious and doesn’t teach us much. I am talking about the average person tending to take relaxing vacations in sunny climates and entrepreneurs tending to take more challenging vacations involving adventure and exploration.
If we use someone like Sir Richard Branson (one of the UKs most successful entrepreneurs) as an example. I’m sure he takes vacations on his own Necker Island, but he’s most famous for his many adventures. He’s made numerous world record attempts involving hot air balloon flights around the globe and travelling across Oceans in his custom built boats.
For most of us this kind of adventure is beyond our budgets but for many people even if they could afford such trips they’d still chose not to risk their lives like this and choose to stick with beach vacations instead.
Does a Business Mindset Promote Adventure?
The main point here is that there must be a link between what we choose to do with our vacations and the amount of business mindset we possess.
That still raises the question, does possessing a business mindset make you adventurous or does being adventurous promote a business mindset? That’s difficult to answer but my guess is that it’s that the two characteristics are very similar and he who possesses one will often possess the other too.
Using Myself as an Example
So, what made me think of such a obscure topic to write about? I’ll use myself as an example. Until recent years I was the person who always used up my spare time to take relaxing vacations in sunny climates.
When I looked back on my vacations in recent years I discovered a pattern. In 2005 one of my vacations was very much different to others I’d taken in the past. I took a flight to Phoenix, USA with just a single night booked in a hotel, hired a car and booked a flight back to the UK a few weeks later over 2000 miles away from San-Francisco airport. Compared to my usual package vacations, for me to drive 2000 miles across the USA with only one nights room booked and no specific route planned was something quite different for me.
The next year my main vacation was a safari in Kenya. Again, this was worlds apart from my normal type of vacation.
The year after that I chose to walk 192 miles across the UK in eleven days. The walk was from the West coast to the East coast, covering three national parks. As many of you know I have just returned from doing the same walk again, three years later and trust me it’s still quite a challenge.
So what drove my change in vacation choice, from relaxing to adventurous? All I can say is that it coincided almost exactly with my change in mindset towards a business mindset. This makes me think that the two were related, but which one drove the other I cannot be sure.
Does Your Business Mindset Influence Your Vacations?
What would be an interesting exercise for you to do now is to look at your own choices of vacation in the past and present. Then compare them with your level of business mindset at the time. Do you see a pattern similar to what I have identified in myself?
I’d be interested to hear your thoughts and personal experiences on this, so please feel free to share your comments here.
Wishing you every success,
Jason
