Leading worthy life — Manage By Play Consulting

Hi players,

I often wondered why we feel so good on vacation. You probably nod your head in disbelief, “Yeh, dahh, genius.” Of course, we do; who does not?

Before you judge me, let me explain that I just wanted to understand what exactly makes a vacation so much better than “real” life.

Finding the recipe for “life as one big vacation” may not win me the Nobel prize, but it would provide guidelines for living in the coming new year.

This travel was the best candidate to explore my burning question since it was not a “regular” travel.

The main purpose of the travel was to celebrate my son’s wedding in San Diego.

The travel from Israel to California was expected to be extremely challenging under COVID-19 restrictions, so without question, the travel would not have happened if not for the wedding.

I am happy we had an exceptionally good cause to make the decision to travel despite all the difficulties.

A warning: This piece will be long. It does not follow the order of our two-week travel, but it is a pure reflection of my scattered thoughts (our itinerary is mentioned at the end).

I don’t want to keep you in suspense, so I will say it upfront: I found the answer to my question and am happy to share it with you.

Are you ready?

So …at the beginning of everything, there is, first and foremost, The Choice.

We travel by choice. Our own choice determines everything.

We decide where to go, when, with whom to travel, what to do, and how to do it and ensure that we have the perfect conditions to make the most of the experience.

We plan it all.

We are the masters of our travel, and we can be the masters of our lives in the same way.

“Your life is a result of the choices you make. If you don’t like your life, it is time to start making better choices.” Anonymous.

As I previously noted, this specific travel was not our choice; my son and daughter-in-law decided to get married in San Diego….mmmm.

Although my initial answer was” life by choice is a life of “vacation,” this is not the whole story.

As we all know, we often have limited choices. Does this mean our “ life of vacation” goes through the roof? Oh no…relax…there is more to it.

I call this “feeling good” phenomenon the “traveler’s syndrome.”

I believe I have the winning formula: “I am worthy.”

We are all worthy of a life that feels good and worth living.

“I am worthy” stands for eight factor:

I – Intention

As we travel, we intend to enjoy every minute; this is the ultimate purpose of traveling.

This intention was deeply challenged during this travel.

First, we had to wear masks everywhere for hours—tough. Second, we could not stay in hotels in California, so we had to take a longer route from California through Nevada and Arizona.

As a result, we drove almost 7 hours through the Mojave Desert.

To tell you the truth, I do not like the desert and would probably never have visited it if given the choice, but when you declare the intention to enjoy it no matter what, you do.

We drove for hours in silence, listening to our favorite music (an activity that I strongly encourage. Sitting in silence together without feeling awkward is more powerful than filling the void with talking).

As time passed, I looked through the window like a bored child, saying,” I spot…”

For hours, all I spotted was nothing, and more of nothing, just a railroad track by Highway 62 .

Suddenly, I started seeing stone graffiti along the railroad, names, words, and figures; it went for miles.

My curious self was fully awake. What is it? What does it mean? Thanks to Google (surprisingly, there was a reception…)

Thanks to the efforts of that first Kilroy who once paused along this lonely road, a seventeen-mile stretch of Highway 62 has become a place to leave a mark, and countless travelers have paused long enough to spell names and messages with dark stones.

We did not have time to leave our mark since we were under a tight schedule, but I did stop to take a photo of a smiley as a reminder of the importance of having a clear intention in life.

Intention is the basic foundation, but it is not enough…there is more…

“Our intention creates our reality”.Wayne dyer.

One more thing that came up for me during our long walks in the Desert

(buckskin https://azstateparks.com/buckskin/ lake mead, https://www.nps.gov/lake/index.htm ) was deeply understanding my constant need for action, vibrant energy, color, and stimulation.

T

The desert, monotonous and almost empty of stimulants, confronted me with a deafening silence, a silence I usually avoid.

The only distractions were the sound of my steps on the ground and the annoying presence of my shadow, who followed me and refused to let go.

In these rare moments, I could hear my nondistracted inner voice, my desires, and my fears that were shouting loud and clear without any interruption.

I could not avoid thinking that my endless need for action was just armor from hearing my truth, a poor escape from unwanted fears and shadows.

The more you fear the silence, the more you need it.

You cannot hide forever.

Go to the desert and listen; examine your life.

“The unexamined life is not worth living”. Socrates

A- Attitude. Attitude is important when your intention meets adversity; in many cases, it will.

It happened to us.

It was our second day in Reno, NV.

We woke up at 3 a.m., still suffering from jetlag, so we spontaneously decided to drive to Lake Tahoe to watch the sunrise and spend the rest of the day hiking in the area.

We did not check the weather, which is very unlikely for us, maybe because of fatigue, excitement, or both.

An hour into the drive, it started to snow.

When we checked the weather, we realized we were heading directly into a snowstorm around the lake, unprepared for it.

It was dark, and the signs signaled that snow chains were mandatory at this time. The road was slippery, and the snow was hitting hard on the front window.

There was no way to turn back.

We had two choices: to complain about our carelessness or to relax and drive safely to the nearest populated place to regroup and consider our options.

We chose the latter.

After 30 30-minute drive that felt like an eternity, we arrived at Lake Tahoe and found a great bagel place (https://dragonflybagel.square.site/).

We waited until the weather improved and left the area, not before we bought a set of chains for the tires that currently sit proudly in my room

and waiting to be transformed into an art artifact (whose shape will be determined).

Chains usually have a bad rep (installing them was pretty complicated as well).

We usually think that chains are limiting, but for us, they were a liberating force, one that enabled us to keep driving safely on rough terrain.

These chains will be a constant reminder of an attitude.

An attitude can tie you or be your savior; it always depends on how you use it. You can use attitude wisely; you can choose a good one.

It was quite an adventure. I plan to come back to Lake Tahoe to accomplish our goal, see the sunrise, and eat the delicious bagel again.

Lake Tahoe .California. the calm after the storm

M- Mindfulness –In the past few years, mindfulness became a “big” trendy word but simply put, it is the art of paying attention,

the act of being fully present in the moment while using all the senses to experience our world.

Mindfulness helped me see “the seven magic mountains”.

As we approached Las Vegas, leaving the wilderness (finally, thank God),

I noticed spots of color in the brownish desert background that became so familiar (I have never spent so much time in the desert).

The seven magic mountains are an art display that captures the eye and brings so much joy.

As much as I appreciate the desert now, color is irreplaceable. Color has a transformational impact, no doubt in my mind.

Mindfulness is a powerful tool.

From my own experience, when we travel, we must adjust to a new, unfamiliar environment, so we act like children, curious and eager to learn.

I also suspect that mindfulness may be a form of protection that our ancient mind developed to sharpen its senses and be prepared to react quickly to any danger that awaits when stepping into the unknown.

Whatever the reason for this mindful behavior, I know for a fact that when I travel, my senses are sharp and wildly engaged, allowing me to embrace the experience fully.

The richness of our lives can be enhanced if we stop “getting used” to our daily routine, stop being numb to the ever-changing reality,

and start paying more attention, seeing our world through fresh eyes every single day. Yep, it is easier said than done …

I know for myself that it is so easy to take everything for granted, being blinded by my sometimes weary routine and missing out on the simple, beautiful moments.

Nevertheless, it is a purpose worth pursuing.

Speaking of beautiful. Sedona Arizona.

Sedona captured my heart with its gigantic red mountains, beautiful art galleries, and colorful weather vanes.

I visited the place more than ten years ago and always wanted to return, so I did. It was as beautiful as I remembered and more.

Plan to stay here for at least 2-3 days to explore the area and hike. There are more than 200 trails to explore in the area.

I don’t know if it was a coincidence but as we were on our way to have brunch at the red rock café https://redrockcafeaz.com/.

Tim McGraw’s song “live like you were dying “ was playing on the radio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9TShlMkQnc. Check out the lyrics if you need further reminder to live fully.

Coconino National Forest. Sedona .Arizona

W- Why- Focus on your why.

As I mentioned earlier, vacation feels good because we are the masters of our travel.

Yet we all perfectly know that we often have limited choices. Don’t be hopeless, I promised you there is more to that, it is the magic “why?”.

When we travel, our why is evident; we want to have as much fun as possible, but life (aka “s##t”) happens.

At some point in our travel, especially when the mask stuck on my face for hours was itching like hell , I became very frustrated with the pandemic and its restrictions.

But, I had my “why” to lift my spirit. My why was bigger than any challenge or adversity,

my why was the simple joy of witnessing the happy couple on their wedding day.

It was more than enough to bear just anything.

Humans are meaning making creatures, as such ,we need to have a “why?”, why we get up every morning? why we are here? why ? why and more why.

My main why for this trip was huge, but I had a secondary “why,” which was more modest.

I had “Joshua tree park” on my traveling list for some time and we had just enough time before the wedding day to stop there. https://www.nps.gov/jotr/index.htm

It was freezing cold, the wind was blowing hard ,but when you have a why , it’s no biggy.( the annoying face mask was helpful as well ..who knew,I will appreciate it)

As I was looking at the valley filled with many Joshua trees, I saw that every tree had its own personal space, it had a unique shape, its branches were spread wildly to absorb as much sun and water as possible.

The tree was named, by early Mormon settlers, after the Old Testament prophet Joshua, as its branches reminded them of Joshua raising his arms to pray.

The Joshua tree is also called the tree of life because it is the host to many animals who dependent upon it.

The tree is the source of life for others throughout its life and it keeps serving others long after the tree itself has died.

Don’t we all secretly want to be like the Joshua tree, to serve others or a bigger purpose that will resonate long after we’re gone?

We can have one big “why” (for example, eradicating hunger) or small, simple "whys" to brighten our day, like making someone smile.

Our ‘whys’ can change throughout our lives, so it is never too late if you have yet to uncover or create your why.

O – Openness to experience, adventure and play.

Our travel was partly planned, but we had to make changes due to extreme weather conditions.

Travel enhances our flexibility because we are in a play mode. We are not stuck or over think , we decide and act without almost no hesitation.

It happens this way because we know there is risk. We are not stuck or overthinking; associated with our decision.

What can possibly be the worst outcome? Exploring a new place? Great.

Unlike travel, in “real” life we tend to over analyze every action until self exhaustion. I do wonder why, since most of the “day to day” decisions have no serious impact on our life whatsoever, on the contrary ,most of them, are truly meaningless.

I feel that we need to attach a meaning to our actions/decisions just to feel important and valued (lookout “EGO” at work) , such a waist of time, really .

As a result, we sweat on the small staff and loose our energy for nothing. I think the cure for it is to stop taking ourselves so seriously, lighten up.

Life is a game, so go ahead and play, the clock is ticking.

The openness to explore , following a sign on the road, brought us to Seligman ((https://www.visitarizona.com/places/cities/seligman/.) and Goldfield (http://goldfieldghosttown.com/) small settlements on the historic route 66 . We were driving through memory lane during the times of the gold rush.

If we are truly open to experience life fully, we will find our Gold, without digging deep.

I had a glimpse on how we miss opportunities to experience life.

I was at La Jolla beach and was watching the waves , trying to capture on camera the biggest wave

I have missed so many smaller but beautiful waves because I was busy digging for the big one…

R- Relationship.

I traveled with my perfect partner, my hubby.

Life can be a never-ending vacation when you have your loved ones walking by your side.

Relationships are a basic human need and have been proven scientifically to be the number one factor for one’s happines

it is no wonder, that every experience is better when shared with the people you love.

Reno’s and Las Vegas’s casinos reminded me that relationship maybe be a risky gamble, but you can win only if you are all in.

A homeless sits on a “believe” sign. Reno, Nevada

T- time is precious.

Do you ever feel that when you travel, you experience so many things that a day feels like a whole month?

When we were at the second part of the trip, after the wedding, it seemed that the first part had happened ages ago.

When we travel we experience time differently. Since we know that travel is temporary and soon we are back to “reality” we squeeze every minute to the fullest.

Honestly , I never get it. why we do not have the same sense of urgency all the time. The truth is that our time is limited and we must seize it.

It is simply too hard to think that we are temporary here.

Anyway, denial is not the solution; we must remind ourselves every morning that the coming day is one of a kind, so we must make it special.

The “how “is not simple because we are slaves of our 'habits, but we can always try to start a new habit.

Plan a “mini travel” for every day. It can be as simple as enjoying your favorite ice cream or,for me, eating a tasty cheese blintz. (Sadelle’s Las vegas)

HY- Hell, yes.

Travel has a vibe of “hell yes” to just everything.

As you probably already know , I am a big fan of graffiti.

I found out that downtown Las Vegas has beautiful graffiti that were a part of a project to attract tourists to the area to increase its economy.

Downtown las -Vegas unlike the shiny glamorous Las- Vegas strip is less traveled.

As we approached downtown, it didn’t seem too friendly, homeless were lying in the streets and it looked a bit scary to walk around, but the “hell yes” vibe is a powerful voice, I had to see the graffiti . I loved the graffiti , it was worth it.

Say hell yes to life and walk on the less-traveled paths.

I will end my blog with our beginning.

We landed in San Francisco early morning and as we stepped outside to collect our rental car, a beautiful red sunrise welcomed us.

It was breathtaking. The sky was on fire, just like us.

I wish you the best in 2021, and may you live your life like you travel. (pre covid- 19 of course)

I encourage you always to choose the “I am worthy”, 8 guidelines for your life:

I- Intention -set a clear intention to live fully. Don’t compromise.

A-Attitude -keep an eye on your attitude, chains work both ways..

M– Mindfulness - Be mindful. Pay attention and make use of all your senses to savor every moment.

W– Why -Focus on your Why , big or small, it will keep you going when “S##T” happens.

O– Opennes - practice openness to experience and play.

Do not miss the game. Life is not the trailer; it’s the movie itself. If you have the best intentions and the best attitude, but you don’t act upon them, it means nothing.

R– Relationships -Focus on your relationships, they are the number one source for your happiness.

T– Time is waiting for no one, make every minute special. Plan to “travel” every single day

HY– Say hell yes to life. You only got one shot…

( You can inquire about more information on each of the amazing 8, or you are more than welcome to ask me…

Playfully yours,

Rina 🙂

Our itinerary: San Francisco, CA; Reno, NV, Lake Tahoe, CA, Mojave Desert, CA,Seligman, AZ (the historic Route 66), Goldfield AZ, Buckskin State Park AZ,Sedona AZ, Lake Havasu City AZ, Joshua Tree Park, CA,Wedding La Jolla Beach, San Diego, Lake Mead NV, Valley of Fire NV, Las Vegas, NV.

USA- Wedding, Mojave Desert,and the mysterious traveler’s syndrome

Athens.Gods and leadership thoughts

Covid19- The travel to “possible now”