5 Lessons from vacationing in Costa Rica

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Hey, hope you're well.Here's your digest for this week. Hope you find these, inspiring and encouraging.

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

5 Lessons from vacationing in Costa Rica (#5 is powerful)(approximately 7 min read)

I mentioned briefly a few weeks ago, that I had just come off a 3 week vacation, 2 weeks of which were spent in Costa Rica. I reflected on the time and pulled away 5 things I think you’ll find helpful. Enjoy.

1.) Humans were not meant to be siloed in concrete castles.

Whether it’s working in an office tower or in your bedroom/living room, we were designed to interact with nature (and often).In fact as a Christian, when I think about the creation narrative, where did God place Adam & Eve in the beginning? A garden. I don’t believe it to be coincidental that right from creation, humans were supposed to be around God’s natural world, enjoying and stewarding it.While on vacation I felt sun, literally danced in the rain, rolled in the sand, felt the humidity, swam in the ocean, jumped off a waterfall and so much more.I realize that not everyone will enjoy the same experience, but right where you are, can you get outside more?Can you walk, drive, take transit just outside of your main city to be in the quiet of nature?In Canada we get bitter winters, which makes this very challenging for about 6-7 months of the year.However in keeping with my new desire to get outside more, I will attempt to continue going out in nature - perhaps even take on some winter sports like snowboarding.The point is, something about the natural world can be very restorative for the mind and body.

2.) You won’t know until you do itBy nature, I tend to be very frugal. I don’t like to spend money, even when I have it.I scrutinize every purchase decision, probably to excess.That said, I (along with my wife) decided to take the trip to avoid what I saw was an oncoming burnout.I’m so glad I did it. My mind is clearer today, I’m less anxious and more focused.The trip did me more good than I even imagined it would.The point is you won’t realize how much you need the rest until you take it.You won’t realize how refreshing it’ll be until you do it.The idea extends beyond vacation and rest.As is the case with most risks, you won’t know until you do it. You can speculate, plan and ideate, but at some point, you’ve just got to pull the trigger and do the thing.Very often, things turn out better than you anticipated, or at the very least, not as bad as you imagined.

3.) Too much of one thing is not goodWork is what makes vacations enjoyable.The reprieve from tasks, deadlines, and assignments are the basis of that sense of relaxation. That said,  at about the 2 week mark, I felt truly satisfied and started desiring my normal routine and space again.Even though I wasn’t looking forward to the cold of Canada, I was looking forward to the focus and stability that being in my space provides.The beach, drinks, food, adventure, were all incredibly fun, but towards the end started to feel a little bland.I guess my mind was craving a challenge.Work gives rest value, and the opposite is also true - rest gives work value.I understand that many people don’t have the luxury of doing what they truly love and so dread the return to work. That leads nicely to my next point.

4.) The greatest fulfilment comes from doing difficult thingsI advise everyone to do everything within their power to make a living doing what they love. Or at the very least avoid soul-crushing work.The  truth is not everyone will be able to make a living off their passion.In fact, I’ve come to realize that many people don’t have an overwhelming passion for any one thing beyond being able to pay their rent/mortgage and not be broke.So the way I see it, there are roughly 2 types of people; those driven to do a specific thing (or set of things), and those driven by simpler desires.Regardless of what kind of person you are, it’s fair to say no one wants to do work that literally saps their joy and vitality year in, year out.Hence, it is imperative to strive with all of your might (and mind), to do work that at minimum, doesn’t crush your soul.With that said, remember this - even dream jobs at some point, are just jobs.There are aspects to every job you simply will not enjoy.There is no easy path in life.Every route you take in life is littered with thorns, thistles and briars.Sidebar: Any “secret path” that promises none of the above, always has the most.But paradoxically, these difficulties are the very root of fulfilment. It is the striving and overcoming the creates the feeling of accomplishment, and gives rest its sweetness.Because I had been working hard for about 2-3 years without break, it really felt like I had earned the break.Hard work doesn’t feel good in the moment, but the reward of hitting milestones and rest checkpoints help validate the work and create a deep sense of satisfaction.This is probably half the reason why after 2 weeks, the fun started to feel bland and I was craving doing something of substance - a challenge.I’ll blame the other half on my workaholic tendencies - I’m still in recovery 😅.

5.) Money is simultaneously incredibly important and worthlessTo state the obvious, without money my family and I would have never been able to enjoy this trip.So I cannot downplay the freedom and options that come from having money….even a little bit. You don’t need millions to enjoy God’s green earth. You just need to know how to steward that which you have - a topic for another day.And yet as I stood in the warm waters of the Pacific ocean literally watching the golden sun disappear behind the horizon, I had this moment of punctuated clarity.Feet submerged in the sand and my body gently swaying with the waves, a sweeping feeling of peace enveloped me.In that moment, it felt like all of my striving and worrying about the next deal or contract or “bag”, didn’t matter. What mattered most in that moment wasn’t how much I had (or didn’t have) in my bank account…it was simply being alive and able to enjoy the moment.I thought about how my constant desire for “what’s next”, seemed to have dulled my taste for “what’s now”.So often in my regular life, my mind moves non-stop, planning, scheming, almost unable to absorb what’s happening in front of me.But like I said, I understand that having the money to take the trip allowed me the luxury of enjoying this moment where it felt like money didn’t matter.How do I reconcile the 2?I feel like the serenity of that sunset reconciled these seemingly opposing forces in my mind.The sum of it is this; I now work to live, not live to work.P.T Barnum framed it best when he said, "Money is a terrible master but an excellent servant."As a master, it dominates you, pushing you to sacrifice all good and godly things to its service.You might amass a lot of it, but the cost is heavy - your joy, peace, and soul.It ultimately robs you of all that is most valuable, thus making the money itself worthless. But as a servant, you deploy it both for your good and the good of others.It becomes a vehicle that amplifies your enjoyment of all the good and godly things you’ve been blessed with.Rest is sweeter, food is sweeter, time with loved ones is sweeter.And so that beautiful Costa Rican sunset reminded me of the simultaneous value and worthlessness of money.

And so now I work to live, not the other way around.I hope you remember this as you go about building the kind of life that you want.

NEW SONG DROPPING (Wednesday, Feb. 7)

May 16 Freestyle

On May 16 2023 at about 7PM after a long day of work, I was enjoying a cigar on my balcony and listening to beats. This beat played and I immediately started writing. I wrote the entire thing while finishing my cigar. Then went straight to my studio to record it. Almost a year later, it drops this coming Wednesday. Tap "Notify Me".

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That's it for this week.Told you it's a lot!Love you,Shopé

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