EVERY STEP COUNTS: Take time to ESCAPE

What a week.

What a wedding.

What an amazing period of time to remember and to be a part of.

If you recall from last week, I was about to go to the wedding of one of my best mates and WOW, WOW, WOW what a wedding it was. It had everything. It had the positive vibes that personally I don’t think you will ever beat. It was one in a million.

From the awesome John James Newman, our very own vicar Scott Smith, the amazing bands that were entertaining the crowds, the superb food that teased every taste bud in your mouth, the ceremony with the unique wedding vows, the brilliantly funny speeches (if I do say so myself) …It had everything.

I think if you asked everyone what their favourite part of the wedding was, I honestly think you would get so many different answers. For me, there were 150 awesome guests there and those positive vibes were the number one reason the wedding was such a success.

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With the wedding being over in Gloucester, more specifically Tetbury, everyone had travelled from various places in the UK to be there. I think having a venue quite far away from everyone’s normal location was a serious winner … Why? Because everyone could escape for a few days and just enjoy time with family and friends.

This is what I want to talk about today.

ESCAPE and giving YOU some YOU time to relax and be at one.

I firmly believe that one of the reasons we have such a growing mental health issue and a growing rate of depression is that we are living in a world full of connection. Years ago, everyone didn’t have a mobile phone. Not every person had an email address.

I know for sure Social Media wasn’t to the extent it is now. We live in a connected world which for the record I believe is amazing, but it does have its drawbacks. I am sure 50-100 years ago; our relatives didn’t think we would have synched phones where we would be notified every time, we get a message, or someone likes our post on Facebook.

Never would they have thought this. As I said, it does have its drawbacks.

We find it harder to switch off.

We find it tougher to relax.

We find it takes longer to forget about certain stresses.

The list could go on to be fair. Rather than the doom and gloom of modern life however I want to give you some advice that I feel you will benefit from today and I am going to use my good friend, a mnemonic to help us.

The word we are going to use is E-S-C-A-P-E. Let’s delve straight into it and see why the wedding this last weekend was a perfect example of the need for escaping from the norm from time to time.

E – Environment change:

When you need to escape you need to change your environment. The wedding was the perfect venue as it was out in the open, away from stresses, completely different to your normal way of life. You were able to fully relax. Sometimes a night in a hotel in your town centre can be all that is needed. Use your imagination.

S – Senses

Awakening your senses is such a lovely experience, your senses get weakened when you are stressed and always busy. A few hours away from the norm in a more relaxed state could vitalise those senses. Being in nature last weekend was truly wonderful. The smells, the sounds, the sights, the feelings, the nature all around us. I left there and my body felt like it had been awakened, deep I know but very true. If it wasn’t for the hangovers, I would have felt top of my game.

C – Core values

What are your core values? I have discussed this at length before many times. I love talking about core values, it’s a huge part of the work that I do. What do you stand for? What drives you forward in life? For me, my wife and children are my huge WHY. I would do anything for them without a second of hesitation. ESCAPING for a few days from the norm and having laughs and chill time with them was great, again this elevated my happiness levels even more than normal.

A – Awareness

Being aware and having more time to spend relaxing helps you become even more aware of what you want more of in your life. It helps you become more aware of what you need to be doing more. It enables you to become aware of what you need to be doing less. It all comes down to attention. What could you be doing more of and less of right now? Expand your awareness.

P – Positive focus

ESCAPING allows you to be full of positive vibes. This was the number one theme for me from the start of the wedding festival, through the speeches (partly ha-ha) and to the late celebrations going through the night. There wasn’t enough time to be negative. Positive vibes won simple as that.

E – Enjoy the moment

I am all about being present, enjoying the moment and being content. Being able to ESCAPE even for a few hours can just be so so good for you. We were there for basically 4 days last weekend and some people were there for just the day, it didn’t matter. Everyone was enjoying the moment. This is what ESCAPING can do for you.

E-S-C-A-P-E is what we have been talking about today but as always it is what you do with the information that is of importance. Do you need some ESCAPE time in your life right now? If so, what you waiting for?

Have a great day, have a great week, be AWESOME.