Island Life (Work) Style
Are you doing what matters?
Deciding to prioritize our time for the things that matter most can sometimes be a challenge. So finding a way (a vehicle) that allows us to align our missions with kids, business, career, health, money, and relationships (marriage) can take a bit of planning and organizing. Sometimes you have got to take a chance that things won't align but when we arrived on Hamilton Island to celebrate my 25th Wedding Anniversary with my wife Michelle I knew we had chosen well. Now I will admit that this is our 5th time to the island in 30 years of being together.
I still remember our first trip. I was so impressed with the island and its founder Keith Williams that I decided to call him up and invite myself for morning tea. I wanted to know what made him tick. What was his vision for his life and importantly what character traits did he bring that allowed him to build his vision? Now 30 years later it is great to see his legacy is alive and well, and despite recent setbacks thanks to an incredibly destructive cyclone, Hamilton Island continues to provide a way to create that perfect Work-Life alignment.
It's sometimes the little things that make the big difference in allowing you to create that alignment.
For us, it started with the super efficient way Hamilton Island handles your arrival at the airport to being checked in to your room.
Yep, you fly direct from Melbourne to Hamilton Island then within 30min of landing you are in your room, in our case being greeted by a welcome card and a bottle of bubbly.
"ENVIRONMENT SUPPORTS WHO YOU BE, AND HOW YOU BEHAVE. "
DR BEN CARVOSSO
We know that you state, mood, character or tone is supported by the environment, not dictated by it but supported by it. So why wouldn't you put yourself every day where possible in an environment that supports you being your best? The ability to walk around the island for a complete choice of food outlets from high-end white tablecloth dining overlooking the water to fish and chips and a chilled bottle of wine from the bottle shop again overlooking the water. you can even stock-up at the local IGA on some picnic items and head out on a dingy to visit one of the islands for a beach picnic and a swim. A swimming pool everywhere you look provides the opportunity to cool down between, a quick sail in a catamaran on Catseye bay or a trek up one of the island bush trails. These trails are not to be missed, providing an opportunity to see just how amazing our country and the Whitsundays are.
The Island is the complete package for achieving work-life balance or what I prefer to call doing your Life's work. You see many of us at home and on holidays are playing full-on yet unfulfilled. Busy but not productive.
Rather than trying to balance your life, create alignment. We know from a report on Australia's Welfare in 2017 that Australians are struggling with Work-Life Balance. Yet the research clearly showed that it is not the number of hours worked that matters for worker well-being, but whether those hours accord with worker preferences.
That is they are doing what they really wanted to do.
"DON'T GO ON A HOLIDAY TO HAMILTON ISLAND TO TURN OFF, GO TO TURN ON. "
DR BEN CARVOSSO
Going on a holiday doesn't have to be a place to turn off, instead, it can be a place to turn on. Turn on to your relationship, with dinner a Bomme. Turn on to your health, take a hike on the bushwalking trails. Turn on to your family, take them kayaking on Catseye Bay. When you are doing your life's work your life feel fulfilled, you become better and the world around you becomes a better place.
I want to thank the Bob Oatley and family for the massive investment, especially in the tough times following cyclone Debbie, the GM of the Reef Hotel and Palm Bungalows, Jared Saxon and the entire team from housekeeping to lifeguards for creating an environment, on Hamilton that supports doing your Life's work. The great news is that when you are on holiday and you are doing your life's work you come home feeling fulfilled, rather than having just had a week of distraction. Whether its Hamilton Island or one of the many other amazing holiday destinations in Australia, find a place that supports you in doing your life's work, that draws you to turn on, rather than off, and that on the return home, you can say that you are a better person and that the people you care about are better because of it.
#LifesWork #LifeCEO #HamiltonIsland
Are you doing what matters?
Cheers, Dr. Ben
#LifesWork #LifeCEO #DRBENCARVOSSO #Reflection #Rituals #Pictures