During a Creating the Rest of Your Life Workshop , my wife Cathy noticed that several of the participants were being very intense about learning everything she was teaching. As business owners, they were determined to make every second away from their busy work schedules be productive. They were working so hard that there was almost a palpable level of effort energy in the room.
Cathy decided the class could use a break so she announced that the whole group was taking the afternoon off to ride the Duck. The DUKW (affectionately called 'the Duck') is an amphibious landing craft developed by the United States Army during World War II, now recycled into tour vehicles that show cities like Seattle from both land and water.
When Cathy made the announcement, the most intense members of the class became vocal and agitated. They paid a lot of money and took their valuable time to come to this seven day retreat. They did not want to waste time or money doing some ridiculous tourist activity. They were there to learn how to connect to a passionate vision and take action towards their destiny – not take a break with a bunch of tourists.
She insisted the whole group also needed to understand the value of having fun. It was a required part of their learning. Lights-On Learning™ creates energetic flow in life and work. When effort appears in any activity, it blocks the flow of energy and actually defeats action that’s aligned with vision. So, in resistance, they all went to the Duck Dock and boarded the Duck.
Although they tried to keep their resistance alive and active, it became impossible. The captain was hilarious, and within a few minutes the whole class was laughing hysterically, forgetting their intense desire to not waste time on some frivolous activity that wasn’t fully productive.
They returned to the workshop refreshed, connected and open to the flow of the rest of their week together. What was intense effort became energizing flow and relaxed learning and growing together. Although it’s been several years, just mentioning the Duck can create laughter among the people who were there. And, they continue to remember the importance of taking a break, relaxing and having fun on the journey.
Of course, the moral of this story is evident. When you find your work becoming an effort, or hear yourself say the words “waste time”, it’s important to take a break; have some fun; generate some energy flow so the actions you take truly are productive.
Those of you who have worked with a physical trainer have likely heard them say that you don’t want to workout every day. You need to take a break one or two days a week because your body needs a respite to grow and develop. The respite is as important as the workouts. The same is true for your mind and your spirit.
If you have been accused of overdoing or of being a workaholic; if you find yourself feeling drained and exhausted but refusing to stop; if you ever hear yourself say “I can’t waste any time. The work has to be done.”; if you are not enjoying the activity, stand up and shout to the world: “I’m going to go RIDE THE DUCK!”
Cathy decided the class could use a break so she announced that the whole group was taking the afternoon off to ride the Duck. The DUKW (affectionately called 'the Duck') is an amphibious landing craft developed by the United States Army during World War II, now recycled into tour vehicles that show cities like Seattle from both land and water.
When Cathy made the announcement, the most intense members of the class became vocal and agitated. They paid a lot of money and took their valuable time to come to this seven day retreat. They did not want to waste time or money doing some ridiculous tourist activity. They were there to learn how to connect to a passionate vision and take action towards their destiny – not take a break with a bunch of tourists.
She insisted the whole group also needed to understand the value of having fun. It was a required part of their learning. Lights-On Learning™ creates energetic flow in life and work. When effort appears in any activity, it blocks the flow of energy and actually defeats action that’s aligned with vision. So, in resistance, they all went to the Duck Dock and boarded the Duck.
Although they tried to keep their resistance alive and active, it became impossible. The captain was hilarious, and within a few minutes the whole class was laughing hysterically, forgetting their intense desire to not waste time on some frivolous activity that wasn’t fully productive.
They returned to the workshop refreshed, connected and open to the flow of the rest of their week together. What was intense effort became energizing flow and relaxed learning and growing together. Although it’s been several years, just mentioning the Duck can create laughter among the people who were there. And, they continue to remember the importance of taking a break, relaxing and having fun on the journey.
Of course, the moral of this story is evident. When you find your work becoming an effort, or hear yourself say the words “waste time”, it’s important to take a break; have some fun; generate some energy flow so the actions you take truly are productive.
Those of you who have worked with a physical trainer have likely heard them say that you don’t want to workout every day. You need to take a break one or two days a week because your body needs a respite to grow and develop. The respite is as important as the workouts. The same is true for your mind and your spirit.
If you have been accused of overdoing or of being a workaholic; if you find yourself feeling drained and exhausted but refusing to stop; if you ever hear yourself say “I can’t waste any time. The work has to be done.”; if you are not enjoying the activity, stand up and shout to the world: “I’m going to go RIDE THE DUCK!”
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