The past two weeks are the closest thing to a holiday I have enjoyed in a long time. Relaxation on a Thai island. It is a pleasant distraction from the hustle and bustle of previous months. Relaxation is nice, enjoyable, but it is not something I otherwise do much of myself.

In my trainings for individuals and for companies, I teach people to distinguish between relaxing and releasing.

Relaxing is something like giving up. It is abandoning your structure and surrendering to inertia.

Releasing means keeping your structure intact while letting go of the unnecessary. It means staying alert while leaving your focus free. Letting go means remaining vibrant and resilient without losing energy to what doesn’t matter.

Most people oscillate back and forth between overworking and indulging in a sluggish indolence. An inefficient and unaccountable state of being.

Better learn to let go. But if you really want to relax for once, I know a nice beach in the Andaman Sea.

---