Nudge Challenge Week 20 = My Super Special Trip Nudge!

NUDGED: "Be present and enjoy the moment"

BACKSTORY: This was vacation week for us! My husband and I went on a cruise to the Eastern Caribbean last week that we had been planning and preparing for for months. We left winter and all our responsibilities behind, and embraced adventure and quality time together. It was amazing!

I decided ahead of time that I would work on a special nudge during our trip. I challenged myself to stay in the present moment throughout our travels. I didn't want to be worrying about what was happening next or rehashing the past. I wanted to be flexible and open-minded. My nudge for this week was to "be present and enjoy".

QUOTES: "With enlightenment comes the realization that the natural foe to life is not a distant death, but a detachment from living... Reality is only here, now, and we must learn to face it, feel it, and form it." - Brendon Burchard in "The Motivation Manifesto"

and

"Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:34

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: It was a great week of vacation! We both came back feeling refreshed and reconnected. I tried to work on this nudge throughout the week and did my best to stay in the moment. There are way too many things to list here from our 8 days away, so let me just touch on a few things that come to mind:

• We were scheduled to leave early on Sunday morning but a blizzard changed our plans at the last minute. We modified our flight schedule on Friday night at 9pm and ended up flying out at 6am on the next morning (Saturday). Instead of having another whole day to get ready and packed, it was crammed into a few hours. We slept 3 hours that night and made plans as we went. We sat on the floor in the baggage claim area in Florida calling all local hotels to find a place to stay that night! Changing our schedule was very stressful for us, but we agreed it was worth it as we didn't miss the boat (literally!). I stayed in the present moment, not worrying how things would work out but knew it would all be okay. We would figure it out. And it all turned out well.   
• "So there was a fire by the port and the smoke is blowing towards the ship..." was not an announcement we wanted to hear as we were in line to get off the ship for an excursion on the island. Officials announced what was happening and informed us a decision would be made as to whether it was safe for us to get off or not. And we waited. I made the decision to not get worked up over it (even as others on the ship were complaining) as there was nothing I could do to change the situation. I knew we would be fine either way, whether we got to the island or not. They eventually determined the smoke was not toxic to breathe and let us off the ship. Kevin and I had a great day there on our excursion! I stayed in the moment all day, taking lots of mental "snapshots" and photos to remember our experience. Oddly enough, the close call from that morning with the fire gave me a better appreciation for our time on the island. 
• All week, we enjoyed great excursions, activities on the ship, new experiences (my first art auction!), entertaining shows, and delicious meals. I made sure to savor everything - all the experiences, tastes, and feelings.  
• While I was tempted to replay past events and have regrets over things that I may or may not have done, I didn't allow myself to stay in that headspace. I couldn't change the past, so whether or not I bought a souvenir at a port was not important in this moment. Move on. 

LESSONS LEARNED: 

1) Roll with it. I learned to accept that I am not in control of the weather, flight schedules, decisions other people make, or even our trip/activity schedule. Be flexible!

2) Incorporate down time in my busy schedule for my soul to rest and recharge. Spending time with Kevin and nurturing our relationship is super important too. Other things can wait!

3) Be brave! This is my phrase for 2019 and I lived up to it this week by doing things that scared me. I did it anyway despite my fears. WIN!

NEXT UP: "Do an anonymous random act of kindness". I have a feeling the random act of kindness will not be hard for me to achieve, but doing it completely anonymously will be difficult!!