It’s the weekend – time to cast off the Monday to Friday cares and chill out.  It’s strange, though, I know plenty of people who have told me that they don’t know how to chill out.  One guy told me that he feels guilty sitting relaxing on a Saturday – he feels compelled to fly around the house and garden determined to find something to do.  Another guy recently told me that, whilst Saturday morning is his golf morning, and whilst he actually goes out on the course, he doesn’t really play.  He can’t – his mind is wandering back to what happened during the week or what’s going to happen next week.  He’s playing golf but, not only is he not relaxed, he’s not even all there!  Even worse, a friend who doesn’t have a care in the world – great job that he’s really on top of, great home life, great everything, tells me that when he plays golf he cannot prevent himself feeling guilty – feeling that he should be in the office or at home.

Modern life almost demands of us that we should be constantly on the go.  But there’s a world of difference between filling your day with activity and getting the really important things done.  And one of the most important things that you need to have as an integral part of your life is time to chill.   A New York Times article a few years back explained that native tribes in the Amazon basin have the lifestyle that every New Yorker wants – seven hours work each week, the rest spent at leisure.  However, the average New Yorker simply wouldn’t know what to do with all that leisure.  Sure, there’d be plenty of activity crammed into it – but what about totally chilling (like the Amazonians)?

You need to find yourself an easy chair, sit down and do nothing for half an hour – see where your mind might take you.  Or find a shade tree, spread out a blanket and just sit there.  This is the kind of space that we need in our lives – not to recharge our batteries, but to clear our minds, become inspired and focus on the important things that we need to take action on to move our lives forward.  Sir Isaac Newton was sitting under a tree when the apple fell for him – find your tree and you’ll discover that pennies will drop for you.