My reflections as I leave the country known as the White Isle after six glorious days with my brother and his wife:
- St Eulalia where I stayed, banned all corporate brands. No Costa Coffee, McDonalds, no Uber, or KFC. Supporting local businesses everywhere it has a quaint frozen in time feel to it. Local government have power to excert if they are bold and deliberate.
- People are brave and broke enough to hitchhike. All ages, all hours of the day due to the high cost of living. What is dangerous in one country is normal in another. Do you take time to learn what is usual and acceptable in each country you work in or visit?
- It is perfectly normal to go out at 11pm or midnight. Dinner reservations usually start at 9pm. You don't have to let your typical clock guide what you do. Eating, dancing, and working can happen when you feel like it.
- The traditional siesta is alive and well. It needs to be adopted worldwide. So many people operate on too little sleep every day that they have forgotten what it feels like to have an succession of deep rejuvenating, and lengthy nights of sleep.
- Music makes people smile. Why do so many workplaces operate in silence?
- Dancing is a perfect form of exercise and frees your mind. Children and teenagers dance everywhere. We lose this as we grow older. I'll be finding more time to dance (just perhaps not at 4am every week!!)
- Clever restaurants and bars remind you of their hashtags. Someone needs to create #hashtag dinner plates. Think of all those Instagram-ed food photos. Why not make the #obvious lucrative?
- "It's the end of the season here that's why service isn't great" I can't believe how many times I heard this as a reason why waiters were curt, boat rental agents overslept, or someone was just miserable as a public facing representative of a business. Imagine if everyone in the service industry acted that way at the end of their shift!
- We met many transplants on our trip from all across Europe. Their common attitude was "why not now?" when deciding to move, quit their corporate job, create a new business, or expand their business. Their thought to action ratio was in the right place. My sister-in-law has done just this, following her love for photography has launched her new photography business. It started with buying a second home in Ibiza last year, and then creating the life she loves around her. It's no surprise her business is called Sally Dreams, but she doesn't just dream she DOES too.
Are you dreaming or doing?
Next stop: Reykjavik
