After working every summer since my teens, I’d been dreaming of this summer of freedom for years. So when my foreign holiday plans fell through due to Covid quarantine rules, I admit I was in a bit of a grump. 

A sunchaser and lover of everything summer (that doesn’t include gloomy British days, rain or clothing other than sandals, swimsuits, shorts and floaty dresses) I was reluctant to say yes to a camping trip in the Scotland Highlands. 

But those weeks under canvas left me so pleasantly surprised and inspired I’m already planning a return visit.

Here’s what my unexpected summer of freedom taught me about life, business and everything in between: 

1. Plan B can sometimes be better than the original. OK it took me a few weeks to get my head around not spending the summer somewhere with guaranteed sunshine but when I surrendered, things magically fell into place. It’s the same with business. Even if the original idea doesn’t quite work, the alternative that emerges often ends up being even better. Be open to options and make space for new opportunities. 
2. Simplicity is beautiful. The truth is kids can have fun anywhere. Their needs are simple. Give them some water, a bike trail or a challenge to climb a hill rewarded with an ice cream and they’re happy. I realised I often overcomplicate things, filling the calendar with fun. But who am I actually doing this for? It’s the same with business. Creating and launching a new product or service doesn’t need to be complicated. And writing about it absolutely doesn’t have to be. Simplicity is where it’s at.
3. Sometimes the best times are in the rain. I love the sun. Like, REALLY love it. And OK, give me two weeks of solid rain and this story may be a bit different but we had the best laughs this summer hunkered down in the tent playing games. The lesson learned was you gotta make the best of it cost the rainbows that follow can be pretty magical. 
4. Your business can survive (even thrive) when you take time off. For the first time we had strong boundaries this summer. We turned work down and planned our client commitments to fit in with the school holidays. We took a full month away from our inboxes and we still have a business. In fact, some new work came in ready for this next season and the words which have flown from our fingers since we got back into work mode have been some of our best yet. Spaciousness gets to be powerful.
5. You don’t need to go far to get away. I thought it wouldn’t feel like a proper holiday because I wasn’t abroad. And while there wasn’t a time difference to help me relax, I did. Sometimes just a change of scene is all you need.
6. When the sun unexpectedly shines, it’s even more glorious. While I admit I probably had the odd pang of jealousy seeing people’s jaunts abroad when I did hop onto Insta, when the sun shone it Scotland and I was laying Loch-side feeling like I was in California, it felt even more joyful.     

Becca x

PS - This post was inspired by our free download 99 Storytelling Prompts. Grab it for free here.