I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go to Dallas to visit my girl over the weekend while she was on a business trip, and she graciously hooked it up with a fancy hotel in downtown Dallas, fully-furnished with a kitchen, living room, and bedroom.
I would say that my minimalist lifestyle along with my 70% savings rate is conducive to the type of flexibility where I can take advantage of these opportunities and decide to up and leave on a whim and take a flight down to wherever I want to go. Having a smart girl that still works in Big 4 advisory helps too.
It took an incredibly small sum of money to fly down to Dallas, as I spent a total of $86 on a round-trip flight because I live “‘dat airline points” life.
I enjoy periodically taking these short “retreats,” given the right circumstances. I find that these short, periodic breaks away from Chicago and into another town or city re-energize and assist me in refocusing my priorities, and I am able to go even harder towards my goals because of my renewed sense of purpose as a result of the retreat. A change of scenery away from the monotony of the daily grind is replenishing for the mind and body.
I feel a higher order of thinking as I take these retreats—I don’t wake up to an alarm clock so my sleep is optimized; I lay down whenever I feel like it; I truly appreciate the simple enjoyment of slowing down, taking in my new surroundings, tasting every bite of food, enjoying every sip of coffee, and filling my brain with positive affirmations thanks to the work of Earl Nightingale, Norman Vincent Peale, and Napoleon Hill.
When I slow down my thoughts and actions, I can truly be present with myself, appreciating every interaction with the people that I come across. These retreats put me back into a sort of equilibrium in which most of us naturally deviate as a result of our day-to-day grind. I find it important to reacquaint my mind and body as one via these short vacations.
I am also fortunate to have built enough of a rapport with the team at my current company to be able to take vacations as needed on a whim, which I attribute my understanding of providing value to my team and being cognizant of the busier times and slower times during the year. As long as I produce and grind for the benefit of the shareholders, I can live the life I want to live. And at this moment, I am content with this approach. Not necessarily satisfied, but content.
My tendency to live a very simple life in which I focus on optimizing my health means that I could keep up my routine of going to the gym and train just as hard as I always do—whether I’m in Chicago or any other town.
Although hotel gyms suffice, I feel that the energy of a real gym is something that cannot be matched. You see, it is not difficult to get a free 3-7 day pass to a gym when you’re out of town. All you have to do is ask. I’ve done this in both Las Vegas and now Dallas, and I plan on doing this everywhere I go during these retreats moving forward. Who knows, maybe I’ll end up being a travel expert writing big box gym reviews in every city—that would be quite the job, and I see enough of an abundance in this world where that can be a possibility.
When on a retreat, I advocate simplicity. My days in Dallas consisted of going to the gym, exploring my new environment and the vast neighborhoods, eating, and sleeping. When I am on vacation, I take everything in—the air, the 79 degree weather, the vitamin D from the sun—all of which are phenomenal for the mood. I’ve gained a higher sense of mental clarity as a result of walking around and appreciating, and letting my senses feel what they need to feel.
The simple life of optimizing my health means that I was able to comply with my diet 80% of the time because I planned accordingly. You see, when you envision yourself achieving your goals, you will do anything it takes to fit it into your lifestyle.
In my case, I was able to travel and maintain compliance with my diet by cooking all my protein pancakes ahead of time, before I left for my trip. Protein pancakes are my go-to travel meal because they store extremely well, and I was able to make enough for my 4 day journey. You better believe that I knew the exact macronutrient breakdown in each protein pancake. With that valuable information, I was able to fit in some fancy steak dinners with my girl, so I knew exactly how much of each protein pancake I should eat for the day to fit it into my daily macronutrient targets.
You see, with careful planning, you can fit the shred life in any environment without derailing your goals. I was able to enjoy a skirt steak dinner with fries on my first night in Dallas. The next night, I had a half-roasted chicken with sweet chili infused brussel sprouts. On the last night, I ate arguably the best beef brisket in America at Lockhart Smoke House in the Bishop Arts District in Dallas.
I did not gain a single pound on my trip because I knew the adjustments that I needed to make in terms of macronutrients, slight adjustments to my fasted-cardio routine, and listening to my body.
Dallas was a blast, and I’m grateful for my time down there. It truly was simplicity at its finest—a new stimuli and environment for my brain was certainly what I needed to replenish my mind and body.
Dallas, TX – February 2017