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The Art of Not Being Yourself
A guide to magical escapism.
I recently got back from a several-week-long vacation.
I wrote about this last week, but I didn’t train Jiu-Jitsu for 2 weeks besides teaching a seminar last weekend, I didn’t exercise besides walking a crap ton through the various European cities I toured, and my diet was terrible.
Okay, that’s a lie — my diet was delicious — but not very structured and not very nutritious.
This made me realize the pros and cons of taking a long break, but it also offered a lot of other value for me. I experienced a lot of novel ideas during this escape. I learned a lot about the world that I wouldn’t have learned if I was on the mat every day.
I was technically “running from my reality” — paying for things without really looking at the price tag, having wine at dinner every night, and barely working besides writing this newsletter — but it was a good time. It also hasn’t been too hard for me to get back to reality.
I came back to my reality of training, lifting, writing, and working on my businesses every single day with a newfound appreciation for my routine and insight into how to live a better life.
I escaped reality, but I did so in a way that I believe was conducive to growth.