What I Learned about Life and Business in Greece
Life runs at a different pace in Greece.
It is slower, takes breaks in the mid-day, the evening does not begin until 9 pm, and the day goes until 2 am.
Here is a typical day:
Wake at 10 am
A slow brunch that includes a Freddo Cappuccino. You are basically shaking off the wine and dancing you did the night before. Often, you are sitting by the crystal-blue ocean, watching boats bob up and down.
After this, you float in the 68-degree water for 20-30 minutes, moving your arms and legs around with your bucket hat on, with friends.
Then it is nap time. All of the shops and restaurants close at this time. Everyone goes home to sleep, relax, and rest.
Around 6 pm, the towns and streets start to come alive again with the shops and restaurants reopening.
However, it is not until 9 pm at the earliest that the restaurants become crowded with evening patrons. Dinner is a four-hour ordeal; everything is family-style, and the Greeks love to dance and laugh.
It is not unheard of to dance, laugh, and drink wine until 2 am or until the sun comes up.
I think there is a lot we can learn from this lifestyle.
Slow down.
I think we can slow down a bit and stop ordering coffee to go. We can sit, sip, and be intentional with our conversations.
Float more.
Stop feeling like all exercise has to leave us lying on the floor in a pool of sweat, that a conversational float can be exercise too.
Take a nap.
Stop re-caffeinating myself midday just to make it to 5 pm. Why not stop, rest, and disconnect? It is most likely what my body needs.
This all makes sense from a lifestyle perspective.
But can we incorporate some of this into our business lifestyles? I say, yes.
Slow Down.
Stop feeling like I have to crush 20 tasks a day in order to feel accomplished. Focus on 1 big one and 3 small tasks. Call that done.
Float more.
Stop feeling like things must be hard in order to make them feel worthy. Focus more on relationships that are easy, tasks that are easy, and stop forcing things.
Take a nap.
Stop thinking I am lazy for a midday 30-minute disconnect. Start seeing it as a midday reset.
I am committing to do more of this.
How about you?
