I have been traveling a lot over the past 6 weeks. While I love to travel both for work and for fun, traveling can also knock you off of your daily spiritual, mental, and physical routines.
I have always been a big proponent of having daily rituals and habits to ensure that you stay connected with God, take care of your physical self, and move towards your goals. But . . . when you’re practically living out of a suitcase, staying consistent becomes extremely challenging. Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way:
- Be attached to the results, not so much the form. Meaning, be attached to prayer. Don’t be so attached to your prayer closet, your prayer chair, or your sacred space. We all have that lazy part of our brain that will find any excuse not to do something. I found myself making excuses for not spending my quiet time with God because I wasn’t in my normal sacred space. It’s what you do that counts, not where you do it.
- Every little bit counts. It’s OK if you don’t get to exercise for an entire hour each day while you’re traveling. 15 minutes of intentional exercise daily still counts. One of the things that I committed to doing while traveling was daily stretching for 15-20 minutes and 25 squats. Sometimes, I would do more. But this was the minimum while I was traveling. This relieved my mind of the guilt for not working out. But it wasn’t so overwhelming with my work/travel schedule that it would paralyze me or stress me.
- Be flexible. This was the biggest reminder that I received over the last several weeks. I am mostly a very structured and routine person. But having to travel so much reminded me that I’ll miss a blessing if I’m holding on too tight to structure and form. When you think of the imagery of God, God himself is very flexible. He shows up in different ways, at different times, in different forms. He’s not tied to showing up the same day, in the same way, in the same shape. As I strive to be more God-like, I am reminded to be more flexible and fluid, flowing with ease, just like God. When I do, life gets so much easier!
Whether your life gets busy with travel, school, or work, remember these three principles to help you stay grounded, connected, and focused on what’s most important.
~Sherica
