I’ve got some good news...
“DO NOTHING” season is officially upon us.
Thanks to great weather and longer days, it’s now perfectly acceptable to just sit outside and… DO NOTHING.
Sound easy? It’s not.
Most people only think they want to DO NOTHING.
They’ll set a chair in the sand and face the ocean. They’ll breathe in the salt air and listen to the crashing waves and the sea gulls.
But then they get fidgety.
They squirm in their seat.
They reach for their phone.
And then they jump up and announce, “We should DO SOMETHING!”
I get it. It’s natural to want to be productive.
It feels good to DO SOMETHING.
But once in a while, you should resist the urge. Stand your ground and stay put.
Because mastering the ability to DO NOTHING can bring you all kinds of benefits including a better sense of well-being, less stress and more focus.
You become more compassionate and more creative.
And scientific studies show that people who know how to DO NOTHING can live longer, healthier and happier lives.
I’m lucky enough to live and work in Corolla, one of the best DO NOTHING places on the planet.*
We’re connected to miles and miles of the best beaches. We’re surrounded by water and natural spaces and blue skies. It’s like being on vacation every day.
It would feel like a secret hideout… if it wasn’t so darn popular.
One recent travel industry report ranked the Outer Banks as the third most internet-searched destination in the United States.
Yellowstone National Park was number one. We landed right between Disney World and Las Vegas.
Not a bad place to be.
But here’s the thing, those other places are obsessed with keeping you busy and overstimulated.
In Yellowstone there are hikes to hike and geysers to watch. Disney World has rides to ride and shops to shop. Vegas is wall-to-wall slot machines and cabaret shows.
The best place to DO NOTHING is clearly the Outer Banks.
Full disclosure: I’m not a mindfulness guru. This is not my pitch for meditation or chanting or transcendental yodeling or whatever.
My point is that it’s okay to slow down once in a while.
Unplug from technology. Take a break from binge-watching. Give your brain a rest.
The best part? You don’t need two weeks lounging in the sand to reap the benefits. You don't even need a beach.
Five minutes just about anywhere will do the trick.
Which is good news, because Currituck County is heading into the busy season. Beautiful spring days mean more people and more traffic.
As a local, it’s easy to get frustrated when I'm stuck bumper-to-bumper in the slow lane. Weekends are famous for vacation gridlock.
But instead of losing my cool, I try to remember two things...
First, that any traffic is better than the alternative, which is no traffic and empty rental properties and no visitors.
Second, that the time I'm stuck in my car is the perfect opportunity to DO NOTHING. Roll down the windows. Turn off the radio. Silence the cell phone. Live in the moment.
Hopefully the sunny days ahead will give you an opportunity to seize the day and DO NOTHING.
And then once you're recharged, rested and rejuvenated... once you're full of enthusiasm, energy and ideas... give me a call.
Maybe I can help you DO SOMETHING!
Have a great day and thanks for reading!
Sincerely,
Larry Lombardi
Director of Economic Development
* NOTE: This is not to say that there isn't a ton of great stuff to do in the Currituck Outer Banks, because there is and you can read all about it here.
