Time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels; only when the clock stops does time come to life. - William Faulkner Sitting in the damp sand, I looked out over the ocean in front of me. The sea water moved up and over my legs every minute or so. The sun set over the mountain to my right, the skies turning orange and pink. This is the life! I thought to myself. And just like that, an idea for my business popped into me head. I looked around, excited and awe-struck. I need to write this down! Of course, I hadn't brought my phone or a notebook down to the beach. One week into a family vacation, note-taking utensils were not exactly a priority — up until that moment. I started to stand up to head back to the house when I thought to myself: But I’m on vacation! This isn’t supposed to happen right now. I’m not supposed to want to work. What’s going on?! Scared of losing the idea, I stood up anyways and headed to jot down my idea. I proceded to enjoy a few hours of brainstorm bliss, planning out how I could implement that idea once the vacation was over and I got back to work. I'm so glad I went for the idea when it came to me — vacation or not. On vacation or not, I realized I need two things every day:

1. My work
2. Relaxation and enjoyment

Why Is Vacation Better Than Regular Life?

From school summers off to family vacations to romantic getaways, I grew up loving my vacations. I can't tell you how much I looked forward to trips to Disney World or the beach. From my own experience, I believe we love our vacations for the following reasons:

1. Total relaxation
2. Decreased responsibility
3. Exploring new places and sights
4. Joy & enjoyment

In general, the biggest reason vacation is better than regular life is this: when we are on vacation, we grant ourselves the permission to truly enjoy life. What if we granted ourselves that same permission everyday?

Can Vacation Last Forever?

The concept of "taking a vacation" has been around our entire lifetime. We’re so accustomed to speaking about vacation in terms of days or weeks. Some people get two weeks a year, while others get four. But why does vacation have to be so finite? Why can’t we live the great feeling of being on vacation forever? If it did last forever, what would that even be like? The main assumption when I tell people about living a "perpetual vacation" is that a vacation does not include work — but that doesn't necessarily mean it's true. There are many activities that I would consider people would pay me for but are also completely fun and interesting to me — the kind of activity I would love partaking in on a vacation. For example, if I love to write, I'd do it during a vacation, too. Combining fun and awesome work with enjoyment... Now, there's a life I'd love to live.

Creating a Perpetual Vacation

In my quest to live every single day awesomely, I find the following steps to be the most useful:

1. Grant Yourself Permission: Come to the decision that you deserve to go after your dreams and enjoy yourself, no matter the setting. If you can build a sustainable life (a.k.a. support yourself financially), while not go for an awesome life? You deserve it. To achieve this, ask yourself what your ideal day looks like?
2. Challenge Yourself to Learn Useful Skills: Building a sustainable life and business is a lot easier when your skills are useful to others. By continuing to learn all the time, you can spend your time contributing meaningful work to an audience that needs it. To reach this, ask yourself what you could learn that other people need
3. Let Your Purpose Guide You: The best way to create work that is "meaningful" means doing something that truly means something to you. To reach this, ask yourself what fulfills you?

I hope these steps are helpful to you. There's one thing I'm sure of: The world needs what you've got. Please give it all you've got.

Start Your Quest to an Awesome Life

Sitting on a beach, observing nature's beauty, and receiving ideas from the ether, I came to the most beautiful realization of my life: Doing meaningful work and surrounded by wonderful enjoyment, I can create a life that feels like a perpetual vacation. If you could, would you want to live a vacation that never ends?

What does your ideal day look like?

How do you envision yourself being happy?

What could you do today to start your quest? If this sounds appealing to you, I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments. *** Bio: When Marcella Chamorro decided to quit her job to live every day as if it's a vacation, she turned her attention to creating a lifestyle that is both meaningful and exciting (watch her TEDx video). As an author & entrepreneur based in Nicaragua, Marcella guides those who want to quit their jobs, live their dreams, and live a vacation that never ends at The Perpetual Vacation.