How To Get Over a Slump
Exhausted. Unmotivated. Loopy.
Still in catch-up mode from having just returned from our last adventure in Europe, we had to pull it together for the family and friends we had come to spend the holidays with in Portland.
I made a couple of unsuccessful attempts to pull myself away from the way-too-comfortable tempurpedic bed. No luck. Those beds are sleep whisperers. Finally, I made it to the window, turned open the blinds and saw a beautiful day coming to life. I convinced myself that that was all the motivation I needed to rally the other half of the equation. Without making the mistake of over thinking it, we gulped down coffee from the room, pulled on workout clothes and dead-headed for the gym.
It’s true what they say about exercise. Starting really is the hardest part. A few minutes into my cardio regime – music queued up and blaring on the iPod – I was finding my groove. On our walk back to the hotel, we did the math and realized we had a good chunk of time to enjoy Portland before heading to the first of what would be a series of get-togethers.
Motivated by the chance to roam around the city we love, we scrambled to shower up and quickly hit the streets. We wandered around and got acquainted with the changes to Portland, our old hometown. New buildings, new neighborhoods, new parks. But a very familiar and comfortable vibe. We were gratified to find that we still know the “heart” of the city – the way it moves – very well.
Unfortunately, the buzz from our morning coffee and the workout faded away. We were frustrated that we couldn’t fully emerge from our latest travel induced slump, so we popped into a cafe for some energy in the form of a sandwich. As we looked at the menu, the three employees were discussing their plans for the evening and their eagerness to be off of work and out and about with the masses.
Given the crowds – and having to work on Christmas Eve – they were remarkably friendly with customers.
“That’s really cool! What is it? A sweatshirt? A jacket?” said the register guy to Caanan when we made it to the front of the line.
“More of a sweatshirt, I guess”
“I really like it,” the guy said inspecting it closely.
And that could have been the end of that. Instead, resuming our walkabout after lunch, Caanan said: “Let’s see if we can find this sweatshirt for that guy.”
We were due to surprise a stranger (which we like to do every once in a while), so it was on. Even though we had bought the sweatshirt a few months earlier in Seattle, we were pretty sure we could score one in Portland.
We did.
I wish you could have seen the guy’s face when we walked back in the cafe. At first I think he thought we were upset with something about the food. After all, who comes back unless you’re pissed or you’ve lost something. Then, you really should have seen his face when Caanan handed him the bag. He looked completely baffled. Next, when he peeked in and started to figure out what was going on, you could see – via his changing expression – his brain working through what was going on. Priceless.
He was grateful. Stunned and grateful.
We made a stranger’s day by randomly surprising him with a relatively small gesture.
On our way to meet up with family, recollecting and laughing about how happy the guy was, we were energized. Even better, it turned out that our slump was over for good. Randomly surprising a stranger – and getting out of our own heads – was the perfect remedy. It proved that the slump was mostly a mental thing, as they so often are.
Need to get out of a slump? Try giving your attention to someone else. We say go surprise a stranger (in a positive, lawful way!). See how it changes YOU.
We’re going to do this more often in 2012.
Twitter: LunaticAtLarge
The first sentence of this post alone captures my mental and physical state at the moment. I cannot seem to get back in the swing of things after our road trip + move + Semester at Sea! Meanwhile, Scott’s been back in an accounting office for two weeks already!
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Tavel can be exhausting. This is why Kent and I are such big proponents of having a home base – a place to return to and recharge. For us, that balance is a key part of making our lifestyle sustainable.
It’s true, and a great reminder. Paying it forward does something for both the giver and the recipient.
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Giving is selfish!
Twitter: amnichols
That’s what the holiday season is truly about. Happy New Years guys!
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Happy New Years to you as well Anne-Marie. Let’s make 2012 a year of giving back and great food (we will be looking to you for the latter).
Twitter: abbytegnelia
Sooo true!! Sometimes I get exhausted living alone in a town, single, with no family. I often say that’s it’s too tiring caring only about yourself all day!
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I think Vegas would be an especially difficult place to be single and without family. Let’s talk it out over cocktails. How does that sound?
Twitter: WanderOne
And this is why I love you guys. So generous and such wonderful reminders that I need to actually step outside of myself from time to time and think about others. You two really do help restore my faith in humanity…
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Wow. Thanks Marsha. Now we are going to have to step up our game even more! Oh, and we both screw up plenty, too. We write mostly about the good stuff to preserve our dignity
Twitter: VCCORG
i hate being on a slump great tips on how to get out of one. being focused helps me a lot
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Twitter: Technosyncratic
This is definitely something we need to do more of – I love the concept of doing random things like this to brighten a stranger’s day, but I rarely make it happen. Performing more random acts of kindness is my resolution for 2012!
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It is something we want to do more of as well – we want to make it a habit in 2012. It’s so invigorating.
Twitter: lola125
That is awesome. I need to do that more often. It really is a fabulous feeling to surprise someone like that.
You guys really do inspire…
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You inspire us! It’s a feedback loop of inspiration!
You guys continue to inspire as always. What great advice:) Happy new year!
Rhonda
Thanks, Rhonda – have a great 2012.
Twitter: kirstenalana
Evidence of why I love you, right here. I cannot thank you for sharing this enough. Giving simple things to others has been a goal of mine forever. I just don’t always follow through with it enough. I need to do so much more in 2012.
I still hope we can meet face-to-face this year too. But that’s unrelated
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We’ve never done anything quite like this before, but it’s something we’ll do again. It takes “buy the coffee of the person behind you” to a new level.
This is SUCH a great idea, I love it!
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Thanks, Michelle – and happy new year!
What an awesome story! And a great idea. You know, I don’t do New Year’s resolutions–I figure if there’s a change you want to make in your life, you just DO it, whenever. But engaging in random acts of kindness is not a bad resolution to have going forward. Thanks for the thought.
It’s something we think of A LOT more than we do, so we want to make a firmer commitment to doing random things for others more regularly.
Twitter: robinjgraham
Wow! You took me by surprise there; what a gesture!
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Twitter: sjtryon
Excellent, guys! Well done!
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Twitter: hecktictravels
This is pure awesomeness. I would have SO loved to be there and see the look on that guys face. Good for you guys – you really go out there and DO IT. So inspiring….
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The changing expression on his face was the best part by far. Still makes me smile to think about it.
Twitter: our_oyster
Omgosh you guys are just too sweet! That guy will be telling that story for ages!
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Twitter: GreenGlobalTrvl
This may seriously be one of the coolest things I’ve read on a blog. I’m all for random acts of kindness, but WOW! You guys seriously rock!
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Aw thanks, Bret. It’s really no big deal… it’s just actually doing something (and not just thinking about it) that’s the big hurdle.
Twitter: ayngelina
I’d like to say I’m shocked by your generosity but after meeting you I’m not surprised at all.
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Twitter: thetravelchica
You guys never stop impressing me. Very generous. Even though I know how much it means to me when a stranger goes out of their way to help, it is often difficult to remember to look for opportunities to do the same for others.
Twitter: groundedtravelr
As mentioned what a great story. I just got back from a double long haul flight from New Zealand and am separated from my wife again. Add a cold and I get the slump idea. Hope this all helps.
I am curious though. What was on the sweatshirt that made the guy ask?
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There was nothing on the sweatshirt – very basic. I guess it’s unique because it’s kind of a modern take on a boring sweatshirt.
You guys are seriously some of the most amazing people I have ever met. That is so sweet… I’m going to do just that with my winter clothes once I am done with them and don’t need them. After all they are only a few days old since I bought them here in Istanbul.
That’s a great idea! You won’t need them, huh?
That’s such an inspiring story. I made a resolution a year or so back to make an effort to find someone’s boss if “someone” had done a really good job and to let them know. It struck me that people do that when they want to complain, but rarely when something is done well. This plan of yours sounds even better. I’m going to give it a try.
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Twitter: 50Run
Awww, I love you guys! Happy New Year!
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Twitter: travelsexlife
Great tips guys! Glad to see you getting over the slump by doing something insanely generous and inspiring. If only more people in the world followed suit…
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Twitter: jenjenk
you guys are SO awesome. I’ve got to remember to pay it forward. thanks for the inspiration and the reminder. Hugs.
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Twitter: TravelWorkLive
Hey guys, just caught this now and wanted to say how absolutely, genuinely awesome that was of you to do!
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