Visiting Portugal had been on my list of things I really wanted to do for a while. So on December 31, 2022, when I had fun creating all my New Year’s Eve Rituals, I added to my 2023 “Movie of my 2022 life” that I was going to go to Portugal in 2023. Well, I didn’t go in 2023, but I did get an invitation to a client’s wedding that year, and the wedding was going to be in 2024…in Portugal. Celebration! Another successful manifestation! (It is OK, if it happens a little later than expected!)
The delay gave me an entire year to save all my hotel points and flight miles, because I also decided that I wanted to have a 5-star trip for free. I’m all about high class experiences without worrying about funding them with actual money.
A year later, I booked a beautiful luxury hotel in Lisbon, a pretty hotel in Sintra and a beautiful bed and breakfast in Porto. I booked my flights with miles, also. I felt pretty proud of myself.
What I didn’t realize was that I would have some big “ah-ha” life and business lessons while I was on my fabulous vacation.
Lesson #1 – You don’t need a lot of money to have a 5-star experience.
It was early morning when we landed and because I am a brand loyal hotel points gal, I was able to check in to my fabulous hotel early. They had a beautiful pool and spa. We spent the day at the pool and the weather was glorious. Then we enjoyed the hot tub, steam room and sauna, and finished it off with deep tissue massages. I made a decision that day that I will never travel abroad without making my first day a luxury day to relax; switch mindsets from work mode to vacation mode; and also have a lovely way to deal with jet lag.
Later in my trip, I took a tour of the Douro Valley and that is where I had my other two “ah-ha” moments.
Lesson #2 – Deciding that you aren’t good at sales (or anything you really want) and being OK with it. (This could have repercussions for centuries.)
As my tour was driving through the beautiful Douro valley I was in deep discussion with the guide about the wines and wine industry. The wines of Portugal are amazing and a great value proposition. Although they have had vineyards since 2000 BC (yes, you read that right) the wines are known in the US for only being Port or Madeira – inexpensive, not great tasting – or Mateus, which is the one wine most people remember. There are some really delicious Vinho Verde wines but most people have not tried them in the USA. So rather than taking the time, energy and effort to re-educate the US on their wonderful wines, they appear to accept defeat.
How many times do we do this to ourselves or in business? Perhaps we say to ourselves; “Well the economy is bad and I won’t make my numbers, so I won’t even try.” “No one will give me a chance, so I will just stay in the role I have.” “People I work with won’t think this is a good idea, so I won’t speak up at the meeting.” Whatever we are thinking will allow our limiting beliefs to sabotage our true desires.
Lesson #3 – Leaving space has better outcomes.
If you are an over-achiever like me, you probably jam pack every single moment of everyday, pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion. This leads to burnout, making mistakes and not being innovative or as productive as you actually could be. So what does this have to do with my trip to Portugal?
Back in the 1850’s European botanists and vine growers began bringing in vines from North America, however they weren’t aware that these vines had small mites that fed on the roots and killed the vines. This is what is called Phylloxera and it nearly wiped out all European vineyards.
I won’t go into the entire story. (If you want to know more, connect with me on LinkedIn because I can talk about it for days.) Phylloxera brought the wine business to its knees in Portugal. While the hills of the Douro Valley were once jam packed with grape vines everywhere, many areas were now called “graveyards.”
Many wineries went out of business, leaving quite a bit of valuable land that was not being used any longer. Today you can see these areas covered with trees and other vegetation. They still call the areas graveyards. (Some people are still sort of angry at Americans – even though we didn’t bring the vines over. That’s a story for another time.) But there is an upside. The vineyards that exist today are healthier and yield high quality grapes because not all the space is taken up by vines. The “graveyards” are actually helping the crops and soils to be richer because the trees and plants take over some of the pests which makes the harvests better.
When we leave space for ourselves, time to rest, time to detox and do the things we love, we can be more productive and feel happier.
Here are four things you can do today with these lessons:
- Set an intention for a big goal that you would like to attain; believe it. Set it aside and give it up to the universe to take care of the rest.
- Take a look at all the potential resources you have, aside from money. How can you utilize these to have 5-star experiences in life?
- Become more self-aware of when you are self-sabotaging and talking yourself out of becoming your greatest self. How can you change that chatter into something more positive? (Hint – Use the word “yet” at the end of a sentence. For example: “I haven’t made my sales goals, yet. But I will.”)
- Leave space for you to grow, learn, evolve and create what you want in life and in business.
I also attended my friend and client’s magical wedding while in Portugal…and that takes me to my 2025 New Year’s Eve ritual…stay tuned.
PS: This article was written by the mind of Joanne Newborn; zero AI was involved in its creation.
