Recharge your leisure with green days
by Glenn Capelli
In 1966 Petula Clarke had a hit song with the Tony Hatch & Jackie Trent penned Colour My World:
Oh, you can colour my world with sunshine yellow each day!
Oh, you can colour my world with happiness all the way!
Just colour my world
My wife Lindy and I have taken the spirit of the lyrics to heart and colour certain days in our calendar green.
Green Days have rules:
1. No work
2. No making or taking work related phone calls
3. No talking about work
4. Instead on Green Days we only talk about other aspects of life
Given that Lindy and I have been married and running a business together for the last 20 years, green days are vital. It becomes too easy to talk shop and be tempted into doing some work related things even on so-called days off. Green Days add a tint of greater importance to free time. In today’s sprint paced world people do not seem to have this true Refresh Time, even on holidays they allocate a certain amount of work into their day or allow work to fill their mind.
When we are on Green Time, if one of us mentions a work related thing, the other reminds them that this is a green day. We discipline each other in ensuring that we take the time to clear the mind. Such cleansing helps the mind recharge and allows a greater creativity to flourish. It is hard to be truly creating when you are exhausted.
The Buddhists say ‘When you eat a mandarin, eat the mandarin’. Be present for the moment. I say ‘Be present in a Green Day’ – fill your mind with the magic and beauty of the day rather than with a mind still cluttered in work related issues.
We colour days and weeks in a year green: green for recharging, refreshing, renewing and green for sustainable energy.
Glenn Capelli is the author of Thinking Caps book and radio pieces as well as being a top Keynote Speaker. www.glenncapelli.com. You can contact Glenn at glenn@glenncapelli.com