On Changing the Lens

It's not where you go, but how you see.

Phone: Sarb Johal - Fujifilm X Half, Eterna

The Intention is the Destination

We call it ‘time off’.

But so often, it's just a different kind of ‘on’. Filled with other duties, other schedules, other pressures.

We can return to our desks feeling like we need a holiday from the holiday.

I’ve just returned from a family trip that felt different.

Not because of where we went, but because of the intention we set before we left.

For the first time, our primary purpose wasn't simply to connect with our much-loved, far-flung family. That was a part of it, a lovely part.

But the real focus was simpler. It was to quieten the noise. To be present.

To simply be, together.

This small change in approach created a huge shift in perspective.

It was an invitation to see the world differently. To engage with a sense of curiosity and playfulness that the rhythm of daily life can often drum out of us.

It was less about doing and more about noticing. The small details. The quality of the light. The texture of a single moment.

This, I realise, is the core of real restoration.

It's not just the absence of work, but the presence of a different way of being.

The result is a palpable sense of readiness. A quiet energy for the week ahead, born not from willpower, but from a well that has been refilled.

It’s a powerful reminder that the most profound restoration comes not from a change of scenery alone, but from a change of our internal lens.

Learning Note for Self:

The intention you carry into your time away is far more important than the destination on the ticket. Rest is an active state of mind, not just a passive absence of work.

A reflection for you:

Beyond just taking time off, what helps you truly shift your perspective?