Places of Inspiration

Richard Florida authored groundbreaking work on the impact of location and creativity on regional economic success. I am one of the fortunate to have lived the better part of a decade in Austin, Texas, Mr. Florida's number one example of economic development as a result of the areas ability to attract creative people. "The Rise of the Creative Class" Florida, Richard; 2002.

As much as I love Austin, I took off the labor day weekend to go to the beach - Corpus Christi, Texas, to be exact. My wife loves the beach and needs the visits to recharge. We both would prefer a Caribbean beach or Crescent Beach in Sarasota, Florida, however, Texas beaches will do when she needs the recharge. What we found in our three days was that we both drew so much peace, tranquility and inspiration from that little trip that we vowed to escape as much as possible and talked of buying a little place there, just three hours from Austin. While it isn't Sarasota or Manzanillo, Mexico, we discovered that our world offers so many wonders and no matter how insignificant, beautiful and inspiring places abound.

Everyone is aware that U.S. workers work too hard and enjoy their freedom too little. Recently, it was revealed in the media that we are not even taking our allotted paid vacations. This is truly sad. If you want to stay ahead in life, reevaluate what "staying ahead" means. Get out and get inspired. You will actually benefit from time away from the grind and become more competitive as you become more innovative, creative and charged up when you are back on the clock.

It doesn't matter if it is three days in Corpus Christi. It doesn't matter if it is a days hike in the nearby state park. Get out and get inspired and connect with your Self.

(For the record, the water and beach in Corpus were beautiful! I've spent my life on Texas Beaches and this was the bluest, clearest water I've ever seen and realized that God made something wonderful and I encourage anyone to visit the Third Coast!)