The foundations of our brand have always been rooted in the values we have kept throughout our lives. When we created our business, we knew that the philosophy of our company had to reflect the way in which we choose to live our lives (and yes, it is a choice). Early on in the process of creating Hotel La Semilla, we began playing around with the symbols in nature that remind us of our values. Of course we love the symbolic power of The Seed (or La Semilla in Spanish) but another image that kept reappearing to us was the almighty Root. The Root became one of the center pillars of our brand because it reminds us of an important lesson in business and in life; “Change your leaves but keep your Roots in tact.” To us, this means that while trends and preferences may change the core of what you believe should always remain constant.
People are not one thing. There is a beautiful duality to the human condition. We are parents and we are lovers, we are friends and we are competitors. It is through this journey of being and learning that the ways in which we play out these roles morph with age and experience. We should never stop learning but while our façades may change through the years and interests or even political views, there are those core ideas that remain the same—and these are your Roots.
In this never-ending cycle of life, we find ourselves always looking to improve. We want to be better listeners, have less stress in our lives, or show the people we love our appreciation. However, too often we get swept up in the sea of life and bogged down by the small tasks and petty “to do’s” that we forget about our Roots in exchange for moving with the tide– regardless of where it brings us. Living this way is unproductive and damaging for our souls and is the reason that stepping outside of yourself frequently helps to keep your ship on course.
Getting back in touch with ourselves and the things we hold most dear is so important for staying grounded—and what better time to reflect upon these ideas then during your vacation. On vacation, you can revert back to your ideal self. You can voice your opinion and unleash your passions. We can be whomever you want to be when you’re out of your normal routine.
So how can we hold on to this ‘ideal self’? We think a good place to start is meditation or quiet reflection. Have you ever just flopped on the beach or spent hours in bed during a holiday? We think these vacation behaviors are wonderful opportunities for reconnecting with your Roots and evaluating your life. At Hotel La Semilla, our best ideas and most meaningful personal breakthroughs have been stumbled upon after hours of dreaming away on our terrace or swinging in the hammock. We believe that us humans don’t give ourselves enough time to just be. During vacation we may remember to do this—but certainly not in our real lives. We challenge you to create a time of inner reflection, where you can begin to tune out the external noise and being to focus on the deepest parts of your consciousness. While some people like meditation, we have found that nature walks and free journal writing can also be incredible effective.
Once you’ve begun to tune into the deepest parts of yourself, the trick is to pay attention to the messages your body is giving you. For many of us, this is the most difficult part and where we like to become a little more proactive. We ask ourselves; in what way can I change my life for the better? What actionable steps can I take in order to make my life feel more fulfilled and rich? Here is how we hone in on our desires and work to change our lives—we hope you find this helpful:
- List your main desire—what do you want to change in your life? Write it down and say it out loud to everyone who will listen. This will help make you accountable for reaching your dream.
- Break it down into actionable steps. For example, if you want to be healthier, why not start with some simple meal planning, fitting a 20-minute walk into you daily routine or just cutting one small thing from your diet? We found that starting anywhere is a good start.
- Set some achievable goals with dates: Things seem scarier when they are big but if you decide on a very small step to work on and set dates or milestones you’ll see how easy it can be to change your habits.
- Schedule “meditation moments”: Always be listening to yourself. This is the most important thing. Your life starts with your own happiness and health. Make yourself a priority. This isn’t selfish—it is essential. You can give more when you feel taken care of yourself. Even just 5 minutes each day of cleansing breaths or quiet reflection can make all the difference.
The last bit of advice we would like to expel on this topic is this: don’t take yourself too seriously. If we were focused on making everything in our lives and businesses perfect, we would be paralyzed by stress. The most we can do is to be true to ourselves and hold on tightly to our Roots. As long as you set yourself on a path that leads towards positivity and gratitude you will get to a more enriched state of mind.