I’m on the beach.

And I’m not in Los Angeles.

I’m in Hawaii on a beautiful resort––and I’m by myself.

I know you’re probably thinking, “Why would David take a vacation by himself. Doesn’t he have any friends?”

Of course I have friends! In fact, as I was deciding on where to take a vacation, a friend of mine invited me to Costa Rica.

But I declined.

Because, here’s the deal: it’s great to to take vacations with other people, but, once a year, you should take a vacation by yourself.

Personal, solitary, “me” vacations give you the space and time to be alone with yourself. You’re all alone in a new environment, which forces you out of your head and into the world. You’re no longer run by routine, but consciously choosing what you want to do each day. You’re not being influenced by the opinions of others. You’re just being…you.

“Me” vacations make you feel like a CSI investigator––uncovering gems from the world around you, and from within yourself.

And you don’t have to go anywhere exotic to create this feeling, you just have to go somewhere that makes you do a little bit of work.

I could have gone to Cabo, but it would be too easy to sit by the pool and meet tons of interesting people. In Hawaii––a quiet place full of families––I have to actually start conversations and talk to people to figure out what’s going on.

If you’re in a foreign country and need to urinate, it takes work to learn how to ask for the bathroom. You actually have to engage and learn new things.

The solitary, “me” vacation takes you out of your comfort zone. And when your brain is no longer running the same patterns and programming, it creates a space for new things to come in.

This is how you gain insight. And insight will help you create your life.

So, if you’re feeling stuck and want to create a plan to radically transform your life––go on a vacation, just leave all your friends and family at home.

Do this for you.