In the middle of the northern hemisphere summer, it is quite common for us to start to enjoy time off work and a vacation – possibly in another part of the world or elsewhere in the same country.

We aim to wind down, reconnect with our partners, our families and maybe even ourselves. The daily grind drops away and stops distracting us from the things that really matter to us. We try and spend our holiday enjoying ourselves – meaning something different to each of us.

But whilst we take this time we should also reflect on how we live. Time is the most precious commodity – we can spend it but cannot earn it – yet we give so much away as we chase goals that many of us don’t even remember setting. If we are lucky we have a few weeks a year when we cram in the good living, even taking photographs to treasure those moments once we have returned back to our “real lives”.

How time flies and the years roll on – with just a few weeks in each filled with real living. We possibly need to redraw some lines and spend a little time defining not just our goals but what we are willing to sacrifice to achieve them.

I am not suggesting for one minute that we should all quit our jobs and try and bum around trying to live our lives in a permanent holiday lifestyle. We need to acknowledge our responsibilities, living as a productive contributor to society and the economy.

But why would we want to only live the lives that we want for a few weeks a year? Can holidays be an attitude? Can life be a holiday?

In a way we think it can. It involves a more conscious approach to how we use our time and what our commitments truly are. We need to curate our commitments to make the space for those everyday holiday moments – a book in the hammock, a G&T on the balcony before dinner, a visit to the beach, even a trip to the nearest tourist attraction.

Phones switched off, emails forgotten, loved ones engaged, sunglasses or scarf, flip-flops or skis, our sense of adventure ignited…

Just a few hours a day of real living. Our holidays rolling throughout the year.