Do Us All a Favour and Have a Mojito

In 2008 I was leading a tour in Cuba. While the group was busy in an activity, I was running around organizing everything, physically running from one part of the city to the other. 

I was intentional and was clear on what I needed to get done and by when. I got answers, dashed back, asked for something I needed, left quickly, got something else done – my ‘To Do’ list was shrinking.

Two hours into this, as I was dashing back and forth, a Cuban guy stopped me on the street, put his hand on my shoulder firmly, and said in a charming way: 

“Do us all a favour and please have a mojito or something. You are driving us crazy all morning.”

I’ve never been before to a city where everyone was connected like one unit, where I could feel the impact of my energy on the collective field. I’ve never been to a place where enjoyment was the number one priority before productivity. I walked away and was processing what I just experienced. 

I decided to take it on. 

I adjusted my walking pace to fit the local rhythm and started paying attention to how the city moved as a whole and how I was impacting this flow. I allowed myself to enjoy their rhythm letting it teach me what pleasure was, learning how to achieve but without losing my enjoyment and vitality. 

To-date, I believe it’s one of the most important and precious lessons Cuban society has taught me about living life to the fullest – how to diffuse stress and overwhelm while achieving. 

What would happen if you didn’t delete fun from the equation? What changes would you make in your life right now to create this shift?