Have you ever driven across the country? Growing up I could honestly say I had visited more countries outside of the United States than actual states within the US. I don’t share that to brag, I share that because as someone born and raised in the US, I hadn’t really gotten to explore most of our country.

It’s been on my bucket list to not only visit every single continent, but all 50 US states. Well, I can check 30 of those states off now! Still got a few continents to go too…

Every summer for the past several years our family does a two-week trip back east. My husband is from back east and we have tons of family out there. If you’ve followed me for any length of time you’re probably familiar with the 4th of July farm trips to upstate New York. With COVID happening, that trip didn’t happen either – and we were pretty bummed, especially our boys.

When the opportunity came up to fly back east and drive home (we purchased a new-to-us vehicle), we jumped on it. And then we contemplated and questioned and prayed and asked ourselves if it was the right thing to do. Trust me, we went through ALL the emotions of wanting to be both responsible, not live in fear, and everything in between. Obviously, we made the decision to go.

We stayed at our cousin’s house for a shortened week and then hit the road. My husband had been across the country before, but it was the first for me and the boys. Armed with masks, sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and the Hilton app, we successfully drove through and stopped in almost all of 14 states in 8 days.

A few loooooong days of driving capped our trip on both ends, which made the 3 nights we stayed in South Dakota in the middle of our trip all that much more enjoyable. Yes, there were lots of “I’m bored” and “I have to pee” and “how many more hours?” There were several quick pull overs on the side of country roads (and not just for the boys LOL), several rest stops and gas stations and Starbucks where we could find them (although I got really tired of feeling like I had to purchase something just to use the bathroom).

My husband was good about checking the oil and the tires, and we made sure we had enough fuel to get us to the next stop, as well as snacks and water and the day’s peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (picture a folding table in a windy parking lot with smashed bread and a tiny little plastic knife that I was sure was going to snap any minute).

Without a plan and a route, without preparation of food, without knowing how much longer and how to get to the hotel for that night, we would have been broken down, out of gas, and out of hope on the side of the road somewhere.

Without our pit stops, our road trip would have been a complete bust!

The same is true for ourselves. WE require pit stops. Breaks to re-fuel, re-energize, rejuvenate and rest. Without them we’ll end up burned out, stressed out, overwhelmed, frazzled and in a bigger mess than the one we’re burning the candle at both ends trying to get out of.

Use our driving as an example. We had 3 days of rest in the middle of solid packed days of long driving on either end. Did we venture out of the hotel and visit national parks and see tons of wildlife? Absolutley! But we didn’t have to drive for hours on end to get there. We had a home base, a place to feel rested. Had we not taken those rest days in the middle, it would not have been such an enjoyable trip!

Question: where in your life are you trying to push through? Working your you-know-what off to make “it” happen, only to find yourself so exhausted at the end of the day and deflated because your goals just aren’t getting met. You’re probably not giving yourself consistent enough breaks, or breaks at all – and that’s simply not sustainable.

A car can only go so far without running out of gas.
You can only do so much before you also run out of gas.

The good news? I’ve got a program that is just what you might be looking for!

Do you:

• Have places to go, people to see, things to do, but your tank is empty and you’re running on fumes?
• Wake up in the morning wondering what’s the point of it all?
• Feel stuck in a rut, every day a copy of the day before?
• Question yourself, “Is there more to life than this? What am I missing?”
• Wish there was someone who understood all that you’re trying to accomplish?

If this sounds like you, I invite you to take a look at my Pit Stops With Pamela program.

There’s no harm in looking, and it might be the answer for what’s been holding you back. Don’t worry, this isn’t a massive in-depth program, this is short, easy and bite-sized “pit stops” so you can get on with what it is that you’re up to in the world.

We’re back home now and I believe all the laundry is done and put away. I don’t think I’ll have another peanut butter and jelly sandwich for as long as I live, or at least until the next road trip – whenever that might be.

To see where we were and what adventures we had, check out my personal Facebook profile – it’s all there, Days 1-8.

If you’re not where you want to be yet (in life or in business) maybe you just need a little redirection and a few quick pit stops. Check out the program to see if it’s for you: www.PitStopsWithPamela.com