Two things my instructor-father put in my head. Follow the furrow when ploughing and monitor the oil pressure and water temperature gauges.

This imagery has stuck with me ever since.

It definitely applies to bright, successful people.

With a long weekend, these people can choose to grasp the opportunity to take some time to both look ahead and monitor themselves as people who are much more than what they do.

Here are some ideas:

It would be safe to expect these bright successful people will engage in some work over these three days.

If that is the case it would be worth allocating a fixed amount of time to this and not let it 'contaminate' the whole weekend.

Procrastinating can lead to an unnecessary pall of guilt affecting not only the person involved but all those sharing the weekend with them.

Weekends and more particularly long weekends are times of recreation.

It is worth looking at the original meaning of this and applying it to the June long weekend.

Taking time to re-create (yourself) or renew yourself is highly beneficial. Remembering that it is necessary to choose to do this as opposed to presuming it will just happen is important.

Bright, successful people undoubtedly have a deep and intense relationship with their work.

While this can vary in degree it is one of many relationships.

Taking time to review all these relationships can be threatening, rewarding and liberating.

Allow me to give an example.

Client A, married with a family rightly or wrongly interpreted his life script to provide more and more or his family. He worked so hard. His wife up and left him. Completely caught off guard he was in shock to discover he was off target as all his wife and family wanted was more time with him!

Using so called 'computer speak,' bright, successful people have their RAM (random access memory) generally operating at its peak.

The long weekend provides time.

It took me years to experience the benefits of this exercise.

Simply take time (say 30 minutes) to just sit and be.

Don't think or do during this time, just be.

As things come up just let them pass and try as hard as possible to just be.

Deal with the distractions after your special time will be fine.

See what happens.

A safe presumption would be that bright, successful people are great planners.

Finding some time plan and have fun with the significant others in your life.

Be sure and canvass their ideas.

* John Southwell MA (Boston), coachwellaustralia.com.au, is junior vice president of the Dubbo Chamber of Commerce.

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