I Was on Vacation Last Week. Now I Have Six Months of Content. (Well, Almost.)

Last week I was on vacation.Not halfway across the world. Not on a five-city European tour.Not hiking through jungles or sipping cocktails under palm trees.

I was in Cape Cod.

Just a few hundred miles from home, and honestly? It was exactly what I needed.

Because here’s the truth, you don’t need to jet off to exotic locales to refill your creative cup. You just need a change of pace, scenery, and soundtrack.

And for me, Cape Cod was perfect.

Clean Brain, Clear Words

Within 24 hours of arriving, something shifted. My brain, which had been buzzing like a broken vending machine, settled down. The cobwebs were gone and the stress lifted. The mental tabs I had left open for months quietly closed themselves.

Suddenly, I was looking around, and everything felt interesting. Everything felt like a story and I

wasn’t even trying.

A breeze carrying the scent of fried clams? That became a note about nostalgia in marketing. A boardwalk conversation between two teens? A lesson in real-time, unscripted storytelling. The sound of the waves crashing at night? A metaphor for the rhythm of creative flow.

If you’re in the content business (or sales, or coaching, or ANY business that requires a steady stream of ideas), you know the pressure to constantly produce. It’s like being on a treadmill that slowly speeds up and occasionally bursts into flames.

So when I tell you that I now have content for at least six months, I’m only kind of exaggerating.

What Changed? Not the Destination But My Perspective.

This wasn’t my first visit to the Cape, it wasn’t even my second.

But here’s my secret sauce: I didn’t try to recreate last year’s experience. I didn’t go to the same places expecting the same magic. I didn’t force the same stories to show up.

Instead, I gave myself permission to see things differently.

Different eyes, different energy, different openness.

And when you let yourself be open to new input, when you allow for different interpretations of the same old places, you make space for new ideas to take root.

Stimulus Is Everywhere If You’re Paying Attention

Sometimes we think we have to wait for the perfect moment to be inspired. The right lighting, or quiet coffee shop.

Nope. You just need to notice.

Here’s what I noticed last week:

• The couple on the beach who never spoke but were completely in sync might be a post about silent collaboration.

• The salt and sand that clung to everything no matter how hard I tried to shake it off, definitely a metaphor for life’s lingering stress.

• The musicians playing outside the seafood shack, a reminder that showing up and being visible is half the game.

All of these things, small and seemingly unrelated, became content starters. Blog posts, social media ideas, newsletter themes. One morning, I wrote a 3-post series and I was still in pajamas and flip-flops.

Let Your Brain Breathe

Creativity doesn’t respond well to force. Deadlines are helpful, structure is nice, but real, inspired content needs oxygen.

And when we finally stop pushing and allow ourselves to just be, that’s when the ideas sneak in, not with trumpets and fanfare, but with gentle taps on the shoulder.

This is why we all need a break sometimes, not to escape the work, but to renew the relationship we have with it.

And let me be clear, this doesn’t have to mean a week off.

It can be:

• A day without meetings.

• An afternoon walk in your neighborhood with your phone off.

• A weekend of analog living, books, music, conversation, no screens.

  
  

Just something that gives your brain a break from the treadmill.

Freedom to Think Differently

One of the best parts of my trip? The people I was with. Good friends, big talkers, and deep laughers. Curious, creative minds.

We talked about everything from childhood memories to AI to what we’d do if we won the lottery.

Being around people who challenge your thinking in the best way, who push, stretch, tease, and support you, is one of the greatest gifts. It reminded me that creativity doesn’t just live in my brain. It lives in the space between people.

And when you give yourself permission to listen, to wonder, to see through someone else’s lens? That’s where the good stuff lives.

What If You’re Still Stuck?

I get it.

You might be reading this thinking, “Well good for you, Adrian, but I’m still staring at a blank screen.”

I’ve been there. And I’ll be there again.

But I’ve also built a life and business around unsticking people. Around pulling the stories out of ordinary moments. Around helping folks create content that actually sounds like you (and not like ChatGPT after a triple espresso and a panic attack).

So if the words still aren’t coming?

You know what they say, I got you.

Whether you need someone to polish your blog drafts, brainstorm LinkedIn content, tweak your sales page, or finally get that newsletter written, we can do it together.

Because sometimes, the clean brain and fresh eyes come from a walk on the beach. And sometimes, they come from working with someone who’s been doing this for 30 years and actually loves it.

Final Thought: Take the Break. Watch What Happens.

If you’ve been on the hustle treadmill lately, here’s your permission slip to take the break.

Even if it’s just a few hours, even if it’s just a mental shift, even if you have to pencil it in like a dentist appointment.

Let your brain reset, your thoughts meander and let the ideas rise up, unforced and unexpected.

And if they don’t? Well, you’ve got me in your corner.