The whole reason I wrote the book A Month of Italy: Rediscovering the Art of Vacation is because I felt so blessed, so moved, so productive after my initial Italian sabbatical that I wanted to share all of that with anyone and everyone who would listen. I hope you have purchased the book (And, let’s face it, I hope you’ve bought thousands of them to hand out to your friends, too!) and been inspired and enlightened by it. But in case you are not quite convinced yet, allow me to introduce the following Top 10 Reasons Why YOU Should Go on a Meaningful, Restorative Vacation. (Okay, I’ll admit, that’s not the catchiest name for a Top 10 list I’ve ever heard, or even come up with myself, but it will have to do).

10. To boost your energy levels and refill your tanks

9. To provide a chance for you to re-center yourself and get grounded

8. To allow time for spiritual focus and a period of growth, worship, and study

7. To eliminate stress from your system and build up a buffer against it for the future

6. To increase your productivity and creativity by providing you true rest and restoration

5. To allow you time to deeply consider your priorities in life, and how to live them out better on a daily basis

4. To give you time to forge stronger relationships through a dose of both quality AND quantity time

3. To provide a format within which you can create lasting, meaningful, deep memories

2. To provide you the important health benefits only proper time off can bestow (This leads to increased longevity and a sense of well-being in the moment.)

1. To help you tap more fully into your potential and restore you to peak operating performance levels

0. (Okay, I guess it’s a Top 11 list.) To shatter the “Time is Money” hoax and help you realize that you should treat your time as importantly as you treat your money, remembering that time itself is your most valuable currency (It cannot be stored nor acquired in excess; you only get what you get.)