One of the most fascinating and enjoyable things that many of us have in common is going on holiday to a beach in a hot, sunny climate—seeing the water stretch endlessly, feeling the breeze, and watching people excited, relaxed, laughing.

The travel industry is a multi-billion-pound industry. People save for months, sometimes years, spending hard-earned money just to enjoy this luxury. A very common destination is the Greek islands, with the beautiful beaches they represent. I enjoy them too.

On one particular trip, I was in my beachwear, sipping mocktails, sunglasses on, sitting by the beach. Around me were tourists who looked genuinely happy and pleased. As I sat there, I noticed a middle-aged man walking around, looking as though he was searching for someone. He came closer to where I was sitting. He turned out to be a taxi driver who had come to pick up one of the tourists.

I struck up a conversation and said, “You must be very lucky and blessed to be living in such a beautiful part of the world.”

He looked at me—almost stunned—with a hint of disdain, and replied, “It’s people like you who think this place is beautiful. You come for a few days and think it’s all great. Come and live here, and you’ll realise it’s just normal… even depressing.”

I asked him how often he came to the beach. He said, “Apart from picking up tourists like yourself, I haven’t been here in several years.”

That stayed with me.

It made me realise that it isn’t the place that makes life great—it’s the mentality, the mindset. When you travel somewhere for a short time, you’ve saved resources to get there and to spend. You don’t deny yourself the good things of the place you’re visiting. And you’re not just enjoying the weather, the beach, or even the expensive food—because if that alone created happiness, everyone who lived there would be in perpetual bliss. And that clearly isn’t the case.

What you’re really enjoying is a mindset: relax, enjoy, explore, don’t worry—someone else will clean up after you.

In many ways, we are all visitors on this blue planet, spinning quietly through space. Our journey here is short—maybe 80 or 90 years if we are fortunate. For some, heartbreakingly, it is far shorter: 20 or 30 years. And the truth is, none of us truly knows when the holiday is over. There is no checkout desk, no announcement, no warning bell. One day, the trip simply ends.

So why do we live as though we have unlimited time?

Why do we postpone joy, expression, curiosity, and rest for a future that may never arrive?

Why not approach life with the same mindset we bring to a holiday? A mindset that says: this time matters. A mindset that says: I am here now, and I will make the most of it.

See each day as another gift—another chance to explore, to connect, to notice beauty, to experience the quiet miracle of being alive. Why not use up all the resources, talents, creativity, and energy you’ve been endowed with, instead of saving them for “someday”?

When I’m on holiday, I don’t stay in the room sleeping the days away. Time is moving. I explore. I wander. I try things. I step out, because I know that very soon I’ll be heading back home.

Yet in life, many of us do the opposite. We wait. We shrink. We hold back. We watch time pass, believing there will always be more of it.

This is where Free to Be—or what I now call Free to Being—comes in.

Free to Being is the decision to live with the same freedom, presence, and permission you give yourself on holiday, but to carry it into everyday life. It’s about giving yourself permission to feel, to move, to express, to rest, to laugh, to dance—without waiting for the “right time” or the approval of others.

On holiday, you are free. You don’t know anyone, so you dance without self-consciousness. You move without fear of judgment. You laugh loudly. You take up space. You are simply being.

Why not live like this every day?

Free to Being will be a series of personal reflections—simple philosophical mindset shifts that I’ve found genuinely useful on my own journey. It will also include conversations with people who are actively helping their communities through alternative ways of shaping and supporting mental health.

These are not theories. These are lived experiences.

I invite you to subscribe, listen, and share your feedback as the series grows.

Free to Being is not about escaping responsibility or pretending that life isn’t hard. It’s about choosing aliveness within reality. It’s about refusing to let routine, fear, or expectation rob you of the joy of existence.

Time will soon be up. One day, we will be no more.

So why not enjoy this journey—fully, freely, and without apology—while we are here?