Vacation vs. Training. What are the similarities and differences? Breaking them down into stages, they operate similarly but with different perceptions.
Effort and Reward. Dopamine pathway.
People do not see the "effort" part of the vacation. It is the accumulation of
- Working hard to save money for it, preparing for the job before leaving
- Planning for the trip
- Headache, unpleasant experiences with the traffic, services, delay
- Kids, packaging
- A few other hundred things
The reward is the perception of a pleasant and relaxed destination. Whether that is a resort, a beach, a mountain, or whatever that is. After all the hustle to get there, you feel relaxed and rewarded.
Training. Well, the same thing. The reward is after training sessions. You get stronger and faster. Always have a better feeling and a better mood.
And what are the differences? The perception and the recognition of people are different. Vacations, people see the reward yet ignore the effort. Trainings, the opposite; people know the effort yet ignore the reward.
How about the aftermath? Vacations usually come with a dopamine crash. I have seen many people feeling tired on the way home. They are struggling to accept that vacation is over and tomorrow is work. Training? No, there is no dopamine crash. The effect is there within you, lasting for days.
Vacation and training are excellent activities. If we depend on vacation to balance our life, the ratio is too small (think how many vacations you can take in a year?). However, if we depend on training, we can do it daily, 100% ratio guaranteed.
