WHAT APPEARS TO BE
I’m planning a vacation. But, according to the statistics, there’s a decent chance it won’t be a “real” vacation.
In 2005, 33% of those surveyed reported that they “check in on or do work,” while on vacation. (CareerBuilder.com). I can have one foot in the ocean and another on the beach at the same time, but can I have one foot in the ocean and another foot in the office?
What are your secrets to a “real” vacation?
WHAT MIGHT BE
“But so many people rely on me!” the ego screams. “And they need me to make good decisions!”
Pure hubris. It’s time to get real: we’re not as important as we think we are. Proof this is true: Last year I had my computer stolen. I had over 200 emails that “had to be responded to,” among countless documents that had not been saved to the server. Upon finding my laptop gone, I quit eating and developed a twitch in my shoulder. Unable to fulfill my responsibilities, the world would end.
It took one week to learn what Columbus discovered hundreds of years ago:
The world did not end.
No one cared that I was “missing.”
WHAT CAN BE
I help run a multi-million dollar business and work with leadership teams around the world. And not one person called me and said, “Craig, what about that email?”
Lesson learned. So for this summer’s vacation, let’s take a real vacation. Here are some questions to help you on this quest:
>> What is the cost if I don’t take this time away — mentally and physically?
>> What is my vision for how I want to feel at the end of the vacation?
>> What two or three things do I want to do during the vacation, so that when I return I am rested and feel satisfied?
>> What is my plan to make sure those two or three things happen?
>> Bonus question to ask upon your return: What are the things I love about my job?
What is the difference between what “might be” and what “can be”? You decide.
