I don’t take a lot of vacation.   A friend recently reminded me that my life is kind of like a vacation.  I am on the move.  Work takes me to some interesting places and I try and do a decent job of picking my spots for extended stays and a little down time.  The past week was different.

I blocked it off on the calendar in January.  I made the commitment to put work on the shelf.  I planned to go somewhere and do something else.  Read.  Write.  Relax.  Recharge.

Mission accomplished.

I used to routinely pass on 3-4 weeks of my allotted vacation time in my corporate days.  I used to joke (half seriously) that unless I was comfortably ahead of plan there would be no vacation.  I had to earn it.  It has been a while since I’d taken a real vacation. I think part of the reason I have resisted vacation is my fear that business would slow or stall while I was away.

That very notion is wrong.   The world understands.  The work is always waiting.  The winning strategy is to make certain to take enough time away to rest and recover so you have the capacity to perform at optimum levels. Time away can serve as the catalyst for a whole new perspective.

My few days away last week offered meaningful insights, ideas and lessons learned from some extraordinary people I met along the way.  I’ll share some of those here as the week progresses.

In the meantime we are pleased to welcome Baptist Health and Camden National Bank to the client roster.  Amazing what a few days away can do for business.  I am already in the early stages of planning my next get away.

Wishing you a great summertime vacation!