I used to go on vacation and be anxious if I wasn’t checking my work phone. I always felt like I needed to be accessible and available because slowing down felt like failure. While that type of drive was producing crushing results in my career, it was killing me mentally and exhausting my personal world.
Today I have an entire different perspective on what it means to take time away, take vacation and just enjoy.
I’ve taken more vacations the last year than I have combined through my entire career. Why? Because I’ve learned I do my best work after I take time to care for myself, relax and enjoy life.
I just got back from paradise and five days on the beach; no work and no anxiety. As a new business owner, I look back on how much stress taking time off while starting a new venture would have caused me back then. Today, I know work will always be there, clients will always need support and my rush to speed up wouldn’t change any of that. So I choose to slow down, pause and find the joy and freedom in finding fulfillment in everything I do.
My mom is important and beautifully amazing. I cherish the times I get to travel and spend with her now. Other than my childhood, that did not exist before.
Being a leader means enjoying your life. It means taking breaks. It means finding pause and designing a life you want to live for YOU.
Give yourself permission to slow down. Enjoy the people you have in your life. Make time to meet new people in your life. Travel, explore and find joy in your life! I promise you that your business or career will still be there when you get back! You only get one life. How you design it is up to you.
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