Recharging Your Batteries
When I was a naïve young station manager, I went for two and a half years with no vacation. I had booked vacations, but something ‘urgent’ always came up that caused me to cancel my plans at the last minute.
On one such occasion, the station’s owner came into my office, threw a pair of airline tickets and the keys to his Florida condo on my desk and said, “Ens, get the hell out of here!”
I thought he was nuts. I was so dedicated to achieving the company’s goals that I was willing to cancel my vacation to get the job done and he was forcing me to take a vacation!
It wasn’t until I returned to the office two weeks later that I realized his wisdom in forcing me to “get the hell out of here”.
I achieved more in the next 30 days than I had achieved in the past six months. I now know that vacations are absolutely essential to recharge your emotional batteries and help you see your day-to-day problems and opportunities from a fresh perspective.
And an occasional day off, doesn’t cut it. If you’re like me, it will take you three or four days just to start to relax.
In hindsight, my youthful ego probably resulted in me thinking only I could solve the problems that interrupted my vacations. The reality is, everyone can be replaced and the job will get done. I’ve been away from that station for more than 30 years now, and guess what…they’re still on the air without me being there!
Don’t wait to take your vacation until you can no longer take what you’ve been taking.
On one such occasion, the station’s owner came into my office, threw a pair of airline tickets and the keys to his Florida condo on my desk and said, “Ens, get the hell out of here!”
I thought he was nuts. I was so dedicated to achieving the company’s goals that I was willing to cancel my vacation to get the job done and he was forcing me to take a vacation!
It wasn’t until I returned to the office two weeks later that I realized his wisdom in forcing me to “get the hell out of here”.
I achieved more in the next 30 days than I had achieved in the past six months. I now know that vacations are absolutely essential to recharge your emotional batteries and help you see your day-to-day problems and opportunities from a fresh perspective.
And an occasional day off, doesn’t cut it. If you’re like me, it will take you three or four days just to start to relax.
In hindsight, my youthful ego probably resulted in me thinking only I could solve the problems that interrupted my vacations. The reality is, everyone can be replaced and the job will get done. I’ve been away from that station for more than 30 years now, and guess what…they’re still on the air without me being there!
Don’t wait to take your vacation until you can no longer take what you’ve been taking.