Who doesn’t LOVE getting sick in the airport on your way back from vacation? Can you sense a hint of sarcasm there?
So I did this thing…I went to Spain for a week with my family as a way to reset! It had been over a year since we went on our last vacation, so why not right? The days leading up to and following a vacation almost require a separate vacation altogether if you’re a business owner. Everything that goes into trying to get ready to leave, making sure all your i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed (otherwise known as “making sure your businesses don’t fall apart when you’re gone) really takes a toll. This time around for me, with one less business to look after, I have to admit it was a little less chaotic, but chaotic nonetheless.
Ahhhh…but now you’re away on vacation and it almost seems entirely worth it, until you get back.
It actually would have been pretty good this time around if everything went as planned, but as entrepreneurs all know, things rarely go as planned.
For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been speaking a lot about the plan I put together for how to spend my time each day of the week. I took time on vacation to set myself up for success upon my return with this genius new plan to be uber efficient. I was so excited, in fact, that I came into the office on a holiday Monday to get a head start on my plan. I’ve decided that Mondays include an element of self-care, so after catching up on a few items, I went and treated myself to getting my nails done. Tuesday started off pretty well too, but then the chills crept in. By the following day, I had to bail on a new facilitation role I’m now playing (more on that in another blog) two hours early as I dealt with a 40+ fever for the rest of the day. And there we go, what I thought would be a crazy week coming home, ended up me being close to death on my couch for the remainder of the week (okay, okay, you caught me, I may be slightly exaggerating about the “close to death” remark, but I’m telling you, this flu took down my whole family, by the end of the week, we all looked pretty deadly).
When you’re a high achiever like myself, having to wipe out all your commitments in favour of a cold press on your forehead, countless hours of sleep and more meds than I’d like to admit – sucks! There really isn’t any nice way of putting it. Not only does it make you feel super guilty for having to miss some really important meetings, some that had been scheduled weeks prior, but it makes it that much harder to catch up when you’re feeling better.
But wait…just breathe…
It has taken just about two weeks for me to feel relatively healthy again. The work doesn’t go away, it piles up the way work does when you don’t do it. But, it’s not the end of the world.
We have to remember that we can only do so much with what we have. Sometimes, we’re like a superstar doing 150% blowing everyone’s productivity out of the water. Other days, we are only capable of giving 50% for a variety of reasons that change each time around. Whatever level
we’re playing at, the important thing is to just do your best with whatever you have. Beating yourself up about it won’t make it any better, and working yourself into a frenzy will only drain the energy you have in the first place.
Be kind to yourself!
Two weeks later, I’m finally getting back on track… and that’s okay!