10 days 10 lessons

I just got back this Monday from taking some vacation. We had a wonderful time and I thought I would share with you some things I learned and some things I was reminded of while we were gone.

1- Nap. There is nothing like a good nap. It re-energizes you and helps you relax. If you have time for even a quick 20 minutes to relax do it. It makes a world of a difference. Also, I encourage your kids to do it as well because then it gives mom and dad some down time.

2- Have good people around you both on vacation and people that are part of your team watching over the business while you are away. Spend time with the ones you love. Also, remember the ones who help you get away. I am so fortunate and appreciative of my team for allowing me the opportunity to spend time with my family.
 
3- Keep yourself treading water with food and drinks. It is so easy to go nuts with poor nutrition on vacation. There is always an excuse to not do the right thing. Pick your battles and make sure you fill in the bad with some good.

4- Stay hydrated. Simple but not always thought of or easy. We get out of our regular routine when we get away and water can be one of the first things to go. Traveling in a car, train or plane can lead to severe dehydration, which leads to stiffness and soreness. Drinking water will help with some of those issues.

5- Know your layout. Bathrooms were quite the hot topic this trip. I think we hit every bathroom everywhere we traveled. I think I could write a guide book to the best bathrooms. My daughters made it the joke of the trip that they just had to go “potty”. If you are following number 4 then you will need to know your bathrooms.

6- Cherish your time. We don’t get a lot of time away from work. Cherish the time you have and make the most of it. Spend it with the people you love and do what you love.

7- Find something to look forward to both on the trip and on the way home so it doesn't feel so depressing having your time off come to a conclusion. It is always tough coming home but if there is a next chapter to look forward to it helps to refocus you when you return. Every year my wife and I always have a mini golf tournament. We are both past athletes and very completive. It is a time to get away from the kids but it also a time to fire up those competitive juices. FYI, I won!

8- Find a place where you can say no as little as possible. Being at the beach for us was just that. We just let our kids go and have a blast. We didn’t have to say no don’t do that or no not over there. It was like freeing two animals when we hit the beach. They went running and we just let them go. It was just a release for us as it was for them. It gave us such joy and happiness seeing them run on the beach and be free.

9- Document your time. My wife is like the camera crazed parent always looking for the best shot. In her defense we came away with some awesome pictures and videos of the trip that will have us smiling for years and years.

10- Assess and reassess. At the end of the trip when your on a plane or when you get home asses how you did from a health and fitness side. Be honest. Brutally honest. If you did well then give yourself a pat on the back. If you did poorly which most of us do on vacation, take the time and reassess and confirm what direction you really want to go. Make a plan and start doing something that day to move toward it. How ever big or small do something.