For the first time in seven years, I'm taking a vacation. Without my kids. We'll go to Paris and Tuscany for ten days. I'm definitely looking forward to it but I also don't quite know what to make of it.
My First Vacation in Seven Years
Shifted Priorities
My focus is on work, family, and health. Traveling the world isn't a priority. I used to love studying up on the languages, planning the art pieces I'd see at museums, picking out restaurants. But an app can translate for me, I barely think about art these days, and my low-saturated fat and low starch diet is not exactly condoned in France and Italy.
It'll be hard to be away from my kids. Thanks to the flexibility of owning a business with my wife, when we travel for work, it's usually with our kids and our nanny. So this is a major change from how we travel.
No Escape Needed
I took a ten-day trip to Europe every year when I was in biglaw. Those vacations were an escape, and the thing I rewarded myself with for getting through the hard stuff. But my work is more fulfilling for me now, so I don't need the escape. There's something different about building something you own versus enduring something you're renting.
Deserving Downtime
I also don't feel I deserve the downtime. As a business owner and a parent, it feels like I have to keep working and building. But it's probably a good moment to appreciate what we've built at our recruiting agency so far.
I'm one of those people that does a lot of self-care but in the name of its instrumental value. Getting a massage will help me work better. Prioritizing sleep will help me perform. I'm getting better at enjoying things for their inherent value.
Open to Tips
Taking time away from work and family doesn't come naturally to me anymore. The internal scoreboard keeps running even when I tell it to stop. But maybe that's exactly why this trip matters.
Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is step back and see what you've built from a distance.
So if you have any tips on how to relax and enjoy a vacation, I'm all ears.