Monday Morning

June 21, 2021

Welcome to a new week. A short post today because at the moment I’m sitting on the balcony, enjoying a coffee, and watching people doing their best to knock a little white ball into various holes on a perfectly manicured lawn.

It’s not a bad place to be. Vacation that is.

In the US it’s usually all about work, stress and a fear of being gone from the “office” too long, or risk being replaced or seen as slacking.

There are consequences, of course, not the least of which is stress related conditions, mental and physical.

We could learn a thing or two from our friends in Europe and other parts of the world where it’s not uncommon to take a good portion of the summer off, or take a couple hours every afternoon for a nap. A practice that has been proven over and over to be extremely beneficial to a person’s overall health and well-being.

Will it ever happen here? Not likely, at least to that extent. Profit and stock price continue to drive most decisions in the corporate world and likely always will.

I won’t knock capitalism though because it’s way too easy to blame. Capitalism is both good and bad but it’s also responsible for everything we see around us; And it’s what drives our 401K balances, our investments and our careers.

So what’s the solution? I think as employees we need to work hard, contribute, offer value, but…not lose sight of the importance of taking care of ourselves. And taking time away from work is essential to a well balanced and happy life.

With that in mind, try to commit to taking a little more time off this year and not maxing out your vacation time. It’ll do you a world of good.

Hope to see you at the beach.

Rick