Another Bloody Holiday? – Because Life in The Fast Lane Isn’t Sustainable.

I’ve been living very fast lately and not really out of choice, work is busy and I’m doing my best to keep up which means all hours available!

I’m working hard to not let it effect family life as that is most important, so, I have ensured that we are actively doing things as a family during the weekends. This means agreeing to things when they become available.

I find that when business life gets hectic I need personal life to be slow, I need the breathing space at home in order to recover, otherwise I’m on cruise control to burn out, which is where I’m heading at the moment as personal life is just as busy.

I am often mocked or teased for my holidays, I guess I deserve it as I am lucky enough to have a few, but we all decide what we like to do in our spare time and that’s where we direct our efforts and finances, I believe it’s all relative.

I often get a phone call in the morning which starts with a comment like:

“Are you in the country?”

Or

“I thought you would be away?”

I bring it on myself, because I… Like my dad says “will put it out there”. I hope he means sharing my holiday pics….

Here’s me “putting it out there” in Lake Como

Anyway, the holidays are my release, I’m hell for leather when I’m home and the time away is my reset, it usually always comes when I’m nearing the end of my tether!

I often don’t know this until day 3 or 4 of the break, when I start to feel something that I haven’t felt in so long, CALM!  That feeling where I don’t have to be somewhere, speak to someone, make sure this is right and that is on time etc etc etc!

This is when I can truly connect with my family, because more often than not, when I’m at home I’m not one hundred percent present, my mind is often elsewhere, thinking about what is next and what I need to do and one thing or another, and that isn’t fair on the girls.

Evenings are a challenge, it takes me a good couple of hours to decompress and be present, I try to speed it up by going down to Muscle Forest™ for a workout, sometimes it’s successful but sometimes not.

My daughter just wants to play with me and I am not totally present, I hate it….

So, our holidays, even if they are a long weekend, get me out of the whirlwind that is ‘The Rat Race’ or ‘The Hustle’ whatever Bull S**t American term you want to call it and allow me to be the Dad and Husband my family deserves.

To be honest, the holidays aren’t all that spectacular, they’re not hut’s on stilts above turquoise waters in the Maldives or a private infinity pool connected to a condo overlooking the harbour in St Tropez. They’re usually a campsite, a little air BnB or a Booking.com special somewhere.

It doesn’t matter where, I’m just out of the fast lane, then, after a few days I start to come back down to earth. I remember what it’s all about, I watch my daughter be a kid, spend quality time reconnecting with my beautiful wife and I sit around, maybe with a beer, and not feel guilty about it.

So, yeah, I think I’ll continue to “put it out there” so brace yourselves, there will be views, sunsets and poolside cocktails. Not because I’m trying to impress anyone, because those are the moments I work hard for in the first place.

Take a step back and as always… Take it easy.

TM