Six Things I Learned During Two Weeks of Vacation

This September I did something for the first time in eight years. I took two straight weeks of vacation from work.

It was a long overdue vacation and one that I definitely appreciated. While I did do a couple of things for work, including a writing project (more on that later), for the most part I was off. I screened my calls and actually surprised myself that I could go fourteen days without checking my work email.

But even though the work stopped, the opportunity to learn lessons didn’t. In fact, I quickly realized that God had some special classes to take me through during these two weeks.

God’s plans are usually very different from ours.

God sure had some different plans than mine when it came to this vacation. Melanie and I decided months ago that we were going to split September off, so I had plenty of time to come up with ideas for using my two weeks off. However, every single time I tried to plan something, it fell through or I didn’t end up with a peace about it.

Six months ago I had no idea that while I would be on vacation, my family would end up walking down a heartbreaking path of losing my grandfather, only four weeks after burying one of my grandmothers. Even though I wished I was here many times over the past two weeks, I knew that I was perfectly in the center of God’s will, as difficult as it was. I also learned that even when your heart is breaking and you think you can’t take any more, only to have the other shoe drop, God is right there with you. His grace truly is all-sustaining.

Your business can exist without you.

Being away from work helps you realize that you are not the center of even your work universe, let alone the world. Plus, it gives you a chance to trust in the skills of those you work with. Melanie was such a trooper over the past two weeks and kept DuoParadigms running smoothly. She read my emails, put out fires, finished web projects, and freed me up to get some much needed R&R. Thank you SO MUCH!

Setting a goal is often the only way to get something DONE.

Once I realized that I wasn’t going to be going anywhere, I decided to take advantage of my vacation time to get some writing done. I had felt the Lord’s leading to get a much put-off writing project finished, but never took the time to do it. So for the first week of my vacation, I set myself a goal of writing two chapters per day. After seven days, the e-book was finished and I had a chance to enjoy the rest of my vacation with the relief and satisfaction of getting that long-time postponed project finished. Look for it soon here at DuoParadigms!

I need to work smarter, not always harder.

Being away from work gave me a chance to look back at my workflow with a different perspective. I’ve realized some areas that I need to step up a notch, whereas some others that I need to modify or revise. One change I am making is not being as attached to my email. I’ll still check it of course, but I’m no longer going to let it dictate the schedule of my day, or keep me working overtime, unless it is a dire emergency.

Take time to smell the roses.

It was so wonderful to have a chance to catch up with loved ones, even in the midst of tragedy. Plus, I visited with several friends and had time to get through some wonderful new books. These moments are special. Enjoy them while you can.

Rest often results in a renewed vision.

I’m excited to be back at work and looking forward to the road ahead. It might take me a few days to catch up, but I’m looking forward to jumping back in with new energy, and just as importantly, renewed vision.

Photo © Depositphotos.com/DavidSmith