Thursday, January 17, 2013

Vacations/Time away – ‘Misty Hollow’ and Me


These BLOGS are sponsored by my businesses.
Misty Hollow Carvingwas launched in October 2008
Misty Hollow Digital Images were launched on September 26, 2012.
“Crop Circles’ Web Site” where all my images are available.

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Vacations/Time away – ‘Misty Hollow’ and Me
A few weeks ago I left my Cell Phone at home and didn’t realize that I had done so until I was a long ways away and time had run out to go back and pick it up.  Talk about panic and helpless as the waves of anguish swept over me.  I was unplugged and completely without my support, my life line, my ability to be at command central in My Life.

For as long as 14 years I have always had my Cell Phone on me… every single day and from about 6 AM until 11 PM.  And now with the Text Messaging it is constantly beeping, jingling and telling me that someone somewhere needs help… or my attention.

I am plugged in totally.  And for that reason the next three are hard to layout for the world to read… Number Three: ‘Vacations/Time away’, Number Four: ‘Check ins’ and Number Five: ‘Delegate and delay’.

Today I am dealing with my Vacation/Time Away – one major area in most small business owner’s struggle.

Number Three: Vacations/Time away
During the ‘working for someone else years’ vacations were kind of set and expected by the employer. In fact you would set your time away in conjunction with other employees.  And when the kids were little it was set around their time away from school.

None of that exists any longer with the “Small Business Life”. Your passion to do more, make more, do more, fill orders and keep the whole thing running is nonstop. Add to that the need to be creative in every aspect of your business to keep it fresh, in front of the public, and available to vital customers that are presently connected or will be connected – leaves little room for time away.

My mentor at the very beginning of ‘Misty Hollow’s’ launch warned me that there will be little time for a vacation.  She also told me that for one full year I needed to consider staying around our area and NOT Travel!  Part of that was for the focus that was being needed. The other part was for the fact there was little time to step away from the constant effort that was required to get it going.

After the first, second and third year the effort was still needed.  And in fact it had become part of my being. I thrived on the drive. I loved the possibility of the next sale – the next project… the next big project. Who needed a vacation when you were having this kind of excitement and growth? I could not take time away… I was addicted to ‘now’ and ‘here’ and ‘doing’!

A ‘personal audit’ of how I was really doing with the business and life stopped me short. Creativity had suffered.  Rest was not easy. My body was hurting as well as my spirit inside.

In my fourth year of ‘Misty Hollow’ we started taking small Mini holidays each week. Sometime these were an hour or so long of unplugging from the ‘have to’ and trying on ‘gee this is fun’.  Then we started doing a day here and there.  What I had lost I found in creativity.  Sleeping was better and the body improved.

Mind you I have not been able to plan for a Caribbean Cruise yet but have found time away. We have broken the “5 hours from Home Rule”. That is we actually get away to a spot that takes over 5 hours to get to… insuring that we will be away from it all. It takes some planning but is it ever good.

~ Murray Lincoln ~
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