The 3 Things I Learned from my 21-Days out of my Business

Self-care is a practice

This year, I set a goal to take time out of my business to celebrate success. I spent time doing what matters to me the most by spending time traveling with my daughter, Jane.  We spent 21 days in the car together, across 12,000+ miles visiting 7 National parks. With the help of my mentor, Lorraine, we coined the hashtag #JaneMeetsJane to document the journey. You can find the full story on Instagram.  I prioritized self-care.

I am thankful to those that followed, to those that supported us along the way, and for the countless new friends that we got to spend time with. From the man who lent us his sleeping bag in the frigid cold of Oregon, to the couple that truly opened up their home for us in Salt Lake City, to my dear long-term friends we got to enjoy the journey with. I am grateful.

This was hard for me. See, I am an achiever. I like to DO things. I DO NOT like to just be. But that is precisely what I did. I chose to just be. It was a brave choice to disconnect. For a business owner five years in, it is not easy to take time off. In fact, I have never disengaged fully from my business for more than a few days. Being off the grid helped me do that.

Upon reflection, I learned a lot about myself and my business. What I learned, is…

  • My work matters. Diversity, equality, and inclusion is not a trend, initiative, or flavor of the week, month, or year. It is the way the world and Corporate America is going to be. Every single day. We have to be inclusive to be relevant to our customers and employees.
  • My team rocks. Nicola and Jacey were on point while I was away. Maybe my ego thought it had to be me to respond to important deadlines and clients, but they took the reigns and made it happen. I am thankful for them stepping up and caring about this the way I do, and I am lucky to have them.
  • My business grew. I had a record sales month without stepping foot in a client’s office or having a phone call with a client. In fact, upon my return, I discovered that sales growth is highly correlated with taking time off from my sales guru community. Who would have thought?

No one lies on their death bed thinking, “I wish I had worked more.” I promise to continue this tradition with my daughter for years to come. It is important to take time off to refresh, reflect, and grow. I am better for it.  And, so is my business.  Self-care is important.

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