SmallBusinessNewz

If you're an entrepreneur or small business owner like me, you probably find it difficult to take time off.
 
Before vacation I get really stressed, trying to get everything taken care of before I leave. Then I question whether I can afford to take time off at all and start telling people that I'll be checking emails often and will get back to them as I can.

As time has gone on, I've realized that this is a sure way to burn out, and leads to resentment of your work. Also, I've realized that the business can survive without me...at least for a little while. ;-) We've hired good people who know their jobs and get make decisions in my absence.

Also, as I took last week off to "recharge my batteries," my wife Cybele stayed behind to run the company, respond to new inquiries, continue to do her own job as Project Manager and be a mom to our two girls. (She's quite a woman.) As I wondered to my buddy Jeff whether it was strange that I would take some time off without her, he said, "you live with her, you work with her, you see her all the time. She probably needs a vacation from you."

Touché.

Although I spent much of the week here in Maine -- when you live in "Vacationland" it doesn't make a lot of sense to leave during the summer months -- I also got a chance to visit a friend in Provincetown, do a little fishing and go on a whale watch. I've never done a lot of fishing, but I reeled in a 39" striped bass. Took about ten minutes (at least it felt like that) of fighting that thing to get it on the boat. If you take a close look at the photo above you can see the sweat and tears (mostly sweat) that went into landing it. No fish has ever tasted so sweet.

The rest of the week I spent riding my bike, listening to The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, and spending a little extra time with Cybele and the girls. I also broke down and bought a D-SLR I had been eyeing, the Nikon D-40. I set up a Flickr account to post some of my favorite shots. Feel free to check it out and give me some constructive feedback.

Why am I telling you all this? Because if you feel you can't afford to take vacation then you're long overdue. Life goes on. Yes, you may miss a lead or lose a sale, but there will be others, and you'll be in a better place, better able to land that next project.

Comments