3 Benefits of Taking Vacation

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Sometimes it’s hard to get away from it all. Especially with smart phones almost surgically attached to our hands, none of us can really escape from work or other responsibilities.

Thank You, Steve Jobs. Love the technology; just dislike feeling like I’m always connected even when I’m in the bathroom.

Still, it is very important for our mental health to cut the cord, leave the nest and find some place to refresh. Even if it’s just for a few days.

I am a HUGE believer in taking a vacation, although I wasn’t always this way.

Early in my career I had the opportunity to visit Australia for two weeks. This was before smart phones and the internet, so if I left town there was no way for me to easily connect with work. And that was the dilemma. How could I possibly leave for two weeks? What if something went wrong? How would the office live without me?

Sensing my frantic state, my boss very wisely told me, “There is nothing that can happen while you’re gone that we can’t fix when you get back”.

Personally, I thought she just wanted to get rid of me but I took her advice and went on vacation.

And had a blast! Two weeks later I returned, full of tales of the Outback and Koalas and the Barrier Reef and other adventures. I was energized and refreshed, ready to continue with the intense challenges of my job.

Guess what? The business was still humming along, perfectly fine. Although my assistant was glad to see me.

What I learned is that vacations are not a luxury; they are vital to my productivity. Before this trip, I thought that by skipping vacation I was helping the business. In reality, I was hurting it and most importantly, myself. I was less productive, less creative and my management style was less than enthusiastic.

3 Benefits of Taking Vacation

  • Rest and Rejuvenate. Sounds obvious, right? Yet we don’t realize how tired or crazy stressed-out we are until we actually go on vacation. Once away from day-to-day activities, we slowly start to unwind until full relaxation is achieved. Sometimes this takes a day; sometimes two or three. For me, it’s usually a full week to catch up on sleep, get some exercise and have fun. We return home looking and feeling better than when we left; with more energy to tackle any obstacles that work or life may hand us.
  • Boost Creativity. A change of scenery is good for so many things; one of them is that it can really get those creative juices flowing. Simply by visiting another location, doing something different or visiting with new people, we tend to see things with a new set of eyes, which is good for problem solving or other creative tasks. Even if you’re not employed, a change of scenery is always a good mood-booster.
  • Seeing the Big Picture. Going on vacation and getting away from whatever was causing us to stress out allows the opportunity to think clearly and gain perspective. Sometimes we get so bogged down in the tactics that we can feel trapped in a one-way situation. Or we become a Negative Nellie, without a positive comment about work or family or whatever. It just seems like everything is too much. Vacation allows us time to step away from it all and to realize it’s not as difficult or as bad as it seems. We simply needed a break.

Remember: Take your vacation; your well-being depends on it. Relax, refresh, step back and look at the big picture. The office will survive without you.

Is Your Age Holding You Back From Achieving Your Dreams?

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I’ve got a question for you: How old would you be if you didn’t know your true age?

For me, I’m probably about thirty-six. Why that age? First, it was simply a great year personally and professionally. On a broader note, thirty-six is an age where we are old enough to have confidence and experience, yet young enough to be, well, young.

In my mind, I’m still that age. Despite a few more years of experience and the fact that my body is not as physically fit.

What remains the same is that I continue to try new things and look forward, both in my personal life and career. Hubby and I are still setting career goals when friends are desperately counting the years and months until they can retire. Many scoff at us as we talk about our next career moves, asking why we don’t have a plan to stop working so we can spend time on the golf course.

First, I don’t play golf. Even if I did, and if I played every day, what would I do after lunch?

As long as everyone has a plan, golf or otherwise, huh?

What really bothers me is that many people hit a point in their life where they seem to almost give up. Maybe they realize that whatever dream they had when they were twenty did not materialize and now they don’t know what to do. Or maybe where they are now is not at all where they thought they would be at this stage of life. Or maybe they simply hate their jobs and either don’t know how or don’t want to make a change.

When I speak with these people, they all have one thing in common: they are paralyzed by what “should have” been or “could have” been. Instead of focusing on what they have accomplished and what they could still succeed at, they focus on what they did not achieve.

Many times age comes into our discussion. “I can’t do that at my age”; “I’m too old to make a change”; “My skills aren’t good”; and my favorite, “No one will hire me at my age”.

And that turns into paralysis; an inability to see that there are opportunities available, to set new dreams, to achieve great things.

I get it; I had dreams too. One was to buy my parents a new house or at least a new luxury car. Although I realize now that this dream was a bit unrealistic given my career path. It could have been achieved if I had done things a bit differently, made some different career moves, spent less money, invested differently, etc.

Another dream I had was to be CMO of a company. Again, if I had chosen to accept different jobs or if I had chosen to stay at certain companies rather than accept new offers, that dream may have become a reality. But why look back? The jobs I accepted led to some awesome opportunities that I would not trade for the world.

I’m still charting my career course. No reason to stop now! From where I sit, I see a world of opportunity and things do fall into place as long as I put myself out there. Sitting still leaves me paralyzed, and doing nothing is not going to get me where I want to be.

If you or someone you know is struggling, thinking that they are not where they want to be at this stage of their career, talk to them. Help them realize their potential. The years of experience they have can be translated into other professions; it’s just a matter of thinking about it in a different way and seeing themselves through a different lens.

Wherever you are in your career and life, continue to dream big and find new avenues to share your skills. Don’t let your age or your perception of your age hold you back. You’ll be surprised at what you have to offer.

Successful People Have This Characteristic

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What makes some people successful and others not so much? Luck? Intelligence? Money?

I’m guessing successful people have this characteristic: they are driven.

I like to think that I have a special relationship with all of my nieces and nephews. This is especially true of my sister’s kids, simply because I was single when they were born and had lots of free time to spend with them during formative years.

That last statement speaks volumes about my dating life during that time. But I digress.

Now they are young adults and I’m in awe of their smarts and capabilities. Each has different interests and is driven to succeed in different ways. There is no doubt in my mind that all will be successful.

My oldest niece is particularly driven. From the time she was a little girl, she’s wanted to be a veterinarian. The time is now; this fall she will enter vet school to fulfill that dream.

I’d love to say this has been an easy road: go to college, get degree, apply to vet school, get accepted, and off you go.

Anyone with any knowledge of vet school knows that it’s easier to get into medical school than vet school. Barely into her bachelor’s program, professors told my niece as much; not-so-politely suggesting that she give up her dream and head over to the med school.

Many of her classmates gave up quickly, letting one or two people’s opinions shatter their dream.

Not my niece. She pushed and worked and kept staring them down when they’d tell her “no”.

She completed a rigorous masters’ program, graduating summa cum laude while working at the veterinary hospital on campus to prove herself, even managing the large-animal ICU as a tech after graduation.

Still, no acceptance from her dream school.

Determined – DRIVEN – to succeed, she applied to multiple schools, received several offers and accepted one from an outstanding program where she will begin this fall.

This young lady is intelligent, mature and knows what she wants. She has worked her butt off to get to her dream; now it’s happening.

I am so proud of her. For having a strategic plan to get from point A to point B. For staying positive and gaining experience wherever she could. For NOT GIVING UP.

How many of us would more easily give up when searching for a job?

I speak with job seekers frequently about their dreams, their searches and what they are doing to achieve those dreams. Even if the dream is simply to find employment.

  • When I suggest developing a strategic plan, many say “I don’t need that; it’s just a job search”.
  • When I forward a job opening for them to consider, I’m met with, “I’m probably over-qualified”.
  • When I suggest that perhaps they take a lower-paying job or a volunteer position in their field that will keep them working and cover gaps on their resume, they say, “I’m better than that” or “That’s a lot of work for little reward”.

Wow. So many times I’m met with such negativity that it’s hard even for me to maintain a positive attitude.

And then my niece reminds me that sometimes dreams are worth fighting for, no matter what it takes or how many lower-level jobs you have to endure while you wait.

Makes me think that successful people are more driven than others. Or at least they don’t give up as easily.

Swimming With Sharks

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Did you see the news about the pro surfer who found himself accidentally swimming with a shark?

It was during a competition off the coast of Africa. There he was, paddling on his board, patiently waiting for the next big wave, when a fin suddenly appeared behind him in the water. He couldn’t see it, yet the viewing audience saw it clearly.

The television announcers were shocked, their words “bleeped” out as the shark attacked the surprised surfer. There was a moment when we lost sight of both surfer and shark, which was terrifying, as rescuers jet-skied over, grabbing the stunned surfer and the other remaining competitor from the water.

Once on dry land, it was plain to see the surfer – despite being a seasoned professional – was clearly shaken. He kept repeating that he did not see the shark coming at all; it was a complete surprise. Luckily, his instinct took over and he punched the shark as he broke away and the rescuers swooped in.

I’m sure you’re thinking, “So glad that I don’t have to swim with sharks at work”.

Don’t be so sure.

Every once in a while we run into a shark at the office. Usually, office sharks are hard to spot. They are very good at disguising themselves as friendly, gentle creatures, similar to dolphins. They have friendly demeanors, are fun to eat lunch with and can be very smart.

The problem with an office shark is that they want something; usually recognition, credit, glory or information. The office shark wants something from you for their own personal gain and will stop at nothing to get it, including stabbing others in the back.

This happened to me once. (Note that I said “once”. I have been careful to not let it happen again.)

I had befriended a colleague who was nice, creative, smart and fun to be with. I was taken in by the generous spirit; we had fun at lunch. I thought this person had my back.

Others tried to warn me, saying this colleague was up to something. They even gave me examples of how this colleague had made shark bait out of others. Yet I defended my friend, saying others misunderstood. Clearly they didn’t see what I saw.

Apparently I was the one who needed glasses. Did not even see the knife coming.

Luckily, it was not a serious wound to my career, but it was to my ego and definitely broke any trust I had. We remained friendly, yet the relationship was never the same.

Thank goodness this doesn’t happen often. Most of the time, the office waters are calm.

Remember two things: First – never be the office shark. It’s a stain on your reputation that is almost impossible to erase.   And second – always keep your eyes open, in case one is lurking nearby.

Trust Is A Very Important And Powerful Part Of Your Career

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Interviewing is a lot like dating. Job seekers and employers alike are searching for Mr. or Ms. Right.

Similar to Match.com, companies and candidates post their profiles online in hopes of making a connection.  Candidates are much more anxious to find a steady date than companies seem to be, browsing online dating sites LinkedIn, Career Builder, Indeed and others daily, looking for just the right mix of strengths, capabilities, salary and commute.  When we find a “match”, we submit our resume and wait for our “date” to ping us back.

Sometimes we wait in vain, which is so annoying.  Just when we are about to give up, we receive a message from a company that wants to meet us.  A real date!

Being experienced daters, we know that this meeting is really more of an interview to see if we get along.  A feeling of trust is part of it. If the candidate and company are unable to build a relationship based on trust, there will be no second date, and certainly no job offer.

Here are two examples of “Work Dates” to learn from, one good and one, well, that is just wrong.

Jordan Spieth

In case you don’t know, he’s only the hottest up-and-coming golfer on the planet.  This young man seems to have his head screwed on correctly.

He’s an excellent golfer. He appears to be very bright and level headed.  From what we’ve seen and read, he acts like a gentleman at all times – no need to worry about putting a mic close to his face; have not seen him mouth a curse word yet.  He’s humble and caring, especially when it comes to his sister with special needs.

Jordan has won two major tournaments and is on his way to the British Open; if he wins he will set some sort of record.  Having just come off a tournament, most players left for Scotland to get acclimated and start practicing.  Yet over a year ago Jordan had committed to play in a lower-tier tournament the weekend prior to the British Open. 

Most in the golf world have said that it would have been perfectly acceptable for Jordan to apologize to the lesser tournament, explain that he had no idea he would qualify for the British Open so early in his career, and catch a flight to Scotland.

Jordan played in the tournament, stating that he made a commitment and he intended to honor it. He won the tournament too.

#honor #trustworthy

DeAndre Jordan

DeAndre is in the NBA; played for the Los Angeles Clippers who were “this close” to winning the championship this year.  But DeAndre was not 100% happy with his job so at the end of the season he became a free-agent in order to “change jobs” – move to another team.

Enter Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks, who together with his crew wooed and wined and dined DeAndre, showing him what life would be like if he accepted a job with the Mavericks.  They offered him exactly the job he wanted.  After a lengthy party/interview, DeAndre accepted the offer to become a Maverick.

After a few days, apparently reality sank in and DeAndre realized he didn’t want to move to Dallas for whatever reason.  Except that he already told his boss (LA) he was leaving and Mr. Cuban (Dallas) he was coming.

He did some fancy talking and got his old job back. Word got out to Mark Cuban that DeAndre had cold feet.  Things got weird.   Mark got a Tweet from DeAndre that said “Hope we can still be friends”.

#interviewfail  #nottrustworthy

Trust is a very important and powerful part of your career. Job candidates and employees who misuse or abuse trust will find out quickly that once trust is lost, it may be impossible to regain.  It’s a mistake that can haunt you for the rest of your career.

Think about it when you are making career decisions.

And whatever you do, always speak to the hiring manager about your decision.  Even if it means telling them you’ve changed your mind. It’s more respectful and simply the right thing to do.

Mindfulness In The Face Of Technology. Or Why I Hate Steve Jobs.

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Every summer Hubby and I take a week-long vacation with one intention, one sole purpose: to relax and unwind from our normally stressful, busy lives.

To be clear, we love our lives. It’s just that the day-to-day stresses build up.  We try to counteract stress with daily gym sessions, but sometimes work or life gets in the way.

We look forward to this vacation all year long. In this case, it had been one year since we had taken a vacation.

There was a lot of pressure on this summer sabbatical, to say the least.

And we were SO looking forward to it! Meeting our friends at the resort, lounging by the pool, golfing, visiting the spa, reading, eating and basically doing nothing more strenuous than asking the cabana boy to refill our water pitcher.

Most importantly, reconnecting with each other. Funny how two people can get so busy that you need to take time out to connect again on a deeper level, with conversations more meaningful than “Did the dog poop?” and “Not rotisserie chicken again!”

Which leads me to explain this year’s vacation, theme: “Mindfulness”. Being fully present and engaged in what you are doing and where you are; not on something else.

Everything was planned and we were ready to go and be Mindful.

Then a family situation necessitated a date change, and the dog sitter wasn’t available for the new dates, and suddenly our luxurious week-plus vacation was truncated to a four night get-away.

Life has a way of messing with the best plans.

By the time we actual left, I was a basket-case; a bundle of stressed-out nerves from all that had happened.

Even so, I was determined to practice “mindfulness”.

  • Driving away from the airport, I had to remind myself to put away my iPhone and look at the scenery. That’s when stress test number one came: out of nowhere a rock hit our windshield. No cars anywhere, we did not drive under a bridge, the road was smooth. It literally fell from the sky.
  • I was mindful of that rock.
  • There was a brief encounter at check-in that almost had me call the manager, but I refrained, trying to be mindful of the beauty of our favorite resort.
  • Then I became mindful that I had left my pool things – hat, sunglasses, and tote bag – at home.  Sigh.
  • We finally made it to a cabana and Hubby’s iPhone went off with work-related issues.  Of this I was VERY mindful.

“Steve Jobs ruined my life!” he blurted out.  “I can’t even take a minute of vacation anymore, because I’m ALWAYS connected and someone can ALWAYS find me, thanks to him.”

This led to a discussion of why we brought phones to the pool in the first place.  (We needed them for selfies, doh!)

A bigger discussion followed, of my stress from the recent family emergency, my work, Hubby’s work, our geriatric, semi-blind dog that has a little doggie dementia, and suddenly I was in tears.  In the cabana.

I was mindful of those tears. And not in a good way; this was not how vacation was supposed to be.

Determined to get back on track, and not let Mr. Jobs’ invention control us, we started over.

And things improved each day.

Mindfulness is not easy to practice. We had to work at it each day, remembering to think about where we were, what we doing, to put down the iPhones and really engage with life and each other.

Hubby did have to answer a few emails; I did have to respond to a couple of texts about the dog and family matters.  The rest of the time we tried to limit our posting of photos or using the phones at all.

By the time we left we were reluctant to pick up our old habits of being constantly connected, as Steve Jobs intended.  We appreciate his devices and what they can do for us, but we realize that by being constantly tuned in, we have tuned out so much.

So that’s why I hate Steve Jobs, for making a device so powerful that we have lost our true personal connection.   We need to be mindful of our time spent with it and not let it control us.

#SocialMediaFail

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I’ve got a confession to make. One that embarrasses me.

I realized that I am “one of those people”. You know; the kind who “has people”. 

No, I don’t have an entourage, although I guess that could be interesting for about an hour before it got in the way.

What’s happened to me is the same thing that happens to most of us who have worked our way up the corporate ladder. The higher you go, the more you deal in over-arching strategy and planning, with less time on the tactics for execution.

That’s where my “people” come in.  It’s to the point where I lead and oversee the big-picture; my team takes care of the implementation.

Nothing wrong with that, right? Isn’t that what we all strive for in our careers?

Problem for me is that this goes against my management style.  I prefer to know how to perform the tactics so I can say to my team, “I’m not asking you to do anything that I won’t do myself”.  Plus it’s a good idea to know how to do things in case someone comes down with the flu and I have to step in.

Yet in today’s environment of working very lean, I’ve had to accept the fact that I must rely on my team to handle certain things.

And I’ve come to enjoy it.  We all have our areas of expertise, making for one kick-ass team.

Even when I work for myself, I have a team of hired individuals.  Now, though, I am at a cross-road where I am stepping out on my own even more and, for a short period, will not have my team to support me with social media.

My initial reaction was positive. 

1) This is a great time for me to “walk the walk” by learning the tactics; and 2) I know the theory and have been using social media personally for years; how hard could this be?

Apparently it’s more difficult than I anticipated.

I knew from experience that social media marketing is time consuming. Some corporate execs seem to think that it’s a quick little thing someone does during lunch and should not take much time. LOL!

There’s strategy and research and memes and scheduling.  There’s actually research that has been done as to the optimal number of Facebook posts and Tweets for a given day to drive awareness and traffic.

I consulted with my very smart colleague, Noah, who had been working on my social media scheduling for a quick lesson.  As with most things, it sounded so simple when we talked.

Do this, click that, copy this, paste that. It’s really quite simple, he assured me, with all of his two years of work experience behind him.

See, he’s still early enough in his career to not have the luxury of a team. He is the team.

I thanked him and hung up the phone feeling brave and started researching, convinced that I could handle this very easily.  After all, I am not new to social media.

My goal was to schedule one month of posts and Tweets. I got down to business.

How hard could this be?

Like Beethoven working on a great composition, I researched, posted, cut, pasted, Tweeted and scheduled. It was awesome. I was going to be a social media rock-star.

After about six hours of trying to schedule one months’ worth of Tweets and posts, what did I have to show for my efforts?

Three lousy days.  #socialmediafail

Somewhere between “Awesome” and “Rock Star” I realized I was that person; the one who knows strategy but can’t figure out the tactics. The person who has “people”.

That was not only embarrassing, but eye-opening.

When did this happen? I used to be the person who “knew everything”.  Of course that’s before I had “people”.

Sigh. I will figure this out. But I need my people more than I want to admit.

What Kind of Boss Are You Going to Be?

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Today’s post, “Everything I Know About Business, Started With My Dad”,  is from a friend and former colleague, Kathy Meyer.  This first ran in “Nokia People”, Nokia’s Internal Employee Magazine in August of 2001, Volume 52, Page 34.  It  was her first published article.

Things you should know about Kathy:

  • She has an incredibly dry wit and great sense of humor.
  • She is extremely intelligent.
  • She is one of the hardest workers I know and expects the best not only of herself but of those in her charge.
  • She is a teacher as well as a leader; a rare combination in the business world these days.

I hope you enjoy the lesson she is sharing. It’s given me something to think about.

Tami

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“Everything I Know About Business, Started With My Dad”

When I was recently promoted, my Dad asked me, “What kind of boss are you going to be?”

He went on to say that you have two choices: you can be “exploitive” or “developmental”.

Exploitive bosses take credit for your work, find ways to get themselves promoted, and are just looking out for themselves. Then there are the rare “developmental” bosses that come along once in a lifetime if you are lucky.

My father spent a career in various companies striving to be a “developmental” boss. He chose to help his employees achieve professional goals. He cared about his employees.

I have worked for more jerks than I have fingers. “Exploitive” is a nice word for them.

I didn’t know the difference until I had a “developmental” boss, Forrest, at Verizon. I spent three years working for this boss and tried to learn everything he had to teach me. He encouraged me, taught me about business, finance, politics, how to negotiate, and made me more valuable to myself and to the company.

Outside of work, he helped me build a new house, get married, and was gracious while I grieved through the loss of my Grandma Horton. He encouraged me to pursue my MBA to get to the next position. This self confidence power boost I brought home and shared with my husband, David. We both have our MBA’s today and we owe it to Forrest for giving us the courage to begin.

I know the difference between “exploitive” boss and a “developmental” boss. I know what actions have made a difference in my world.

Today it’s not fashionable for managers to invest time and effort in their employees, and that’s a tragedy for all of us in the corporate world.

I have a much higher standard for future bosses since the bar was set so high early in my career.

I am looking for a “developmental” boss. Aren’t we all?

Lesson from Rachel Dolezal

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Sometimes career-related lessons can be learned from watching the news.

Today’s lesson is from Rachel Dolezal, and it’s a big one: Don’t Lie.  The truth has a way of coming to the surface and when it does, you’ll wish you had been truthful from the beginning.

Ms. Dolezal recently resigned her position with the Spokane chapter of the NAACP. For some reason, she felt the need to portray herself as African-American, going to great lengths to do so.

Yet she’s a white woman who lied on at least one job application, as well as to the hiring manager, her boss, friends, and colleagues.  One report stated that she even had her kids lie about her true identity.

She’s been living this lie for years.  And I’m not sure any of us really comprehend why.

It’s my understanding that before this lie was uncovered, she was known for being passionate about racial and social justice.  Under her leadership the NAACP chapter had grown and was accomplishing great things.   It’s a shame that her lie may cause people to forget about her passion and good work, instead remembering her deception and perhaps wondering if she lied about anything else.

And it may harm the reputation of the Spokane chapter, doing more harm than she could have imagined. An organization’s reputation is represented by those who work there. We’ll have to see how this plays out.

While I don’t know Ms. Dolezal, I’m sure she didn’t need to lie to get a job with the NAACP.  It’s a great organization, full of wonderful people who do great work; I’m pretty sure they would have welcomed Ms. Dolezal no matter what her race.  In fact, some of the founding members of the NAACP happened to have been white.

Just in case you need them, here are 4 reasons why you should tell the truth during your job search:

  • Your reputation – your personal brand – is at stake.  One slip sooner or later, everyone finds out you’ve been lying, and you’re toast. All your hard work is forgotten. The only thing people remember is that you lied and can no longer be trusted.
  • The corporate brand is at stake; the company that hired you.  This is especially true if you are in management or in a public-facing position.  When the truth is uncovered, the company now suffers.
  • Your co-workers may be in an awkward position to cover for you, particularly if they know or suspect that you are not being 100% truthful.  Would you want to be treated in the same manner?
  • Lying is hard work.  It’s hard to keep up with all the stories, and once you’ve started the lie it snowballs, growing larger until it gets out of control.

Lies. They catch up with you.  Actually it’s the truth that catches up with you, in all its glory.  It’s just much easier to tell the truth from the beginning.

A Phone Call Changes Everything

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The past week has been tough; it always is when a loved one is in the hospital.  The post below is a rerun from 2013 and it’s similar to what I’m going through now.  This is a great reminder of what’s really important, even when work is swirling out of control or we’ve had a bad day at the office.

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It’s usually not a good thing when the phone rings before 8:00 am.  Mom sounded nervous, telling me she didn’t feel well.  Hubby and I raced her to the doctor, and then to the ER.  Losing feeling and movement in any part of your body is not good.

Tests were started in the ER and when it was determined her condition was stable, we transferred to a room and waited while they took more tests.  And waited, and waited….

The waiting seemed so long.  My only solace was texting Hubby who had gone to work, or watching TV, scrolling through Facebook or playing solitaire.  I had rushed out of the house that morning with just my handbag and phone; thank goodness I had a charger with me.

The good news is that her hand showed improvement within hours.  Bad news is that this happened on a Friday and weekends are definitely not a good time to be in a hospital – ask anyone who’s been there.  Skeleton staff makes it almost impossible to get tests done and read.   Not sure why they don’t have a full team that works weekends too.  Illness doesn’t take a holiday.

More good news; mom is improving and is now at our house.  Her hand, while not 100%, continues to show signs of improvement.  Tests revealed no major issues.  This was clearly a fluke, and she was lucky.

I had lots of time to think during those days in the hospital.  Too much time, in fact.  Thinking about mom, wondering how I’m going to help her without taking independence away; how am I going to “not worry” about her?  It’s sobering to realize that her life – my life – changed with one phone call.

What I didn’t think about during this time was work.  Funny how that happens.  I had worked late for three nights leading up to this, completely stressed-out about things. While I was sitting in the hospital, I honestly couldn’t tell you what I had been working on that week or why it had seemed so important.

A phone call, that’s all it took to get perspective.  Suddenly I would have given anything to simply be stressed out from work.  That would be easy.  Sitting in a hospital with your loved one is not.

There’s not even any hospital drama or shenanigans like you see on Grey’s Anatomy.  At least that would have been a distraction!  Where’s a hot doctor when you need one? And the Grey’s Anatomy hospital seems to be fully staffed every day and at all hours.  Hardly real-life.

So what’s my point?  I guess I don’t really have a fun business story today.  Except to say that wherever you are in your career – happy with work, not happy, laid off and looking – remember to keep work in perspective.  It’s important, but other things are more important.

One phone call is all it takes to change your life in an instant.  And trust me, you won’t care anymore about work, the stress, the pay, the coworkers, the clients – anything.