My palms are sweaty and my heart is racing. I just hung up with my business coach. The topic of our conversation? It wasn’t about sales quotas, business targets or shrinking margins. It was about my impending vacation in the South of France. The reason for my anxiousness? The thought of disconnecting and not checking email.

My response of panic to a very simple thing called an OOO (Out Of Office) alert shouldn’t cause such a physical response in my body. Yet I know I am not alone. How often have you received a message that someone was on vacation and then the person immediately responds even though they are supposed to be away?

When was the last time you had a real vacation and truly took time for you in a way that gave your heart, mind and body a huge dose peace and quiet? Or the last time you were really present with your friends or children?

I’ve spent over 20 years working with clients by providing speakers and experts who talk about work life balance, resilience, self care and now mindfulness. And yet I’m not walking the talk.

I am a highly driven entrepreneur who has a misguided notion about my importance and whether or not the world will keep spinning in my absence. LOL That’s just so totally ridiculous.

So please, do yourself, your family and your clients a favor.  Get over yourself.  Take a REAL honest to goodness, checked out, unplugged vacation. Everything will be as it should when you return- relaxed, refreshed and ready to take on the world. You know you’ve earned it.  Be a model for your children, your team, and yourself!

PS- I went 13 days without checking email while in France. I set up a well designed system to filter emails and ensure my clients could reach me if they absolutely needed to. Mic drop. No one did.