MHWest & Co., Inc.
MANAGEMENT & EDUCATION CONSULTANTS
Marilyn H. West
Chair & CEO

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804.782.1938

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Pack Your Suitcase for a Monthly Vacation
Volume II, Issue 25
Yesterday, two of my close friends-a psychiatrist and retired business teacher-packed their bags and were off for a week in Florida. They have these frequent pauses from their very busy professional and volunteer lives. In fact, they have been taking these vacations for years. I have observed how these vacations appear to correlate with their sustained positive thinking and how I want to cling to those moments with them.

While I have not reached a stage in my life's journey to take monthly vacations, I do take time out and think about that feeling that I experience when I have packed my bags, boarded some form of transportation, arrived at another destination and left those work-related and leadership responsibilities in storage until my return.

The bottom line is that we all benefit from taking a pause from our routines. One of the greatest gains from taking the pause for me has been the realization that there are few matters (favorable and unfavorable) that remain in the same position as they were prior to the break. I also appear more energized, focused, willing to place ideas that are long shots in the parking lot, ready to communicate with rigor and enthusiasm and determined to lean on root cause analysis to problem solve.

Another positive feature about returning from a vacation for me is renewed confidence to back off of being so relentless about making progress or completing tasks consistent with self-imposed deadlines. Taking on responsibilities in a more relaxed state removes anxiety associated with our inclination to bulldoze all the tasks that are in front of us for the day. I often believe in hindsight that I should have left some of the agenda for the day on the table for further consideration.

Accordingly, creating a culture that is nourishing for our high level performance and that of our team and followers could improve in my judgment if we actively embraced some of the practices of the "Vacation Effect" previously described. Much of what we do and prepare ourselves to do is tied to our attitude. Walter Scott indicates that for success, attitude is equally as important as ability.*

Connect with Marilyn today at consulting@mhwest.com to learn more about the "Vacation Effect" and its power to stimulate more positive thinking and actions in you and your team for your professional and personal journeys of success.

Walter Scott is a Scottish Novelist who was born in 1771 and died in 1832
Look for the next M4 on Monday,  December 19th.
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