JH

5 reasons I’m going on a 2 week vacation … and why you should too!

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by

peter2
in ,

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while … you could miss it!” – Ferris Bueller 
 
So I am 14 days away from bliss.  Vacation.  Sweet Sweet Freedom.
 
I’m taking 12 concecutive days off work.   Which is 1 weekend and 9 days out of the office.
 
Almost 2 weeks.
 
I have the vacation days.  It is MY time.  I’ve earned it.
 
So why in the HELL do I feel so guilty about it?
 
Like I’m doing something “wrong” for using my EARNED vacation time to take an ACTUAL vacation.
 
Has our work/life balance gotten so jacked up that 9 days out of the office is “too much” to ask?????
 
American’s work like robots.  We’ve become “no vacation nation”.
 
Blah.
 
Why is it so frowned upon to take long vacation?
 
Guys … this is cray-cray!
 
And we have to stop the madness.
 
Germany, Finland, Brazil and France are all champs, guaranteeing 6 weeks paid time off!
 
And it’s about more than taking a day off here, a day off there.  Or taking a long weeknd. I’m talking a REAL vacation.  REAL time off.
 
I think taking a full 2 weeks is critical.
 
I’ve been doing this 3 years now.
 
And it’s a game changer.
 
You should do it too!
 
And guess what, I’m done feeling guilty about it.  Right here … right now … on my blog … I’m over it.  No more guilt.  I’m going to rock this vacation and enjoy every delicious, relaxing and blissful second.
 
Here’s how you can kick the guilt too:
  1. It tricks your brain:  Just booking a vacation alone can up the endorphines in your body.  So book sooner than later because you start reaping those vacation benefits right away!  The second I booked my trip to Hawaii in March … I immediately had something to look forward to and had an extra skip in my step just thinking about it.
  2. Burnout Blows:   We’ve all been there.  We hit burnout zone.  I have just made a visit to burnout zone recently and it wasn’t pretty.  We are no good to our companies, our leadership or our organizations when we don’t give a shit b/c we are burnt out.  Vacation can be the antidote.  If you are in burn out zone, it’s time to book that trip.
  3. Talk to the hand Grim Reaper:  A recent study by a New York University surveyed 12,000 men and women between 35 and 57, finding that those who go on vacation every year reduce thier risk of death by 20%.  HOLLA!
  4. It takes time:  Think about it … it takes the first couple of days to adjust from travel / jet lag.  So by day 3 your feeling 100% and if you only stayed a week, you’d be leaving in 3 days.   No way.   That’s just not enough time.
  5. You work hard for the money: (Que Donna Summers 80’s hit) Everytime I go on vacation it makes me MORE grateful for my job, my career and my life.   It reminds me why I work so hard. To be able to travel the world and give myself life experiences.   It’s super motivating.  I come back ready to get my hustle on!
Do you feel guilty about taking vacation? 
 
Be well. Be Inpsired!
Judi
 
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Comments

12 responses to “5 reasons I’m going on a 2 week vacation … and why you should too!”

  1. Debbi Avatar
    Debbi

    You are so right Judi. Lately I feel guilty if I meet a friend for lunch, let alone go on vacation. We need less guilt in life! Enjoy your vacation!

    Reply
    1. Judi Avatar
      Judi

      Hi Debbi! I hear you … totally agree … we must all support each other in this guilt free vacation quest, but mostly ourselves, to make sure we take that mucho-needed personal time! It makes us BETTER and life is too damn short to think or do otherwise. Be well, thanks for the comment!

      Reply
  2. Mary Avatar
    Mary

    Good for you. You are right….take a break, and enjoy your Judi time!

    Reply
    1. Judi Avatar
      Judi

      Thanks MC! I miss ya! Was at the Omni the other day for MPI and you were not in the office. Let’s go grab coffee (after my vacation) … would love to catch up!

      Reply
  3. April Avatar
    April

    Another inspiring post! I love you girl, it’s like I’m sitting here listening to you talk over a drink 🙂 I’ve been married for 11 years and my husband and I have never, and I mean ever, taken a vacation together (other than weekend trips to St. Louis, which is just an hour or so away) . There has always been some reason…one of us was still in college, we were saving for a house, we had a baby, we need a lawn mower…blah, blah. Next year, we are going on vacation and I cannot wait. You are totally right though, as soon as we started planning it, I felt like it wasn’t so far away and the anticipation made me feel better! We do work hard for the money, so hard for it honey!

    Reply
    1. Judi Avatar
      Judi

      Hi April! Thanks so much … and I love that it feels like we are 2 girls having drinks … that’s awesome! Glad it resonates. Makes me smile. And GOOD FOR YOU that you booked that vacation girl … it’s like the second you click “purchase” your endorphins kick up and you start reaping those benny’s! Love it. You do work hard for that money girl, so go get that vacation! And on this vacation, start scheming where your next one will be and go book it! Life does keep us so busy and one day we’ll look up and it will be over, so enjoy that ride!

      Reply
  4. Michael McCurry Avatar
    Michael McCurry

    Great article Judi and I for one absolutely agree with you. A few years ago, during the recession I did not use all of my vacation time because I thought it was more important to work, than to take one. Well since then I re-thought that whole thing and now I take all of my PTO time every single year. Sometime soon I plan to take a 14 day cruise, and I really look forward to that amount of non-work downtime in a place where I can’t check email, can’t access my company CRM and can’t use my cell phone.

    Until then, I hope you have an awesome upcoming vacation, and I am off on a Rock n roll cruise in ten days from now. Thanks for your thoughtful words!

    Reply
    1. Judi Avatar
      Judi

      Hey Mike … thanks for the comment! And good for you taking a 10 day cruise … before you know it you’ll be on that 14 day cruise. I mean really, what’s 4 more days?! It really is magical. Thanks for reading and the support. Cheers!

      Reply
  5. Jenny Bell Avatar
    Jenny Bell

    Amen Judi! You are so right. To allow yourself valuable time to rejuvenate is so important. In the UK we get about four weeks plus eight days for bank holidays, Not bad I guess. The holiday allowance in the US and Canada sounds pretty harsh to me. Is consumerism high in the US as a result of not ‘having the time’ to award yourselves with a two week holiday? I’m convinced I would have twice as many pairs of shoes (to con-sole myself 😉 if my holiday entitlement was less than 3 weeks! interesting stats here: http://uk.mercer.com/press-releases/holiday-entitlements-around-the-world

    Reply
    1. Judi Avatar
      Judi

      Hi Jenny! 4 weeks is awesome! We have to REALY negotiate for that in the US. It’s crazy! Most of the time we have to wait a year for ANY vacation … and then after that usually it’s just a week. (unless you negotiate differently) But it can be hard with some employers. It’s just sad really. I have a friend that only as 5 days of vacation. All year. That is just wrong. Her employer should be ashamed of themselves. And she should QUIT!

      Thanks for the great info … interesting thought on consumerism. I think you may be onto something! Thanks for the post and safe biking!!! Cheers~

      Reply
  6. Lanie Thomure Avatar
    Lanie Thomure

    Amen is right. I took two full weeks off work in August and my husband and I went on an ole fashioned road trip; it was fantastic. No timetable, no pressure, just whatever we decided to do for the day. I highly recommend it.

    Reply
    1. Judi Avatar
      Judi

      Thanks for the post Lanie! I love the idea of an old fashioned road trip, I will SO do that someday! And the idea of no timetable makes it even better … how refreshing!

      Reply

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