So as I sit here writing this from a hotel room on the outskirts of Austin, I am capturing the post here in the morning that I have already written in many ways from the prior night when I found sleep hard to come by.
Vacation is not totally over, I still have today to make some more memories before pulling into the driveway late tonight.
Last night I had an old friend that had not visited in awhile try to stop by in middle of the night.
Regret stopped by to say an ugly hello.
I was reminded that I got nowhere near the list of to do’s completed. I have a full legal pad of paper with a sheet of to do’s waiting for me. I have a white board at my home office also waiting to be processed into my OmniFocus as well.
So as I was laying awake last night, I was rolling through all of the things I had identified at the outset of this vacation/quasi sabbatical – that did not get done. And I found myself getting that familiar vibe of anxiousness, and I caught myself.
I stopped it cold…
I realized that there was a bunch of journal entries that I had not captured.
I realized that I had done a bunch of things on that pad of yellow paper that were not yet crossed out.
I realized that I had done a few key things for work last Monday and Tuesday that were not captured on my ‘I got this done too’ list.
Then it dawned on me.
This was not truly a vacation.
Instead this was a taste of the lifestyle I’ve dreamed of. I was able to get a bunch of things done on my short term to do’s. I was able to make some big decisions that will carry me through the end of this year. I was able to have a ton of fun during the last few days. I was in the ocean or in the pool each day. The days were roughly scheduled with a focus on those priority people in my life and a few meetings for the day.
As far as the big calls —
I made a new connection that I think will help to unlock a whole new avenue of endeavor in two different facets of my life on Friday.
I made a very big decision regarding my family which is set to take hold in the coming week.
I know exactly what I need to do to further one of my projects in the coming month.
I know what I need to do to get my trademarks established, there has been paperwork in play for awhile. I have a month to knock this out.
I know exactly how these 84 days of posts continue to progress.
I know when I am going to publish my book that is already copyrighted.
I awoke with a decision on the podcast that I will eventually produce later this year. My sons helped me with this without even realizing it, although I’m not sure if it will be just for select folks in my life. It will be about legacy for their use primarily.
I also know how I’m going to jump start my financial quandaries that I have been struggling to break through.
I also know what I need to do at work as we enter into an exceptionally critical period of delivery in the coming weeks – with the next 3 months, truly it is 6, being exceptionally critical in terms of ongoing delivery.
So as I get ready to head south to eventually drive north later today, I am ready to make the memories of the day. I am also ready to double down on the decisions made in the space of the last few days to ensure that the past few days are not so much a vacation to be had every now and then – instead more and more a frequent occurrence that is more than once or twice a year. The last few days were spent in Quadrant 2 – Important, not Urgent, and the coming weeks will have a number of things pop from this time spent away from the Do Monster.
I was reminded of my numbers earlier in this vacation, and I am ever more convinced that I can spend more time doing what needs to be done with those closest to me – as I follow what is most relevant in my life.
I am ready to return to my work with a renewed perspective from this week.