Working On The Road

Life can be hectic, even in the best of times… mix in a challenging economy, stagnant career opportunities and kids on Summer break, and you’ll have yourself caught in whirlwind of emotions and distractions so intense you might not know how to make it through the day. Finally, throw in a road trip that places you half-way across the country where you shack up with friends and family (the ones gracious enough to put up with your traveling chaos), and the intensity factor earns a multiple of 10-20x.

Representing the end of week one, this road trip has been interesting so far… a little crying, a little arguing, a little tiring, and a lot of fun (and that’s just my experience). We have managed to get all of our “real work” done each day with relative efficiency, which has been a pleasant surprise.

I will say this… the road trip has already proven to be a learning experience. I have learned a lot more about people than I initially considered. As is the case with any extended engagement, people learn who you really are, and you with respect to them. I’m not suggesting that others will ultimately see through to the jerk in you, but any extended time you spend with people for professional or personal reasons naturally expose more of who you really are - at some point, the overly bubbly, smile at everything, “I’m a visitor so I have to schmooze” kind of behavior has to go.

So, back to the things I think I have learned, and (really) need to implement:

1. Don’t do everything everyone tells you to do - it’s too much, if your version of fun is one solid activity every couple of days, then you won’t be happy bouncing with an AM visit to the park and an afternoon visit to the ZOO. The kids need fun, but if you get late into the afternoon and they are not happy, even after everthing you have done for them, you might be doing too much.
2. Talk to your spouse (one-on-one) more - This rule is especially critical if you are spending any extended length of time around (or staying with) family. There are so many opinions floating around that you must absolutely get with your spouse and ground yourselves before you fall prey to “what everyone else thinks.”
3. As always, remember a little “you time” - Be totally alone, this time is not intended to replace the “date night’ with your spouse or the one-on-one time with your son or daughter - this is complete “you” time. It may sound a little selfish at first, especially since you are on vacation together, but if you take just a smidgen of time for yourself, then you will escape the “family vacuum” that tends to consume your thoughts and behavior, and come back refreshed and ready for more family fun.

So, is this short list a good reminder, maybe, insightful, maybe not, but all in all I think it makes good sense to keep your “away from home” bearings greased up and rotating properly.

Until next time - plan ahead, and be safe…