This past weekend, I watched a beautiful video about the Importance of Being Present by Professor Ichak Adizes.
As entrepreneurs and business owners, many of us scoff at this notion. Our minds are constantly going at a million miles an hour, thinking of things we could have done better and how to be more successful in the future. While I preach the importance of planning and making sure your capital structure is prepared for what's ahead, I also recognize that in moments when we're not working, our minds should be off.
This past weekend was Memorial Day; how much of your time "off" was spent thinking about your business and not your family or whatever else brings you happiness? Do you remember the conversations you had, or were you nodding your head as your mind drifted off to other places? When you take a walk, are you so wrapped up in your mind that you forget how you got from point A to point B? Or, did you feel the cool breeze on your face, smell the freshly cut grass, hear the birds chirping and see the kids playing? These senses are such a cliché, yet they ground us in the moment.
Without those moments, we are bound to wake up one day, wonder where life went, and wish for more time to live it. So don't feel guilty taking time for yourself, and be in the moment. Your business will still be there when you get back.