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How does an Entrepreneur Vacation? By Diane M. Campbell, Owner/Gratitude Goodies

Why would you even ask a question like that? Depending on your personality type you may or may not be able to fully separate yourself from what you do. If you're a type A personality and can create clear boundaries in your life, you might not even blink about separating your mind from business. In our business, it's usually only myself and Marian doing the day to day stuff. I can see that her personality has the unique ability to zoom in and focus on whatever she chooses and block out the rest. I also know that her mind is always working. For me, it's not that easy. As an entrepreneur, I'm always dreaming, skating to the puck, thinking of the next thing, the next product, the next new tool or concept to bring into the business that will drive it forward.

Even though this difference in personality types can sometimes cause a healthy friction, I believe it's necessary to have a well rounded team working the business.

So here I am in the car heading down to Destin, FL on our family vacation, and while driving (not me, of course) I'm thinking about Gratitude Goodies, the business I started almost 5 years ago. How can we drive it forward, be even more successful, reach our goals and beyond? At the same time, I'm reminded of what Marian said to me before I left for the day. Marian said, "Don't even think about this place". "Easier said than done," I thought. You know there are a lot of truths in that. Thank you, Marian, I know you have my back and will handle everything while I'm gone.

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Can you really walk away from your business as an entrepreneur and go on vacation? I'm going to answer with an emphatic, YES! Yes, I can go on vacation and really relax and enjoy myself. I'm gonna use this time to relax, rejuvenate, and reinvigorate myself so that I can bring even more to Gratitude Goodies when I get back. One can get stale in body and mind from the constant drive each day brings. I've created a list of how I'm going to use this time to "not think about this place" like Marian said while at the same time filling my tank with more things that excite me.

1. Breathe in my vacation spot, take in the sights sounds and smells, go to my happy place and do whatever it is that cranks my tractor, floats my boat, speaks to my heart. You get the idea. It could be sitting on the beach, reading a book, walking along the surf at night sifting the shoreline for sand crabs, cocinas, and little fish. Last year we witnessed many people on the beach with flashlights searching for little sea creatures in the surf. I'm doing that this year.

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2. Enjoy my family. We tie in our vacation time with our anniversary. This year it's 24 years married to my amazing husband, Dan. We work hard, and I want to relax just as hard with him. If you could look out the back window of my car, you would see two bicycles. Another one of our enjoyable hobbies is to ride our bikes along the beach. In Destin it's real easy. In the morning we'll take the bikes out, ride to a coffee shop or little store, and take in the community. It's a fun way to see more than you would walking, and the exercise is a bonus. We have two of our three daughters with us, Jessi, age 21, and Chelsie, age 16. Our oldest daughter, Erin, is married. I know that at their ages, we may not have too many more vacations together. I want to enjoy it while I have them with us.

3. See the sites. Last year we drove to Pensacola to visit my niece, Lisa, and toured the Naval Museum. It happens to be the place where my father's blimp airship is, and we got to see exactly where he sat as a radioman. Since he died in 2010, this was a special treat for us. It allowed us to connect with him again in our hearts and learn more about what he loved. I'd like to return there again. Florida has lots of things to do that don't involve a "mouse". We also enjoy exploring  lighthouses.       

4. Enjoy the seafood. I'm a foodie. That's why Gratitude Goodies is the perfect business for me. I love to taste my way around a vacation. Regional flavors excite me and peak my interest. I want to try it all. Yes, there will be lots of seafood consumed on this trip.

5. Learn to Blog. In the past, I would pack a bag full of books and media so I wouldn't be bored. This year, I brought one book and downloaded an ebook, both on blogging. I can supply the content but I want to know more about the "nuts and bolts" of getting things optimized in the social media world. If I struggle trying to figure out what "uncatagorized" means, or what's an index, or how do I load this picture or this link, or how do I select the right keywords, then I lose my passion for the content. Does this happen to you? It really frustrates me. I've tried on several occasions to hire someone to write for me. This has proven to be unproductive. People you hire may say one thing and do another. Their interest is really no interest. Why do they say they're going to do it and not do it? So here I am, the Entrepreneur, doing it myself again. That leads me to another title. Do entrepreneurs like to be alone? The answer to that question will be in a future blog. I hope you'll join me next time.


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