Things are going really well at the moment. Work continues to be fun and challenging and I’m continuing to learn and improve. I’m starting to find more of a groove in New York (when I’m there), and I’m really digging the busy travel schedule.

But I’m ready for a break.

Last week was intense and took quite a bit out of me. Because the marathon was in pacific time in Vegas, and I didn’t take any time off from work, I was up at 5am on Friday, Monday and Tuesday for very hectic work days. Add in 26.2 miles and then a flight to Atlanta for an amazing (but tiring) work offsite, I was fairly drained when I arrived back to New York on Friday night.

That left me with Saturday morning and afternoon to finish my SOA grading before taking my first vacation since starting the job 8 months ago.

I’m very mindful of my thoughts around vacation. I never want to be someone who just works for the weekends or their next holiday. Spending 5/7 of the week thinking about 2/7 of the week isn’t math I want to be a part of. However, there’s a reason vacation is offered by any employer worth their weight. If you can properly assess yourself, you’ll know when you’re ready for some time off.

I’m now on a plane crossing the Atlantic to spend US Thanksgiving week with my brother-in-law, Steve, in Portugal.

Being on a relatively “high-burn” project, you put in several hours, are always ready to check your email on your phone, and spend ALOT of time with your colleagues. This is in no way a complaint as it’s the environment I thrive in, and I’m so happy for the professional and personal relationships I’ve been able to build as a result, but you also need time to step away.

My goal for the trip is to be completely unplugged from work, take in the moments, laugh a lot, eat, drink, read, sleep, and return refreshed to finish my final six weeks on this project with energy and momentum!

I’ll let you know if I succeed. Thanks for reading!

Mike