Playing hooky
The team—and loved ones—at lunch on Thursday!
And just like that, my Florida trip has come to an end.
I set some important intentions this time around, and I’m happy to report that I did pretty well. I’d give myself a 7 out of 10.
The reason for the 7 is I still struggle with working a little too much. I love my work, and we are in the middle of a transition, so that makes it all the more challenging. There were several days where I worked beyond dinner and missed quality time with my family.
At the same time, I’m celebrating a 7. A year ago, that number would have been a 3. This time around, I may have worked through dinner some nights, but I also . . .
Communicated proactively with my family so they knew what to expect on my longer days
Didn’t work a lick on the weekends
Spent quality one-on-one time with each member of my family
Went to work with my dad and gave speeches from his office
Interviewed my sister and my dad for our weekly LIVE show
Played more family board games than I can count (got reacquainted with Parcheesi . . . what a game!)
Took lots of long walks
Spent lots of time in the pool
Enjoyed “just because” moments, like taking a walk to the beach with my parents to watch the moonrise
And just like I am working on how I show up with my family when I visit, I’m also working on how I show up with our team.
Oftentimes I use my trips to Florida as a chance to see the team. My parents live a short drive from Gainesville—where some of our leadership team members live—and so I always sneak in a visit or two. Usually those visits consist of meetings and getting lots of work done, but this time, I wanted it to be different. I asked our team to play hooky with me.
Right smack in the middle of a Thursday, we went to a leisurely lunch, did some shopping, and got ice cream for no other reason than just because. (Rachel, we missed you! Rachel lives in DC.) We had so much fun that I asked the team to do it with me again the next day. We agreed to get a little work done and then meet for lunch and a movie.
I’m leaving with so many memories that I’ll treasure forever, both with my family and with our team. My trips to Florida always remind me that my work matters and that the people I love matter even more.
When was the last time you played hooky? When was the last time you dropped everything and took a walk with someone you love?
We don’t know how long we have. We don’t know how long the people we love have. If I were to ask you to score how you are showing up right now, 1-10, what score would you give yourself? What can you do today to take that score one point higher?
Life is short. Make it count.
Hugs through the screen,
Kristen
PS: I’m excited to introduce a new format for our weekly LIVE show, which takes place this Wednesday (and every Wednesday!) at 11 a.m. ET! I’ll be interviewing some of my most favorite inspiring humans and leaders. Every week, there will be a surprise guest (or guests), and you never know who! The one thing you can always count on is that it'll get real. Join us for REAL TALK every Wednesday by registering here: https://bit.ly/3kWe2kT. Hope to see you there!
