Remember when you were young and summer meant vacation? Even in early career days it seemed like the pressure eased a little in those lazy days of summer. But, over time, the slow times have disappeared. There is no longer natural break in the workload and, in fact, the amount of work to be done continues to escalate such that there is never enough time to get it all done. While it is indisputable that we need the time to rejuvenate more than ever, we are less and less likely to truly take a break at any time.

This summer, in reflecting on our own vacations, we recognized how valuable it is to take time away from our work – both physically and virtually – and how reluctant we are sometimes to do it. While we love the work we do and are honestly engaged and excited by it, it requires an intensity of focus, creativity and thought that needs to be renewed periodically. We were reminded about the essential link between creativity and renewal by chef Ferran Adrià, whose world-renowned restaurant elBulli closed every year for six months so he could recharge his creativity. He said:

 

“This is essentially the process that all the great artists do when they create art–if you’re a painter, you might take three years off to think about what you’ve done, as compared to the corporate world, where you’re going going going constantly. In order to be creative you have to have that rest period.”

 

We have a renewed commitment to really valuing vacation as a tool in sustaining our skills and commitment to the work. More than that, we hope to convince you that the best way to succeed is to leave it all behind (for a time) and ‘reset’ yourself for the things to come.