Your Boss Wanted Me to Send You This Message

Time to read: 5 seconds. You've got a plane to catch.

Sedona, AZ

Hi Rebels,

Your boss wanted me to write to you with this simple message:

Take a vacation.

If you have stockpiled a huge bank of vacation days because you're "too busy to leave the office," this means you.

Seriously, take a vacation. Now.

And send me photos.

With rebel love,

Christina

P.S. Do you have a friend who needs to be reminded to use their vacation time? Send them this little hint. They can sign up for more hints here.

Why You Must Take Your Vacation

Time to read: Less than one minute. You've got fun stuff to do!

On vacation, you get to to stuff like this!

Hello Corporate Rebels!

Children are out of school, it is finally sunny and warm-ish here in the North, and it's time to think about... TIME OFF!

The sad reality in the United States is that 54% of Americans leave unused vacation days on the table each year, many of them forfeited forever. That amounts to 662 million unused vacation days according to a 2017 study by the Travel Association's Project Time Off. If all those days were yours, that would be like being on vacation for the next 18,000 years. Imagine that.

Are you worried about the mountains of work that will be waiting for you or how you might appear uncommitted if you take time off? Do you get mixed messages from your company about taking vacation?

Reports show that fear is the primary driver for keeping your butt in your chair rather than under an umbrella with a margarita in your hand. Clearly, from the data, you are not alone.

Time off isn't just a nice benefit. It's actually part of your employment contract (meaning, you have a right to your time off). Even more, it's vital to your success as an employee. Here are three reasons to take your vacation time:

1. Vacations keep you healthy. Your time off reduces your stress which in turn, reduces your risk for all kinds of bad things - like depression and heart disease.
2. Vacations make you more productive. After time away, you return to the office refreshed, focused and full of new energy and ideas. Ironically, time away from work makes you more productive. Liberal vacation policies lead to loyal and more fulfilled workers.
3. Vacation makes you a better employee. The Travel Association study showed that employees who failed to take vacation were lower performers. They are less likely to have been promoted in the past year or to have received a bonus in the past 3 years.

Vacation also makes you happier, more fun, improves your relationships and helps you have better sex.

Do you need more reasons to take your vacation time this summer?

Here's to you, a map, and an open road.

With rebel love,

Christina

P.S. Do you know someone who is afraid to take their vacation time? You can help by forwarding them this email. Then they can join our merry little band of corporate rebels right here.

The way you spend your day….

Estimated read time: 1 minute

I want to check in with you about how things are going in your job.

I know you struggle with burn-out, overwhelm, and what to do next. You keep thinking things will change if you just work harder, take on more responsibility or give the changes in your company more time. Being stuck is a total drag.

These struggles have me thinking about a funeral I attended for a colleague from my corporate days. He worked hard, sometimes staying at the office on Christmas Eve, traveling internationally, sacrificing for the company and putting many things off “until retirement.” The church was simultaneously crying and laughing hysterically at the stories his children told of the things their dad was finally doing in his retirement. He was just beginning to enjoy all the things he had worked for when he died 2 years in.

When I hear you say, “I’ll wait until next year. Maybe things will get better on their own,” or “I can put up with anything until my kids are out of college,” it breaks my heart. Time is short. Your life is valuable. The time to bring back joy, balance, health, and meaning is NOW. Retirement is too far away. Even next year is too far away.

This quote makes me think of you everyday:

How you spend your days is how you spend your life. ~Annie Dilliard

You are the one with the power to make things better for yourself. Waiting for your company to make things better for you is only going to make you another year older.

If you are:

• waiting to see if things will get better on their own;
• procrastinating on making a change because you’re scared of the financial consequences;
• skeptical that things can ever be better in your job;
• wishing you had the roadmap to professional fulfillment,

Let’s hop on the phone. Email me at christina@boydsmithcoaching.com to schedule a session with me.

I promise you they can be better. Don’t wait another year to create your life and work on your terms. The time to be happy at work is now.

We’ll spend 30 minutes creating an inspiring and empowering plan for things to be better NOW.

Whether we end up working together or not, I can't wait to connect.

Happy Halloween!

Christina

P.S. If you know someone who would like to receive this newsletter, they can sign-up for The Corporate Rebel Video Podcast and Newsletter HERE.