Talane’s Blog of the Week, September 11, 2006

Back to Work Blues

I’m back at work this morning after a month of vacation and boy! Is it a shock to the system! It is very easy to NOT work. Even when you love your work, not working is pretty great. It was lovely to let August unfold and lose track of time altogether. Now, it is back to the structure of appointments, coaching calls and classes.

I’ve been thinking about how to not work on a permanent basis. Years ago, the late, great Thomas Leonard, founder of coaching, told me to list ten things I could do to become financially independent, even if they seemed like “pie-in-the-sky”. I put down write a book, sell products (tapes/workbooks), win the lottery, marry rich and I don’t know what else. I’ve done the first two. They provide passive income, though not enough to retire on yet. My husband does very well, but we can’t afford to stop working for a few years. To inspire myself, I’m making a new list of ten things I can do to create even more passive income.

My next step in dealing with my “back to work blues” was to call my mom. (She is a natural, brilliant coach.) She said, “Good grief, here you are six months pregnant, with a two-year old, still adjusting to married life. It is your first day back after a month off. Cut yourself some slack, walk around your beautiful garden and have a cup of tea”. She reminded me of my priorities. I had been comparing myself to a colleague with three kids who has written three books. I’ve had one baby and written one book in about the same amount of time. My mother reminded me that my colleague works five days a week and travels, and my priorities and values are different.

It was a good reminder. Work will always be there, but time with my kids is very limited and very precious. You can’t get that time back, ever. I remembered that Barbra Streisand cancelled a year-long tour to spend the year with her newborn son. No one ever thought, “oh, that Barbra isn’t a professional” because she took time off. In fact, most people don’t know she did it. It certainly didn’t hurt her career.

With that, I hope you all enjoyed your summer and are getting back into the swing of things in your own lives.

Warmest,
Talane