I’ve spent some much-needed recharge time holed up in the mountains, and now I am ready to move back into the progressive realization of worthy ideals that has become my life.

While I have come to recognize and value the experience of slowing down, I am simultaneously glad it is not my daily life. Taking things slow is nice, but when you’re in a cabin in the woods with two toddlers, it’s not exactly kick-back time every hour of the day.

Having kids has kept me in a low gear at all times. I never stop; at best, I sometimes idle. I must always be ready to slam into high gear at any given time, depending on the needs of my children.

Luckily, I have an amazing wife who has assumed the role of full-time parent, leaving me to become a part-time professional. There are periodic breaks in my week when I do not have to go an high alert at any given time due to a small child’s safety or comfort; I put on my tie and drive away, to pursue my day job exclusively.

This presents complications of its own that I won’t go into here, and it precludes me from the endurance tests my wife is constantly overcoming. It is a suitable distribution of efficiencies and capabilities that suits both my wife and I.

This was validated during our vacation, when I was exclusively a parent, 24/7, with no other roles or responsibilities beyond those of casual tourist. And with trees and a small town the only things to tour, parenting became my primary goal for the weekend.

We had a great time. I have learned that a bagful of new toys will do wonders to keep kids occupied, interested, and happy. When the mood would begin to shift into negative territory, I would whip out a new toy, and bam! Great times.

We went to new playgrounds, we went to new rivers, we relaxed for hours and hours on end in our cabin. The kitchen was a definite plus; we packed in a bunch of food and just hung out and feasted.

This resuscitation of my fatherhood was as necessary for me to return to work as was the relaxation of my exhausted body. I caught up on sleep and took my head out of the cubicle, sure, but most importantly I got to hang out with my kids for days on end, and capture another few memories that will live with me long into my old age. I moved forward on my lifelong path by doing this.

What I did last week? Yeah, that was great. I sold a lot, and reached a big goal, and made a few bucks and bought myself a shiny new toy as a reward.

But the biggest reward for this huge push was taking some time off to just be. Be with my family. Be with my wife. Be with nature. Be me.

We’re doing this every quarter now. Every three months, I can make a big huge push for my quarterly auto bonus, and work really hard. Then, I’m taking a (long) weekend (three nights minimum) and going somewhere with my family. This cycle of work hard, relax, repeat will serve me will in many areas, keeping me more focused when I am working, because I am relaxed and eager, and more present when I am with my family, because I have a bed of comfortable laurels to rest upon.

I now feel a true eagerness to attack tomorrow, now that I have spent enough time away from my professional persona to be recharged with it. This week will be a week of repair, of goal setting, and of strategy. I will map out th next quarter, to identify my path to the standard of high-earning salespeople in my company, Liberty Leaders. I will post the numbers I require on this blog, and I will map out my strategy for attaining these numbers two weeks early.

It’s time to get back to work.