All work, no play?
I spend money on things I genuinely don’t need. If “Impulse Shopper” had a definition and picture in the dictionary, it would have my name, a brief description of my impulsive tendencies, and a picture of me (preferably a recent one taken on my good side).
Recently, while trolling around PaperSource for trinkets and treasures, a book caught my eye. It was called “If I could tell you just one thing… encounters with remarkable people and their most valuable advice.” It’s an entire book with stories and advice from world leaders, CEOs, athletes, celebrities, tech titans and everyone in between. Want to guess what made its way straight into my shopping basket and is now sitting on my coffee table? Hi, I’m Lea, and I’m an impulse shopper. But in fairness, there’s definitely some good stuff in there, and who knows, you may be reading about more of it in a future blog.
I stumbled across one passage by Indra Nooyi, Global CEO of PepsiCo, board member of the Federal Reserve and the “Most Powerful Woman in the World,” as ranked by Forbes. Here is her advice:
“Don’t take holidays. When you get to my age, you will regret taking them. Give yourself a maximum of a day or a day and a half a year. And use that to read books on your industry. The rest of the time you should just work.”
Well doesn’t she sound like a real good time?
I’m sorry, but I call bullshit. Like a big, heaping pile of bullshit.
But really. Is that the kind of advice we should be spreading around? With burnout levels being higher than they’ve ever been, what happens when our anxiety and depression numbers skyrocket or our workplace productivity plummets?
One could argue that if you want to be the most powerful woman (or man) in the world, then it’s advice you should take. But if I took that advice, I would not have some of the greatest memories of my life.
I would never sit on a balcony in Hawaii and watch the sunrise and whales jump while drinking coffee with my sister and dad; or, on that same trip, discover that my dad ate a moldy blueberry muffin and then nearly die of laughter with my sister.
I would never take a walking tour of specialty donut shops in Chicago with two of my best friends (and a word to the wise - Candied Maple Bacon for the win).
I would never lay on the beach in the Dominican Republic and watch some of my kiddos build sand castles while drinking too much and laughing with some of my greatest friends.
I would never drink Moscow Mules while watching a friend win over $200 on a penny slot in Vegas on our last morning of vacation (it’s never too early for Mules while in Vegas, check your judgement at the door, please).
I would never get kicked out of an AirBnB because of noise complaints (Palm Springs has no chill, BTW. Tambourines and a DJ do NOT justify giving us the boot, we were just having a good time).
Now don’t get me wrong, I work. I work hard and I work a lot. I mean, I started a blog to give myself a break from working for Pete’s sake. I love to work. It challenges me, fulfills me and keeps me on my toes, always. But why do I work so hard? So I can do all the things. Not only because I was diagnosed with a serious case of FOMO many moons ago, but also because those are the things that bring me joy.
If being the most powerful woman in the world means I don’t get to spend quality time with my friends and family, I don’t want it. If being the most powerful woman in the world means I don’t get to actually see the world, I don’t want it. If I don’t get to feel all the feels that go along with those things, I don’t want it. If all of that is what it takes to be the most powerful woman in the world, then that’ll be a hard pass for me.
So here’s my advice. Take the days off. Take ‘em all. Watch the whales jump, drink the drinks, shake the tambourines and eat the donuts. Work hard while you’re working and then play hard while you’re playing.
Indra said that when we get to her age (she’s 66), we’ll regret taking the holidays. Well I say that when I get to her age, I hope I’m on a boat in the South of France sipping champagne with the friends that I’ve traveled with for forty years. Who’s the real winner in this situation?
Experiences > power. Every day of the week.
