Forget those Post Vacation Blues!

I saw this letter to the editor in the American Airlines magazine on a recent trip and thought it a great reminder as we say goodbye to summer, get back in the swing of things at work and look forward to the fall:

"I have had unforgettable times on vacation in places such as Tuscany, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. I feel blessed to have been in those wonderful places with my loved ones. Yet when it's time to leave, I look forward to home with the same joy and fervor that I had for the trip. I do not experience post vacation blues, as I love my life at home, I love being home, and I love living my life with real purpose in everything I do. Could it be that if you really love your life, love what you do everyday, and love your home that you created with so much time and effort, there is no such thing as post vacation blues? Traveling is nice, but home is better. To have the freedom to see the world is to develop a deeper love for home."

Notice that bold phrase "love what you do everyday" - where are you on a scale of 1 to 5 when it comes to loving what you do everyday at work? Congratulations and keep it up if you said 4 or 5! If you're not at that end of the scale, what's keeping you from being there? Take some time this week to do a little self-evaluation: determine the things about your work that you do love and figure out a way to do more of those tasks. Turn your career into one you love doing everyday and forget those post vacation blues. Make it one where vacations and leisure time are just the icing on the cake and you actually look forward to getting back to work. It's possible and you can make it happen!

Please post your thoughts and ways you've made your work and career more fulfilling.