Have Fun and Never Take Ourselves Too Seriously (Part 2)
-
T-ROC Staff
-
May 2, 2022 -
3 mins read
You’ve heard me talk about our T-ROC core values before. The one that seems to really stick with me these days is: “Have Fun and Never Take Ourselves Too Seriously.” While this holds true while at work, it also holds true outside of work, especially when we tend to think of work too much.
Our family recently took a trip to Hawaii. This is where my husband and I vacationed on our honeymoon 35 years ago. We had such fond memories of it, that during our honeymoon, my husband said, “I want to take our kids here someday” before they have families of their own. I want them to experience the beauty of this place with us and with no distractions. So, on February 11th, my husband and I, along with our daughters Alexa (28) and Anna (26) took off from cold, snowy Minneapolis to beautiful, sunny Hawaii.
In my brain, I thought my timing was awful. I had a LOT of unfinished work, I was in the middle of a major RFP that had just closed, and the work was beginning, and had another RFP that we hadn’t yet won, but still had so much to do. And, of course, a laundry list of things that all needed to be done. However, I made a commitment to my husband and my kids the week before we left that I wouldn’t allow work to consume me during the trip. I alerted my colleagues and vendor partners of my commitment. In my head, I thought that my work world would fall apart and that I was desperately needed to keep things rolling forward.
Guess what? I was 100% wrong. I had set the stage that I would be “out of pocket” and nobody flinched… or for that matter, missed me or cared. While the emails continued, they were all emails that were easily answered upon my return. Much to my dismay, the workforce continued with me out of pocket.
Moral of story: Your work world can function just fine without you. Your family needs you and creating those special moments in time with family are the things that will be remembered through time. We are all here to enjoy life and should never take ourselves too seriously… inside or outside of the workforce.
Mary Jo Liesch (MJ) is Vice President of Business Development with T-ROC, a global retail solutions provider. To learn more about how MJ and T-ROC can work with your brand or manufacturer on innovative solutions, you can reach her at [email protected].
