Love, Luggage, and the Power of the Pause
Love, Luggage, and the Power of the Pause
What a 10-Day Vacation Taught a High-Performing Entrepreneur About Family, Rest, and Real Legacy
Valentine's Week always gets us thinking about love.
Romantic love. Family love. The kind of love that shows up when plans fall apart and you choose each other anyway.
This year, my reflection comes from a vacation that was never supposed to last ten days. It was supposed to be seven. Then life pulled out an ice storm and said, "Cute itinerary."
Flights got canceled. Our timeline got erased. By 4:30 a.m. Friday, it was obvious: we weren't flying anywhere.
So I pivoted.
Not because it was convenient. Because moments matter more than convenience.
How High Performers Use Disruption as a Leadership Opportunity
This trip was meant to celebrate something big: my daughter Hadlee's 26th birthday. 🎉 It was the four of us: me, Hadlee, her son, and her boyfriend. Simple. Sweet. Intentional.
Hadlee has always joked her birthday was cursed, and this was our year to turn the mojo around. Once we realized what was happening, I knew we had to move quickly to beat the ice storm headed our way.
So we packed up the car, running on almost no sleep, and drove to Galveston instead of flying or postponing.
"It wasn't the plan. It became the gift."
As a high-producing real estate agent or entrepreneur, you know this feeling. The deal falls through. The inspection kills the timeline. The market shifts overnight. Disruption is certain; the only variable is how you lead through it.
Leadership isn't always a big speech and a perfect plan. Sometimes it's a tired mom at 4:30 a.m. making a calm decision with a shaky cup of gas station coffee.
A pivot costs something: energy, money, flexibility, pride. It can also create something you could never schedule on purpose.
The Rest-Run Cycle: What Sled Dogs Can Teach Real Estate Agents About Sustainable Success
Somewhere between highway miles and "Are we there yet?" from a three-year-old, something clicked for me.
We celebrate the run. We rarely honor the rest that makes the run sustainable.
There's a story from long-distance sled dog racing that stuck with me: the teams that stopped more often actually finished faster. Not because the dogs were weaker. Because rest restored strength, focus, and resilience.
For the full context, this episode is genuinely worth your time: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-033-the-rest-run-cycle/id1089027054?i=1000380063510
The takeaway isn't about dogs. It's about top producers. You are not designed to sprint endlessly. You are designed for rhythm.
Run. Rest. Repeat. Recovery is part of performance. It always has been.
This vacation forced a real disconnect. We slowed down. We breathed again. The run that follows will be better because of it.
Why 10 Days Produced More Than 7 Ever Could: The Business Case for Margin
Seven days would have been great. Ten days gave us margin.
We laughed more because we spent nine hours each way in a car with a three-year-old. We talked longer because no one had to rush off. We noticed the small things that usually get missed when you're moving too fast.
Swims in pools and oceans
Shared meals without phones
The random stories that only come out when you're not tired and distracted
That's where bonds strengthen. Not in the "big" moments. In the ordinary, unhurried ones.
High producers in real estate often treat rest as a reward for finishing. The most successful people I know treat it as a non-negotiable input: a strategic part of the business plan, not a bonus after a strong quarter.
How the 5Fs Legacy Framework Shows Up in a Family Road Trip
This vacation somehow checked every box of the 5Fs Legacy Framework without trying. Build your life around these five pillars and legacy takes care of itself.
Faith Sometimes faith looks like trusting that a canceled flight isn't a setback. It's direction. Not always comfortable direction, but still.
Family Three generations in one trip. Conversations and memories that will get retold long after the photos fade.
Fitness The gym and spa on this cruise were on another level. I'm still thinking about it. High performers who neglect physical recovery don't stay high performers for long.
Finances A pivot always costs something. Plan with margin in your finances (just as in your schedule) and the unexpected stops feeling like an emergency. That's financial resilience, not just budgeting.
Fun The best kind: the kind you didn't schedule. The kind that shows up when expectations loosen and joy sneaks in. That's legacy living.
Valentine's Week Is a Reminder: Love Chooses Presence Over Productivity
Valentine's Day isn't just about romance. It's about love that chooses presence. Love that adapts. Love that values people over plans.
This trip reminded me that the strongest families (and the strongest businesses) aren't the ones with perfect schedules. They're the ones willing to pause.
They understand rest is refueling. Return from rest and you don't just run again. You run stronger.
5 Questions High Achievers Ask About Work-Life Rhythm [Answered]
These questions come up constantly in coaching conversations with busy real estate agents and entrepreneurs. Here are the most direct answers I can give.
How do I know when I need a “pause” instead of pushing harder?
When everything feels heavier than it should.
Your patience shortens, your joy mutes, and even simple tasks feel loud. That’s your system asking for recovery. Rest is not laziness, it’s maintenance. High producers who ignore that signal don’t last longer, they burn out faster.
What happens when life forces the pause and you didn’t plan for it?
Treat the pivot like leadership.
You don’t need a perfect backup plan to lead well. You need a clear next step, a steady tone, and the willingness to prioritize people over the schedule. Every top agent I’ve ever coached has had a forced pivot. Those who thrive choose forward motion faster than those who stall.
Why does “margin” matter so much for family connection and business performance?
Margin creates breathing room.
Without the rush, you talk more, listen better, and notice the small moments that become the stories everyone remembers. In business, margin is the difference between responding to opportunities and reacting to fires. It keeps your relationships steady and your decisions clean.
What is the rest run cycle, practically speaking?
Focus hard, then refuel on purpose.
Work in rhythms rather than running on fumes. Run with intention, then recover so the next run is stronger. This applies to daily schedules, weekly calendars, quarterly plans, and annual pacing. Recovery is part of performance, not an afterthought.
How can a busy entrepreneur build a legacy in ordinary moments?
Choose presence when it costs you something.
Legacy is built in everyday decisions, the pivot, the pause, the car ride, the shared meal, the laugh you didn’t rush past. Your clients remember how you showed up under pressure. Your family remembers the same.
The Memory That Will Outlast the Trip
Years from now, we won't remember the ice storm details.
We'll remember this:
Hadlee turning 26 surrounded by love.
A grandson watching adults choose each other.
A family turning inconvenience into connection.
That's the kind of Valentine's story worth telling. And the kind of legacy worth building.
3-2-1 Legacy Takeaway 💜
3 Things You Learned
Rest is not a reward. It's a requirement.
The best memories live in the margin.
Love shows up strongest during the pivot.
2 Things You'll Share
Time together matters more than perfect plans.
Slowing down often moves you forward.
1 Thing You'll Implement
Honor the rest-run cycle instead of fighting it.
