The Aftermath After Vacation While Running Your Own Business

Really did my best to de-stress…but the emails and “wired” self that I am I couldn’t help but try to reply to urgent emails and monitor emails as they flowed in. Being an open, social media, blogger dude, I would openly tell people I’m trying to take a vacation. Most of the time people would understand…but I have a feeling some maybe newer relationships got upset when I kept on pushing back replies to contract reviews, conference calls, and emails that require more then a couple sentences to reply.

But I’m a human being. I try to openly delegate, directly connect people in the organization…to not be the piece of the puzzle that if I get sick the pyramid crumbles…but still, such a small business the people running the business are the most valuable assets.

And running around like a madman in Philippines….delayed flights, boats not going for days on end…..hours of sitting in a taxi in metro manila during traffic. I have definitely gotten way more patient since coming to Asia from America….but even still, my nerves still get shocked with inefficiency in communication systems and transportation chaos.

Sadly, most people never see both sides…I do remember being that frustrated American businessman never having come to China or other parts of Asia. Its a developing economy, constant contruction, such rapid growth in infrastructure that there is downtime. Or there is such a glut of people who have no motivation to work to improve the system. It will take the current youth in these countries to have the global exposure and mindset to better develop these systems…the internet and communication platforms will better expose cultures.

Again, I am just more aware and appreciative of the daily frustrations in the Philippines – brownouts, high electricity costs, massive traffic in Manila, inefficient public transportation, taxi hustlers, it wears on people and in a way creates and environment where the harder you work, the harder it is to maintain, the forces are against you.

I’m saying this as I charge my mobile phone in restaurants while eating dinner, struggling to catch a wifi connection in a free wifi zone (the signal is there, but connection just doesnt work….), and sitting in traffic tweeting from my mobile phone. If you stress about it, you will get an ulser…

Thursday night I will be back in Hong Kong, where the internet is fast, electricity is abundant, and transportation systems are efficient.

Location still matters, and after this holiday I am ready to really get down to business!