safari trip I've been planning for 2 years is wrecking my work schedule (on purpose)

Exciting news:

Later this year, my wife, my dad, my aunt, and I are doing a 3-week safari across Uganda and Tanzania.

We're boating through swamps looking for shoebill storks…

(google these things, they look prehistoric)

Trekking through mountain jungle with a family of gorillas…

And crossing the Serengeti to see lions, hippos, and cheetahs doing their thing.

It's been 2+ years in the making, and the excitement is finally starting to sink in.

Pretty cool, right?

But here's the thing...

A trip like this creates some real tension when you run your own business.

Three full weeks offline means I can't be in the middle of launching a new offer.

Can't be deep in 1-on-1 client work.

Can't be doing anything that requires me to actually show up.

And beyond the logistics, I made myself a promise with this one.

Because I've made the same mistake with every big trip I've taken over the last few years...

I work like an absolute maniac right up until the day I leave.

And what happens?

I spend the first week of the trip mentally still at my desk.

By the time I actually unplug... it's basically time to come home.

I refuse to let that happen with this trip.

So over the next few months, I'm making some very conscious decisions NOT to do things that would make me more money, but would also ratchet up the pressure as I get closer to leaving.

Part of me hates this, candidly.

The part that wants to grow, take on more, say yes to everything... that part chafes at deliberately putting the brakes on.

But I know it's necessary.

Because when I look back on this safari years from now, I don't want to be shaking my head thinking I couldn't get out of my own way long enough to actually be there for it.

Point is:

Sometimes the most important thing you can do for your business is decide what you're NOT going to do.

Because saying ‘no’ is what really illustrates your values.

Not what you’re willing to say ‘yes’ to.

The business will still be there when I get back.

But the gorillas can’t wait.

Happy Thursday :)

Jim Hamilton

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