You need to take a vacation

Some people might see that as bragging—”Look at me, I work really hard and I never take off work, blah blah blah”—but I assure you that’s not the case. Quite the opposite, and in fact, I’m embarrassed about it. In addition to a strong work ethic, I’ve always maintained a healthy work-home balance.

Work is important, and I’m fortunate to do something that I love; however, work is not my life, and it never will be. That may sound like treason to some people, including some of my friends and industry colleagues, but it’s a fact. Work is part of my life, not the other way around.

But that all changed when I launched my own agency last year. In the past, I focused all my time and energy on my clients (client interaction is by far my favorite part of the job). Now I have to think about clients as well as paying rent, meeting payroll, picking the best health care plan for my employees, deciding when to make a hire, etc. I experience every emotion every day, and over time I feel like I’m going crazy.