Sometimes We Just Need an Escape

Today, I spent the day at a baseball game – the Colorado Rockies and the San Francisco Giants. I am a big baseball fan. There is just something very calming yet exciting and energizing about it. But I digress.

We all know that the world we live in is challenging right now, there is a lot of negative energy out there. Every day there is bad news that the press magnifies. The economy is struggling and will continue to do so for some time. As business owners (and individuals) there is pending legislation that threatens to have major impacts on our business and in our lives. Conflicts overseas have the potential to impact our national security and how we do business.

With all that said, as a business leader it is important to take care of yourself! As I was taking in the ballgame, and the environment as a whole, I realized that for a few hours people from all walks of life (regardless of who they were rooting for at the game) were letting go of their stress, participating in the various game activities and of course standing, cheering and chanting for their ball club. There was not talk of politics, the economy, health care, etc. Okay, there were those who could be seen tweeting, texting, sending pictures and probably posting to their MySpace and Facebook accounts. But it was all in good fun!

If you think about it, for thousands of years, people have gathered to watch sporting events. There is something about the gathering of a fun and friendly crowd that has a certain energizing effect on us, especially when “our team” wins. It is the simple things in life that can give us the biggest boost.

During these stressful times, take time for you (and your family). Clearing your head and just having some good clean fun even for a few hours can give you new insights into some of your greatest challenges. Take your new found energy back into the office the next day – you will be a better leader for it. Worse case is that you get some fresh air and cheer on your favorite team!