Kick Monday’s Ass: vacation kinda kicked my ass, not gonna lie (April 4, 2022)

It’s time to Kick Monday’s Ass…

Ever have one of “those” weeks?

I think you know what I’m talking about… everything that could go wrong, does, and does it all at roughly the same time?

That was my week last week. It also happened to be the first vacation week I’ve taken in years (much to my chagrin).

Over the last few years, I’ve taken “vacations” – put into quotes because something always slipped. I couldn’t move a client call, so I took it even though I was off. A project ran behind and the deadlines were tight, so I did it figuring “once I get this done I can disconnect and enjoy”.

So I was super excited about last week. I’d blocked it off in my calendar months in advance so there could be no accidental appointments booked that would need rescheduling. All my projects were set to wrap before my time off, and everything was looking great.

And then it all went to hell.

If you want to read the full story, I wrote a novella about it here:

Angie and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad vacation

It was so bad I feel like I starred in my very own National Lampoon movie.

But would I have done it differently? Probably not. Despite not getting the gloriously unplugged, supremely adventurous vacation I was hoping for… I did get a lot of rest.

And sometimes rest is best.

Moving right along…

Last week on the podcast…

I had two recent episodes come out if you want a little awesomeness in your ear holes…

First up was Maggie Karshner, who built a business to help others bust through their fear and find freedom in self-employment. And what I love even more than her mission is the philosophy behind her methods. Maggie uses her own experiences overcoming a needle phobia to help her clients navigate all the “dangers” of entrepreneurship. If you’ve ever struggled with fear in your biz, this one’s for you.

And while I was out last week, we had Miriam Schulman on the show. She is an artist and entrepreneur — but it took a big sign from the universe (spoiler alert: it was 9/11) to set her on that path. After years of grinding on Wall Street, Miriam left to pursue her own dream. She didn’t end up where she thought would… in fact, her life turned out even better than she imagined. To find out what’s possible when you follow your passion, listen now.

Section 42: Life, The Universe, and Everything…

I should have known the vacation might not be the easy breezy relax-a-thon I’d planned by Sunday evening…

First we have to go back to Friday night, when I figured I’d just sneak into a show called the “Tournament of Kings” at Excalibur here in Vegas. If you’ve seen The Cable Guy (dating myself severely here), it’s like that. Medieval Times-esque if you’ve been to it.

The main difference being, there’s a story line at Tournament of Kings where there’s an evil knight. And guess who was Team Evil that night? More on that in a moment…

Friday night was sold out so I bought a ticket for Sunday night and kicked back to enjoy myself. Fast forward to Sunday and about half an hour before the show was set to start, I suddenly remembered I had a ticket and had to sprint out the door. Thankfully I’m about a mile from the strip and made it with five minutes to spare.

Talk about an interesting way to kick off an interesting vacation. At least I got to fully represent Mordred, the Dragon Knight, and Team Evil. Here’s a picture of me and Mordred after the show ended.

And if you ever get to Vegas, I highly recommend you see the show. Sit in the Dragon section if you can, and maybe do the “show only” version – dinner was nothing to write home about, but the show itself was fucking amazing.

Marketing Minute…

I’m about to geek out pretty hardcore over my dentist from last week, Smile Horizons.

It’s pure luck of the draw that I happened to find a place that was able to do a same-day crown when we discovered my cracked molar. But it was the sheer volume of positive reviews that ultimately led me to pick this place, and I’m so glad I did.

It’s evident that they’ve taken a lot of time to understand the patient experience, and designed their office to maximize comfort while minimizing fear. And I’m not talking about having a calming water fountain and soothing lights and spa music.

I’m talking about a ceiling mounted TV – I watched “The Last Kingdom” for several hours while getting drilled. It definitely made the time pass a little more quickly considering I always feel the urge to talk when the dentist has my mouth crow-barred open… especially if there’s nothing else for me to focus on.

I know the angle is kinda weird on this one since I took it when I was reclined. But if you focus on the sprinkler, you can kinda orient yourself to the fact that you’re looking at the ceiling vs a regular old wall.

It wasn’t just the TV… there was a personal greeting displayed on the screen when I walked in, and it had the name of my dental assistant, Aimee.

The X-rays had all been upgraded to digital scanners… none of that awkward and painful bitewing crap. They had a cool wand scanner in the room that, once rubbed over all my teeth, created an awesome 3D model. The dentist, Dr. Uy (highly recommend) was able to show me every ridge and angle, and even predict where the crown would put uncomfortable pressure on me if we didn’t adjust.

Throughout the process they’d check on me, bring me water, sit and talk and joke with me, and generally make sure I was OK.

In a time where it’s easy to get sucked into the routine and the “to-dos”, I don’t think they ever forgot I was a real person in real pain who was trusting them with a solution.

I never thought I’d say I had an incredible experience at the dentist, but considering I found them by chance while traveling full-time… I’m pretty fucking impressed with how it turned out.

Bringing it back to you and your business: when was the last time you went through it like a customer and figured out where all the painful and awkward points are? Something to consider in the coming weeks… might be time for some spring cleaning of practices that have become habit but are no longer serving the people you serve.

On repeat this week…

I’m singing this to my formerly tormented sciatic nerve in a reminder to get up and move my body. Hydrate, friends. Stretch and walk and move. Trust me, you don’t want to feel the pain I did last week.

Perhaps squeeze in a quick dance break to The Way You Move by Outkast…

Rock on,
Angie

___________

But I know y’all wanted that 808
Can you feel that B-A-S-S, bass?
But I know y’all wanted that 808
Can you feel that B-A-S-S, bass?

I like the way you move
I like the way you move, woo-ooh-ooh
I love the way you move
I love the way, I love the way
I love the way you move
I love the way you move, woo-ooh-ooh
I love the way you move
I love the way, I love the way