GREAT 166 IDEA: Work Hard and Play Harder

The most successful entrepreneurs I know work hard and play harder. One friend, who built a $60 million metal recycling company by working seven days a week for nine years, now jets around the world to spend long weekends in fabulous, far off places with her boyfriend.

Another friend thinks nothing of flying to Paris to do some shopping, eating, and drinking for a few days each month. “I've worked hard to build up my company for 18 years, and I deserve to play,” she told me.

This work hard/play hard strategy fits the entrepreneurial lifestyle. In the start-up years, you rarely get a weekend off—and taking a real vacation is totally unthinkable. There are many personal sacrifices involved in running a business. So, when things finally do take off, it's time for you to take off.

Getting away from the office, even for a few days, is rejuvenating. Sleeping in a comfortable bed with 500-count cotton sheets, renting a red convertible, or sun-bathing on a silky beach are the perfect antidotes to entrepreneurial exhaustion. We need time to recharge our batteries.

So, cash in your frequent flyer miles for free tickets or buy a coach-class seat and upgrade to business or first class. Bring plenty of mad money and stay in a great hotel.

One weekend, I headed to Las Vegas with my friend Linda. We were treated like VIPs at the Mandalay Bay resort because she was planning to hold a conference for 2,500 people there. We were invited to a fabulous Italian dinner and attended the backstage, VIP party before the Jimmy Buffett concert. We enjoyed amazing spa treatments before heading out to see Cher perform.

Oh, did I mention we were chauffeured everywhere in a bronze-colored limousine? We definitely felt refreshed and rejuvenated after that wonderful weekend!

Don't feel guilty about having fun. Consider your playtime as an investment in your mental health. It beats going to a psychiatrist. If you're thinking that only the really rich can afford to play hard, forget it. Anyone can sneak off to the golf course, tennis court, or bowling alley for an afternoon.

Please make a habit of rewarding yourself well for all you've accomplished.