Family Photos

I am so happy I brought my family with me for my business trip. One of the most challenging things as an entrepreneur is to be away from your family during certain conference trips. I hoped during this trip to have the opportunity to connect more with my family while also engaging the people at the conference and getting some down.

Oftentimes we think of self-care as getting away for a nail appointment or being able to get our hair done. But sometimes, self-care is organizing things in a way that is best for everyone. For me, as I prepared to go away for the weekend, one thing that I thought about was how I would be far away from my family for a one hour speaking engagement. 

I decided to take my family with me and enjoy a family work weekend, which for me operated as an opportunity to practice self-care. I would have had much more anxiety being away so far for something that only lasted an hour. 

We were able to fit in some great family time and also meet my husband for the end of his work trip.

Self-care is not just about indulging in yourself. It’s about managing the expectations you have for yourself and others. For me, I really needed to make sure that I wasn’t overextending myself. I hoped that in doing so, I would be able to eventually find a balance for my family. We were able to go to a Disney on Ice show and have dinner together. It was really a great opportunity for me to do my business but enjoy my family.

In the future, I’ll definitely opt for alone time weekends, where I’m able to indulge at the spa, sleep, eat what I want, and have fun to recharge. But this was a work trip. Sometimes working, family, and practicing self-care are intertwined. This just happened to be one of those weekends. 

I enjoyed our time at the Marriott. It was fun and relaxing. 

The Marriott Ace Hotel provided a great opportunity to enjoy family, practice self-care, and enjoy the downtown of San Jose. I didn’t even know that this brand existed, but it was really cool to be able to connect with the team there and also enjoy the ease of being in the downtown vicinity of San Jose. The Silicon Valley area is so rich in culture and different small towns, and it was great to be able to enjoy that downtown area.

Author(s)

  • Eraina Ferguson

    Writer, Advocate, and People Lover

    My Good Life

    Eraina Ferguson is a creative nonfiction writer currently penning a memoir about raising a daughter with autism and deafness. Her story was featured in “The New Haven Register” She holds an M.Ed in Education and an MAR in Religion from Yale University. Learn more about her here: erainaferguson.com