I know most of you take plenty of vacations during the course of the year. However, if you are a workaholic like me, sometimes you neglect some needed time off with the family.

I finally took a vacation last week, and I have to tell you, I feel more energized than I have in a long time. Don't get me wrong ... I have many "families," and everyone on cerecdoctors.com is my second family - and I maybe took a peek or two on the site during the week.

Most of the time I just spent time with the family and flat-out relaxed. If you've never taken a week off and just stayed at home, I highly recommend it. Sometimes when you travel, you need a "vacation from a vacation."

One thing that I did was reread a book given to me by Imtiaz Manji called "Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality." It's an excellent read about some of the challenges all of us face in life, and how to realize your potential and the potential of others. I definitely recommend everyone check it out.

So please, when you have the chance to relax and reflect, take advantage of it. Life is too short to ignore what's really important.