while enjoying my vacation in colorado, i would occasionally log into my work email and check my inbox. most emails were low priority, but there were two issues that appeared to be brewing. one, i could manage when i returned to work. the other had the potential to impact a project budget by $1M; to put it in context, a $1M issue is somewhat of a 'big deal' with the project manager.
the issue was complex enough that i did not immediately react to the email, nor did i respond to the email. i decided i needed a clearer head and that the issue was not so urgent that it could wait until i returned. then i put on my stoic glasses and tried to view the issue in context.
was this anything in my control? should i worry about this for the remainder of my vacation? was the $1M 'real' or was it a non-issue?
i decided it was not wholly in my control and even if it were a real issue, i would still need to gather second and third opinions to confirm before any communication up-line to project managers and management. i focused on enjoying my vacation.
when i returned from vacation, i re-read emails, talked to people and held meetings to fully understand the issue.
as it turned out, it was a non-issue. it was a 'behind-the-scenes' accounting task that was not going to cause the project to go over by $1M.
the pre-stoic version of me would have worried and stewed over this email all during my vacation and up to the point of confirming it was a non-issue. the stoic version of me was able to focus on the present (my vacation) and had less worry.
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