We were lucky to catch up with Aden Eyob recently and have shared our conversation below.

Aden , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you take vacations? How do you keep things going – any advice for entrepreneurs who feel like they can’t step away from their business for a short vacation?

Absolutely. Vacations are a lifeline for well-being and innovative thinking, whether you are a business owner, employee, or freelancer. We all need time to rest to reset, see new possibilities, and have fun.

The adage that a leader’s job is never done is not a reason to deplete your mind, body, and spirit and spiral into burnout. A Harvard University survey on CEOs and how they spend their free time showed that most CEOs worked 9.7 hours per day, 48.5 hours per week, with most working weekends (3.6 hours a day) and, sadly, vacation (2.4 hours a day).

As a business owner, I understand that there are times in an entrepreneurial journey when sacrifices are necessary for business growth, but having a vacation is not one of them. Vacation is a chance to wipe the slate clean, reflect and, when feeling stagnant, allow the newness of travel experiences to open doors for alternative ideas, goals, and plans to unfold.

Vacation doesn’t have to be expensive; a short getaway is just that, a chance to get away from your norm. That could look like a staycation, a domestic trip, or an international experience. The key is to step out to come back stronger than before.

Tips:
– Challenge unhelpful thoughts and fears through daily auto-suggestions (positive self-talk/ affirmations)
– Block vacation time in your calendar/planner as you would a meeting. Normalise time off.
– Visualize your business succeeding without you! Through this exercise, you can begin to let go of any blocks and allow yourself to create a reality where your business can thrive while you are on vacation or exploring other pursuits.
– Time is our rarest resource, and where you spend it matters. Ultimately vacation at its core is a change of scenery, so how can you create that today?

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am the clinical neuroscientist and author of The Book on Mind Training: The Secret for Positive Living. In addition, I am the founder and owner of Mind Medication, a mindset consultancy that can supercharge your executive team. I enable teams, groups, and individuals with the strategic alignment of mindset, communication, and goals to accelerate business growth.

I bring over ten years of business experience in healthcare with Fortune 500 companies, including Gilead Sciences, Kite Pharma, Medpace, Kantar Health, Ogilvy Healthworld, and academic institutions such as UCLA and Charles R. Drew University, to provide bespoke healthcare consulting services.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill and Dare to Lead by Brené Brown are two books that have influenced my management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy.

The critical lesson in Think and Grow Rich is that a quitter never wins – and a winner never quits. Persistence is the driving force that forms faith and the eighth step toward riches. Persistence requires willpower and self-discipline to turn your desires into their monetary equivalent. Persistence also separates the rich from the poor, for it is through the persistence test that the hidden guide passes you to achieve your desires.

Persistence is a state of mind and can be cultivated through habit, which builds a more substantial fire under your desires. As an entrepreneur creating habits for success is where I thrive and help my clients harness.

Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead book taught me the power of vulnerability as a form of strength rather than weakness. Entrepreneurship is full of ups and downs, and being able to ‘rumble with vulnerability’ with self and colleagues fosters deep trust and builds a healthy culture and team dynamics. According to Brene, authentic leadership requires vulnerability, values, trust, and resilience.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Having high-performance expectations for myself and others was a lesson I had to unlearn. Growing up in an environment where I faced challenging odds for success, I unconsciously conditioned my mind to excel at all costs. Failure was not an option, and neither was it for others. I had grown up to value performance as a form of self-identity and validation. This unhealthy expectation was also expected of others, especially those closest to me, friends and family, and colleagues. I had put them on a peddle stool with no margin for error. Excell or be eliminated.

When I became an entrepreneur, this mindset was challenged as I found myself not ‘meeting my expectations’ and failure becoming part of the growth journey. I had to acknowledge my disappointment and allow myself to sit in the discomfort of not being perfect. It also allowed me room to think about things differently and let myself and others make mistakes without adverse outcomes. I had to unlearn that high expectation is not the answer but reframe my mindset to focus on growth and progress rather than striving for perfection.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mind-medication.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindmedication/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindmedication/
• Other: Email: aden@mind-medication.com