“Be careful what you wish for…” they’d say.

I couldn’t agree more.

Approximately one month ago, I talked about how much I missed traveling. Next thing I know, I’m on a plane headed to Rome within a week’s notice! Get home, unpack and jet off to Charleston. Get home, unpack and drive to Islamorada. Get home, unpack and immediately start planning our trip to Amalfi.

By no means am I complaining – trust me, I am incredibly grateful and know these moments in life are priceless. I just didn’t think it would happen so quickly, one trip after the next!

Staying put in one place is officially a thing of the past. I did Rome in a few days, (yes, that’s right – the entire trip including flights was less than five days) which left me utterly exhausted by the time I returned home. I got sick and couldn’t get out of bed for at least three days and fell pretty behind on work. Yet, I continue to do this to myself – work at a “pace” that’s not OK simply because I feel that it’s necessary to be successful and achieve the things I want in life. (For the record, “achieving” means a whole lot more than being Insta-famous. More on this in a second.) I wake up, go straight to my computer, work (get sidetracked every now and then, not going to lie) and do so until the wee hours of the night (like right now, it’s almost 11PM and no I did not work out as planned because I got sidetracked with styling).

Let’s just say the “work vs. life” balance hasn’t always been my strong suit. I have a tendency to work super hard (i.e. Rome) and then crash and burn (i.e. getting sick). I struggle getting out of this strange workaholic vortex…I think for a number of reasons. One being that the lines between work and home are slightly blurred for me. I work from home and on social media so it’s easy to answer emails in pajamas, skip workouts and work ridiculously long hours because I don’t have colleagues clocking out at 6PM saying, “Hey Steph, want to grab happy hour?” And two, because I’m a high achiever. (I’ve talked about my struggles with perfectionism before – read more about it here). I have this internal feeling sometimes that if I’m not working, my entire blog will collapse and fail all in one day, which is ridiculous. I know.

The last time I took a “real” break from work was last November when I signed up for an impromptu photography course (you can read about it here). And honestly, it wasn’t really time off, but more of a mental break from devoting so much mental energy to my blog. On my first day, I answered emails in between lectures. Around the third or fourth day, I shut my computer off and paid attention. I graduated feeling productive, creative and even happier than before, which left me realizing how important balance is and how working less can oddly produce more. That’s why, soon after the course, I changed my blog’s mission statement and sharpened its direction.

So where’s this going?

I’m headed to Italy with my boyfriend in a couple weeks (if I haven’t already mentioned this like 4 billion times, lol) and am mentally preparing myself to be in one of the most beautiful places in the world – but actually on vacation, not work. He’s giving me one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening to take pictures. No location scouting. No waiting for the perfect light. No shooting 5 looks in one day. No late night editing. None of that…if I get a shot, great. If I don’t, we’re moving on and I’m headed straight to a glass of wine. It’s that simple. I’m going to challenge myself to disconnect, like anyone else who’s on vacation.

More often than not, people are judged based on how “busy” they are. They think success means being nonstop and constantly working. But being successful to me is not about that or being the best blogger in the world, achieving global recognition and fame. No. In fact, success in my book is about sustaining overall happiness and living a fulfilled life, which can only be done when I remember to step away from my work and be present, too…

Xo, Stephanie

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Blouse: (c/o) Sezane

Skirt: (c/o) Sezane

Earrings: Mallarino – sold out, see more options here

Hat: Janessa Leone