My first real vacation since acquiring United Transportation.

Thinking back on my career, I know there were difficult times to get away, disconnect, or just shut down work for the week. There were plenty of vacations where I worked more than I should have, and knew it was just time before the email would arrive, the text “ding” would be heard, or the phone would ring. It didn’t matter if it was a board member, investor, executive, or team member; I made myself available and stayed connected.

Today seems very different.

Over the past year, we’ve built something real, and I truly appreciate the people we’ve hired to lead, manage, and make critical business decisions. A group of people who take ownership, solve problems, and move the business forward without waiting for direction.

And I write this post because that’s what we should all be doing. There’s a lot of noise out there about grinding nonstop, wearing exhaustion like a badge of honor. I call b/s — all day, every day. You don’t build something sustainable by never stepping away. You build it by creating a foundation strong enough to stand without you … even if it’s just for a week.

This isn’t about disconnecting from responsibility. It’s about trusting what’s been built.

And that might be the clearest sign of progress yet.