Why Are Vacations So Hard For Entrepreneurs? - The Russell Brunson Show

The Russell Brunson Show
Episode: Why Are Vacations So Hard For Entrepreneurs?
Date: July 13, 2017
Host: Russell Brunson

Episode Overview

In this episode, Russell Brunson delves into the unique struggles entrepreneurs face when it comes to taking vacations. Rather than providing tactical business advice, Russell gets personal, exploring the psychological patterns that make it difficult for high-achievers to genuinely relax. The conversation centers around momentum, how entrepreneurs are wired, and why the traditional advice to "just relax" on vacation doesn’t always work for this personality type.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Entrepreneur's Dilemma With Vacation

Anticipation vs. Anxiety:
Russell shares how, despite looking forward to time off, vacation often brings him stress and anxiety rather than relaxation.
- "Today I'm going on vacation for a week. I'm actually looking forward to it, but at the same time, it really stresses me out." [01:10]
Work as Flow:
Being immersed in business activities provides energy and flow, not stress, for Russell. Ironically, downtime feels more stressful than a packed schedule.
- "When I'm at the office and working and doing my thing… I never feel stressed… I feel like I'm kind of like in my flow." [01:41]
- When you stop, that's when the anxiety and struggle really start to hit.

The Entrepreneurial Personality Type (EPT)

Shoutout to Alex Charfen:
Russell mentions working with Alex Charfen, creator of the "Entrepreneur Personality Type" (EPT) concept, highlighting its resonance with the way entrepreneurs function.
- "He talks about the different traits of entrepreneurs… and I've heard him give the presentation three times." [04:47]
Not Happy or Sad… But in Momentum or Stagnation:
A key insight from Charfen's EPT work is that entrepreneurs don’t identify much with "happy" or "sad", but with "momentum" or "lack of momentum."
- "Entrepreneurs don't feel happy or sad. What they feel is either momentum or lack of momentum." [07:18]
- Russell gets chills acknowledging, "That's what I do." [07:30]

Personal Anecdotes: Why Still Motivated Despite "Low" Testosterone

Russell relates a story about his doctor being perplexed by his low testosterone but high motivation—attributable to his entrepreneurial drive and excitement.
- "The doctor literally told me, 'Your grandma's got higher testosterone than you do right now.'" [05:33]
- Despite lacking normal "energy indicators," excitement and momentum in his business keep him going strong.

Rest vs. Progression

Productivity Spike Before Vacation:
Russell notes that the time before leaving on vacation is one of his most productive periods, fueled by the urgency to wrap things up.
- "I almost enjoy the process right before vacation. I get so much stuff done because I'm freaking out…" [09:00]
Inability to “Just Sit”:
For many entrepreneurs, simply relaxing (like sitting on a beach) is not fulfilling—there’s a need to be learning, reading, or creating.
- "Sitting at a beach is not… it doesn't do anything for me." [10:14]
Secret Strategies for Coping:
Russell plans out reading material and courses for vacations just to maintain a sense of movement and progress.
- "The most exciting thing for me is planning what I'm going to do when I'm not doing anything. Such a nerd." [13:08]

Family Dynamics and Social Perception

Business Taboo:
His wife insists he not talk about business on vacation, but suppressing business talk or activity makes him feel stagnant and even sad.
- "If I don't talk about business then like everything halts and stops progressing in my life." [11:00]
Entrepreneurial “Freakiness”:
Russell reassures fellow entrepreneurs that feeling this way is not wrong—it's simply how the most productive people are wired.
- "A lot of people think we're freaks because of it. There's nothing bad with it… It's why businesses are created, why there's momentum in the world." [11:48]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Momentum vs. Happiness:
- "The entrepreneurs don't feel happy or sad. What they feel is either momentum or lack of momentum." (Alex Charfen insight, [07:18])
On Pre-Vacation Rush:
- "I almost enjoy the process right before vacation. I get so much stuff done because I'm freaking out because I gotta leave at this time." [09:00]
On Family Perception:
- "My wife will be like, you know, on vacation you're not allowed to talk about business. I'm like, if I don't talk about business then like everything halts and stops progressing in my life." [11:00]
On the Value of Entrepreneurial Drive:
- "It's why businesses are created, why there's momentum in the world. I think it's because entrepreneurs who drive—the entire soul drive is momentum towards moving." [11:50]

Timestamps for Key Segments

00:00 – 02:30: Russell introduces the stress of taking vacations and confesses it's harder for him to relax than to work.
04:00 – 08:00: Discussion of Alex Charfen’s "Entrepreneur Personality Type" framework and its personal impact.
05:10 – 07:00: Russell's anecdote about low testosterone and unstoppable motivation.
09:00 – 10:40: The pre-vacation productivity surge and struggle to relax during downtime.
11:00 – 13:00: Dealing with family expectations on vacation and the stigma of being “different” as an entrepreneur.
13:08 – End: Russell's “vacation nerdiness”—how planning for self-education during downtime keeps him sane.

Takeaway

Russell normalizes the entrepreneurial need for momentum and movement, shedding light on why downtime feels so uncomfortable for many in the business world. He encourages fellow entrepreneurs not to feel broken, but to embrace their drive and find ways—even during vacations—to channel their natural energy into inspiration, visioning, and personal growth.

Summary in Russell’s words:
"If you're an entrepreneur and you don't relate with happy or sad, but you do relate with momentum and movement and you stress out about [lacking that], that's where I'm at. And I relate with you." [13:38]

Transcript

A (0:00)

What's up, everybody? This is Russell Brunson, and welcome to the Marketing Secrets podcast. So the big question is, how are entrepreneurs like us, who didn't cheat and take on venture capital, were spending money from our own pockets? How do we market in a way that lets us get our products and our services and the things that we believe in out to the world and yet still remain profitable? That is the question, and this podcast will give you the answers. My name is Russell Brunson, and welcome to Marketing Secrets. Hey, everyone. Hope you're excited for today. I've got this weird thing. I think a lot of entrepreneurs suffer from this. Maybe it's just me, but today I'm going on vacation for a week. I'm actually looking forward to it, but at the same time, it really stresses me out. And it's one of those things. Like, it's funny because everybody always tells me, russell, you going on vacation, you're gonna burn out if you keep doing the stuff you're doing at the pace you're doing all sorts stuff. But it's weird because, like, when I'm. Whoa, sorry. Trying to do with the new camera tripod while I'm driving. It's weird, though, because, like, when I'm at the office and working and being, like, doing my thing, like, I never feel stressed. Everyone's like, are you stressed? Are you overwhelmed? I'm, like, not really. Like, I feel like I'm kind of like in my flow, my motion, whatever you want to call it, right? But then I go on vacation, I get, like, super stressed and anxiety and sitting there and not doing stuff is really, really hard for me. That's why I like reading on vacations, because at least I feel like I'm like, something's progressing. And it's interesting. The Pirates Cove mastermind with Alex Charfen come and helping him to kind of figure out how to monetize his entrepreneurial personality type content, which I'm excited for. It's funny because I told him I first heard him speak, like, two or three years ago on the entrepreneur personality type, and it was amaz. I felt like I connected with him and everything. And I was like, okay, now when I hear something like that, I want to give somebody money for something. And I was like, there's no way for me to give him money. So it's funny, actually, I asked him if I could buy the entrepreneur personality type from him, and he's like, no. And then he's like, why? I'm like, because I know exactly what I'd do. If I had it and I can make a crap ton of money with it. He's like, alright, so then join the coaching program right afterwards so I can help him do it. It's like, it's kind of fun. We're helping him go through the process now and he's gonna kill it. It's exciting. But one thing he talks about that was interesting about Entre and if you haven't studied Alex's stuff, it's worth it. And it'll be soon in a format. It's gonna be a podcast, it's gonna be a training program, it's gonna be a bunch of stuff that he's kind of going through the whole expert secrets process now to figure out how to take in something. And I'm excited. When it's done, I'll be the first customer. And I think that all of you, all, because you're all like me, should as well. It's the entrepreneur personality type and he's talking about the different traits of entrepreneurs. And one thing that is kind of weird, I think I've heard him give the presentation three times, his core kind of main presentation, three times. He gets this one part, he talks about how entrepreneurs don't identify with happy or sad. And I was like, whatever. I'd identify with that. And then the more he started, the more he started talking about it, the more I was thinking, I'm like, when am I happy or sad? And I was like, people always say I look happy, but I'm just kind of happy person. It's funny, I. This is probably more personal than you guys want to know, but I went and got my testosterone taken actually, three years ago, we launched clickfunnels and came back at like 160, which the doctor literally told me. He's like, your grandma's got higher testosterone than you do right now. And then like six, eight months later, I did it again. I was like, 350. And I got done this week and I was like, 4:50. But every time I've gotten it done, the doctors have always told me, they're like, how are you standing here? You should have no energy, no motivation. And I was like, no, it's like the opposite. Like, I got so much motivation, so much energy. He was asking me all the symptoms. Like, he's like, do you feel tired? I'm like, well, I was like, tired. Like sometimes he's like, do you feel like, do you have bad memory? I'm like, no. He's like, do you feel depressed? I'm like, no. He's like, do you feel like all these things? And at the end of it, he was like. He's like, so why are you here? I'm like, because my testosterone is really low. He's like, you have no symptoms of it. And I was like, just. Because, like, everything's so exciting right now. And I started thinking more about this with Alex. Stuff like the entrepreneurs don't relate with happy or sad. And I was kind of thinking, I'm like, there's sadness, obviously, when someone dies or things like that, but, like, as a whole, we wake up in the morning, it's not like, am I happy or am I sad? And so he's telling that I was kind of confused, and I was like, I wonder how most people view happy and sad. Like, it didn't really make sense to me. And then this next slide, next portion, he said. He said a word. And, like, for me, I heard. I got chills. I was like, whoa, that's what I do. And he said, the entrepreneurs don't feel happy or sad. What they feel is either momentum or lack of momentum. They're moving towards something or they're not. They're moving away from something. And that's what we relate to. What we relate happiness to is motion forward, and what we relate sadness to or whatever is not progressing, not moving forward. I think it's just. I think it's just fascinating. Momentum, movement. That's what drives entrepreneurs. It's not happy or sad. It's movement, momentum. I think about that today as I'm going on this vacation. It's funny because I'm leaving today, so I was up all late last night. I'm up early this morning trying to get stuff done. I almost enjoy the process right before vacation. I get so much stuff done because I'm freaking out because I gotta leave this time. So I'm running, running, running, running. I'm moving momentum. And then, like, you on vacation, it's like, you stop. Like, everyone wants to just, like, chill out. They want to sit, and they want to just, like, sit at the beach. Like, I don't know what it is. Like, I get. I. Sitting at a beach is not. It doesn't do anything for me. Yeah. It's just weird. So, like, for me, it's like, I have to have momentum in this. This experience, this vacation, or else I'm gonna drive the rest of my family and friends and everyone is with us nuts. And they probably don't even know. They're just like, why is Russell twitching over to the side? It's like, cuz I need momentum, I need something. And so like that's what I'll sneak away and I'll read or I'll be sitting there like they're all talking and I'm like thinking about something like, oh my gosh, I can do this. I'm creating. I'm creating while I'm sitting there thinking because I'm like nervous and it's just funny because my wife will be like, you know, on vacation you're not allowed to talk about business. I'm like, if I don't talk about business then like everything halts and stops progressing in my life. And like lack of moment, momentum, lack of movement, lack of like direction is what will then make me depressed and, and, and sad and like cap, like stuck. And so anyway, it's a funny, it's a funny line that we have to deal with, especially all you entrepreneurs who are out there, because we just see the world a little differently. And I think a lot of people think we're freaks because of it. There's nothing bad with it. Like I don't think there's something bad. Like it's, you know, it's like why businesses are created, why there's momentum in the world. I think it's because entrepreneurs who drive the entire soul drive is momentum towards moving. Like, like we have to have that. So while we go on vacation, because we love our wives and our kids and our family members, like it's probably the hardest, most stressful part, which is so weird because it's like, go relax, go take some time, you're gonna burn out. And it's a little different. So anyway, so I'm excited. I've been plotting. I have three big vacations this summer. I've been plotting all of them. Like what books to read, in which order, what courses I'm gonna study, what things I'm gonna be moving. It's just funny how that's been. The most exciting thing for me is planning what I'm gonna do when I'm not doing anything. Such a nerd. Anyway, there you go. That's this entrepreneur. So if you're an entrepreneur and you don't relate with happy or sad, but you do relate with momentum and movement and you stress out about that's where I'm at. And I relate with you. So nothing else on your family vacations is somewhere when you're stressing out because you do nothing. I get you. So while that's happening, think, ponder, vision, dream. That's what, at least for me, keeps me going and lets me function like a normal human being with everybody else. So, anyway, that's all I got. You guys have an amazing day. Have a good vacation if you're going on one too, and I'll talk to you guys soon. Bye. Would you like to see behind the scenes of what we're actually doing each day to grow our company? If so, then go subscribe to our free behind the scenes reality TV show at www.funnelhacker.tv.