To be (a team player) or not to be (a team player)...that is the question.

So it's thanksgiving next week. I've been looking forward to this for 9 months. I'm not typically one to take this week off for vacation, but due to a minor issue around vacation balance (apparently, I am maxed-out and will loose 2 weeks of vacation this year unless I use it), I decided to go for it. Why not? Heck, I'm never home, I work hard, I deserve to stuff myself silly and sit in front of the fireplace sipping bailey’s and hot chocolate all week!! So, for the past 3 months, I've been planning to go skiing. Opening day at Beaver Creek is second to none! But as they say, even the best laid plans get undone. I got a call 2 days ago from one of the bosses asking me to be in Chicago on Tuesday for a major client meeting. And I mean MAJOR. And yes, you’re asking yourselves what client would be stupid enough to schedule an all-day meeting the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. I hear ya…makes zero sense to me too. Seeing as how I had already purchased tix for my vacation, and made a million other social commitments, I was none too happy. I mean, come on! The one time I decide to take vacation, and now I see it evaporating right in front of my eyes??? I am very much a team player. An “a-player” if you will. Everyone who knows me knows this. Conundrum...Should I cut my vacation short and be a team player? Or should I put my high heel down and throw a fit? (I actually haven't ever resorted to such childish behavior before...I swear!). I must confess that I was torn. For the past 10 years, I have 99 percent of the time put work before my personal life (a trail of failed relationships, missed spa appointments, and cancelled dinners prove it). I had been looking forward to my vacation, especially since I haven't had one all year. After much internal debate (read: torment), I decided to stand my ground. Yes, it is a MAJOR client meeting. Yes, I am a team player. But I must resist the temptation to ALWAYS be a team player. In the end, a nice compromise was reached...thanks to the almighty powers of telecom, I can dial in. The thought of being on a conference call all day is unappealing at best. But at least I can sit in my pjs in front of the fireplace. Food for thought: would YOU cut vacation short for work?