I took the summer off. I did this for several reasons. First I took the break to focus on my health, both physical and mental. These are things that often find themselves on the back burner when a client challenge or passion project arrive on the scene. The second reason was that after taking 18 months to research and write Running Training Like a Startup I had lost my perspective on the practices it contains. Taking almost 90 days to work on myself initially felt like extravagant waste. As the days passed it became increasingly clear that it was overdue and that I had come dangerously close to a place I did not want to be.
When my self allotted time began to come to a close I found myself quieter and able to hear my passion for rekilling today’s workforce. I was growing increasingly confident in the path I had selected. A confidence that had wobbled and waned prior the summer. I gave myself time to reflect on the learnings from client engagements and feedback I had received on the book. All in all it was an extremely valuable pause that I hope will make my future contributions that much more valuable to my readers, clients, friends and family.
The summer was not entirely without work. I read and learned prolifically. Articles, books, videos and conversations have fed my mind with ideas for blogs, book additions and activities. You can look for the next version of the shareware book to be released in Q4 with expanded content on governance and minimal viable product design. I am excited to share and get the advice of other practitioners. You can see a curated selection of articles I have been reading here.
I recommend a pause to everyone. It feels selfish. It feels like a luxury that can’t be afforded. It feels amazing. Sometimes we forget our “why.” Why we do what we do. Applying the 5 Why’s exercise to our own actions can sometimes be a valuable check on the alignment that we have in our life and work.
Why I Do What I Do
I believe that learning is the silver bullet. I believe it solves social and economic issues. I believe it impacts terrorism and global issues. I believe that it is the single most important driver in ensuring our future is better than our present. I believe that Running Training Like a Startup is my contribution to improving the bullet.
Running Training Like A Business 2.0 