The Next Step Is Enough

Hey Team!

It's late in the day as I write this... much later than my typical Tuesday writing of this newsletter. I'm home in Tofino and absolutely cranking with life. Between everything happening with OPS RUN and finally getting back to running, life feels incredibly full and time feels like it has quietly walked out the side door, nowhere to be found.

The busyness right now is a gift, and something I'm extremely grateful for. It takes a lot of juggling and effort, but what a gift it is to be in service to others and in full-time creation mode. Every once in a while, I'll pause during the day, look out the window and reflect on the journey that got me here. For me, it's a gentle reminder that there will never be another moment exactly like this one. So embrace it. Be present for it. And learn from it.

A Mental Edge

Among all this busyness, I've noticed another pattern lately. A number of people in my immediate circle, or one degree removed, have been feeling overwhelmed and stressed. I've had several conversations over the past few months where the explosion of AI has actually come up as part of it. People feel like they're not keeping pace with how quickly the world is moving... or at least with how quickly they think they should be moving.

There's this growing perception that everyone else is getting ahead while you're somehow falling behind. And granted, a lot is moving incredibly fast. But it has made me think a lot about the fragility of the mind, and just how important mental fortitude is going to become in this next era.

Many years ago, I was fortunate enough to work closely with a world-class expert in resilient leadership. He's since become a great friend, and I still learn something almost every time we talk. He also coached me through some of the hardest periods of my life and had a massive influence on the way I now navigate adversity. A few of his lessons have stayed with me.

When things feel chaotic, slow them down. Take a step back and get a complete picture of what is actually happening. Our minds have an incredible ability to make something feel more dire than it really is. Remove the emotion, take inventory of the facts and the path forward usually becomes clearer.

He also taught me that you rarely need to respond at the same velocity that something arrives. Something can be important without being urgent. Learning the difference can change everything.

And through all of it: remain authentically optimistic about the outcome. Not blindly positive. Not pretending that something isn't difficult. Just maintaining the belief that there is a way through.

There are plenty of other traits of resilient leaders that he's shared with me over the years, but when it comes to everyday stress, I often come back to the simplest analogy I know: the longest, hardest run. There's really only one way you're getting through it... forward. You can slow down. You can stop for a minute. You can catch your breath. But standing still indefinitely, overwhelmed by how far there is left to go, isn't getting you any closer to the finish line. So take the next step. Then another.

And if, in the heart of your heart, you know you're doing your best, give yourself some grace along the way. Sometimes that alone is enough to make the next step feel a little lighter.

The world may keep getting faster, but that doesn't mean we have to move at the same speed. Slow it down, trust that you're doing your best, and just keep taking the next step.

Catch you on the Start Line,
—Matty