Hello From Portugal

I hope today’s newsletter finds you in good spirits. As you may (or may not have) noticed, I’ve taken a few weeks off from writing the newsletter. In fact, I’ve been away from home for almost a month now.

The journey began with my sister’s wedding in Malta and gave way to a family trip through Italy and Portugal, where I am currently sitting here writing, taking advantage of the 8 hour time difference from Phoenix that should allow for this to arrive in you inbox just as the sun is rising and you’re morning coffee is brewing.

This is going to sound crazy, but one month is the longest I’ve been away from my studio for over a decade. It’s been 10 years since I’ve gone this long without making videos, writing, and recording speeches. Initially the lack of productivity felt like withdrawal. A constant nervousness. “What if everything I’ve worked so hard for goes away? What have I done?” You know, the somewhat predictable concerns one might have after an abrupt halt to their workflow.

A week or two into the trip I woke up to a message from a friend of mine that read simply: “What, are you on permanent f*cking holiday?” He is Irish, and I insist you re-read that in an Irish accent for dramatic effect. So good.

The point is though, when your work becomes your identity and you leave it behind, even temporarily, it inevitably and predictably creates a void.

10 years ago when I started what is now the Your World Within podcast I was living downtown Boston. Things were fun, exciting and crazy. Everything was moving quickly. Life was changing by the day. People were coming and going. I was cutting ties with ideas I’d held my entire life and opening my mind to new ones. It was fun, but it was a lot.

Amidst the chaos, there was one thing that would seem to provide clarity and grounding; taking the train to East Boston and being able to look over the harbor at the city.

From outside the hustle and bustle, everything looked different. You could see the beauty of the skyline over the water. You could hear the boats and car horns from a distance. You could feel all that was impossible to feel when downtown. That shift in perspective seemed to make sense of all the detail and “trivial” stuff.

As someone once said to me, it’s impossible to be Mickey Mouse and Walt Disney simultaneously. They require different ways of looking at the world. Sometimes you have to remove yourself from the frame to better understand the film in totality.

I see my hiatus in the same light. When you become acclimated to being in a machine, life becomes the machine. The little cogs and widget malfunctions become much bigger than they truly are. And of course it’s terrifying to step out of the machine. It’s efficacy often becomes, in and of itself, the goal. Humans have a tendency to build walls around themselves and call it life.

This really isn’t intended to be one of those cliché “traveling expands your horizons” messages. Traveling is great! Everyone knows that. I’ve seen some beautiful things and spent time with my family and loved ones that we’ll talk about for the rest of our lives.

But accompanying the travels has come a gift I had all but forgotten. That same clarity I experienced 10 years ago looking over the Boston harbor. You have to step outside the city to appreciate the beauty of its lights. You have to remove yourself from the machine to examine its impact. The value is in the disconnect and space you create between what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.

The space that this trip has afforded me has reinvigorated my sense of purpose. It’s sparked ideas. It’s made me feel lighter and freer to take creative risks. It’s put a spotlight on things (yes, even more things) that need to be discontinued or cut away. It’s been one giant reset.

Whether it’s a quick jaunt outside the city, a trip somewhere new, or even a morning stroll, seek to create space between your day to day and your “ideal” every so often. Step outside those machines we so naturally and instinctively create. Looking at your world from the outside in will unveil truths hidden in plain view, the same ones you’ve needed to uncover most.

Continue to live inspired,

1. Favor: I only have one favor to ask, if you could share this newsletter with anyone you think would benefit from it, that would mean the world to me. I’m on a mission to reach as many people as I can, and I cannot do that without a referral from you, my loyal audience!

2. Stay Connected: Follow me on all my platforms for daily doses of motivation and encouragement. Click the links below to be a part of the community:
   YouTube | Instagram | Spotify | Tik Tok | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter