Lounge Chair to Office Chair

Returning from a vacation can feel like starting at the bottom of the mountain again.

You had a great time, but it felt too short, the work piled up while you were gone, and you immediately feel behind. (This is me. I just got back from vacation 😅).

But the mountain doesn't need to be daunting. I'm choosing to think about it as a mountain of bright and colorful opportunities, rather than dark drudgery.

Because it so happens that I love what I get to do (building a company and a product) and the people I get to do it with (my team and my network).

This slight refocus of perspective can radically change how we feel about our daily work.

Disengagement happens when we lose the connection between our daily tasks and the big-picture reasons why we work. Deeper engagement happens when, at any time, we can say how the things we're working on today directly support those goals and motivations that we deeply care about.

It sounds so simple, but have you spent enough time connecting the small picture of today to the big picture reasons why you do what you do? And critically, have you spent equal or more effort ensuring those connections also exist for everyone on your team?

OK, self-talk session over. 🤣

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