Sometimes it takes stepping away from your environment and your routine to truly appreciate the why, what, and how of your own life.
As I spend time in India, observing and experiencing the differences, I can’t help but notice the stark contrast in how people approach work, time, and energy. There’s an undeniable hustle in the streets, a relentless movement, a pace that feels both chaotic and purposeful. Yet, within that same intensity, there’s also a deep, almost effortless acceptance of pauses – moments of rest that are woven into the fabric of life. Shopkeepers shut down in the afternoon for a break. Conversations stretch longer, not out of inefficiency, but out of a different understanding of time. Even in the fastest-moving cities, there’s an awareness that life isn’t meant to be an uninterrupted sprint.
It’s a reminder of something I’ve long believed: excellence isn’t about working non-stop. It’s about managing energy. The people who sustain high performance, whether in leadership, business, or creative pursuits, aren’t the ones who never stop. They’re the ones who know when to go all in and when to step back. Sprint with intention, rest with purpose, and you’ll win with consistency.
In leadership, this rhythm is essential. I’ve seen too many leaders confuse motion with progress, busyness with effectiveness. They push endlessly, assuming that relentless effort alone will drive results. But leadership isn’t just about forward momentum – it’s about pacing. The best leaders know that intensity, if not managed, leads to exhaustion. They create space for reflection, allowing themselves and their teams to think, adapt, and recharge. They set the tempo, recognizing that sustainable success isn’t about working harder, but about working smarter.
The same applies to productivity. The most effective people don’t grind through every hour of the day. They understand that real progress comes from deep, focused sprints – periods of high-impact work, followed by deliberate recovery. The human brain isn’t built for non-stop exertion. Without rest, creativity declines, decision-making suffers, and what once felt like ambition starts to feel like survival. The mistake many people make is treating work like a marathon, when in reality, it should be managed like interval training – intense bursts of effort, punctuated by necessary recovery.
Sustained excellence requires periodic intensity. The world’s best athletes don’t train at full capacity every single day. They push their limits in sprints and recover intentionally so they can do it again. The same applies to anyone who wants to perform at a high level over the long term. Energy, not time, is the real currency of performance. The people who manage it well don’t just succeed more; they enjoy the process.
This trip to India has been a reminder of how deeply cultural habits shape our relationship with work. In North America, rest is often seen as a luxury, something to be earned after enough output has been produced. But here, I see a different approach – one where rest and work aren’t opposing forces but two parts of the same cycle. It reinforces something I’ve always known but sometimes forget: winning consistently isn’t about pushing endlessly, it’s about knowing when to push and when to pause.
If you want to sustain your best work, lead with clarity, and perform at your highest level, stop treating work like an endurance test. Success isn’t about how much you can take on – it’s about how well you manage the energy you have.
Find the rhythm, and everything changes.