Dear Friend,

We’ve been to Europe several times, but this second trip to Spain hit differently. Maybe it’s seeing it through a new lens — teenage kids, aging parents, and a different stage of life.

The first thing we noticed, as always, was the food. The quality, the simplicity, the natural ingredients. Even when we let loose in “Michelin-star tapas central,” we felt different — no bloating, no inflammation, just energy and enjoyment.

The Pace of Life

But what really stood out this time was something deeper: The intentional slowness of life.

People sit to have coffee, share a snack, and actually talk. You don’t see to-go cups or laptops open at every table. It’s not a Starbucks culture.

And it wasn’t just the young — the elderly were out late, social, and full of life. They were outlasting us. It was both inspiring and humbling.

The Illusion of Busy

In contrast, I often hear (and live) the familiar refrain:

“I’m too busy — between work, kids, and everything else.”

But that speed has a cost. Does it actually produce better outcomes?

Just as recovery is essential in fitness to increase performance, slowing down in life builds the foundation for sustainable output.

Taking time to connect improves mental health, deepens relationships, enhances sleep, and boosts creativity and performance. It’s a positive feedback loop.

The opposite cycle is just as real: poor sleep and poor mental health lead to a dysregulated brain (Greer, Goldstein & Walker, 2013) and poor decisions — creating a downward spiral.

Measuring What Matters

As an entrepreneur, I track plenty of business metrics. But the truest metric for performance in life might be the quality of our relationships — with Crizen, the kids, family, and friends.

When those are strong, I know I’m doing something right.

A Small Experiment

Lately, Crizen and I have started simple: Sitting down for coffee together. We realized our life had become 80% fast, 20% slow.

What if we flipped that — 80% slow, to earn the capacity for an optimized 20% fast?

Slow is not the opposite of fast — it’s the foundation for it.

Let me know what slowing down looks like for you.

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Thanks,

Mike