Was it a Cruel Summer?

August is almost over.

I have mixed feelings about summer.

On the one side, I love the hot weather and the never-ending strike of sunny skies.

Living in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, I find pleasure in the idea that countless Aperol Spritz and Prosecco by the sea await me, warm nights for outside dining, and a whole world of possibilities thanks to a social life that has been hibernating for the entire winter.

On the other hand, if you don't pay enough attention, it can pass in the blink of an eye.

"August slipped away into a moment in time, 'cause it was never mine..." - Taylor Swift

For me, what started as a cool, fun, ego-stroking summer, thanks to an event I had the honor of moderating, ended up being one of the most challenging ones of the last few years.

Without going into too many dull and personal details, let me say there was A LOT I had to give up this summer.

I lost a lot of my peace of mind. With that, I had to say goodbye to clarity, focus, and time to pursue my goals.

If what we focus on becomes our reality, what happens when we have absolute zero energy to focus on our business?

On an average day, I spend 70% of my waking hours working on (and for, but this is another topic) my business.

I think about issues I want to fix, projects I want to tackle, and goals I want to reach. I plan, strategize, and manage. I also meet the key people on my team to hear their thoughts and inputs.

The other 30% of my time is unevenly divided between personal time and family time.

I still don't know if this is the "right" ratio, but I know that I love doing something productive for my business.

I believe it is my duty and responsibility to care about more than anyone, but this past summer, I started questioning myself.

Isn't it too much if this love puts my business over everything else?

If personal matters put the business in second place, how can I let go of the guilt of not working hard enough?

How can I stop feeling constantly "behind" or "late" for the next step?

How can I put some healthy distance between myself and daily occurrences at the office?

Last year, I started working on a personal KPI to measure success: an "internal" metric that could free us from the classic trifecta of revenues, margins, and profits.

It has more to do with happiness and energy rather than percentage points.

And yet, over the last few months, I realized I had lost my enthusiasm because I had been focusing for too long on everything that—as a business—I don't have yet. And that is the silent killer for every entrepreneur.

Looking at other people's social media posts and reading biographies of famous managers who changed their industry and became legends started depleting my cup instead of filling it.

However, as often happens, you gain clarity and build your energy stack only by taking a step back.

"The Universe Always Conspires to Help the Dreamer" - Paulo Coelho

A summer that, from the outside, looked eventless became exactly what I needed.

I had the privilege of disconnecting from LinkedIn, disabling email notifications, and silencing all messages from Teams.

I made room and created mental space, and once I had removed all background noise, it became easier to hear what matters the most: myself.

Sometimes, I forget to look back and breathe in everything I have accomplished so far.

All the goals that looked unreachable five years ago are now part of my reality.

Everything I worked so hard for, and now I have.

Being frustrated over what I don't have made me realize I was disrespecting my old me. The one who brought me here, fighting long and hard daily.

Now that what could have looked like a Cruel Summer is about to end, I look at Q4 with a renewed sense of calm and peace.

There's a lot to be done but also a lot to be lived.

Choose wisely.