We’ve all done it. You get caught up in the daily chores and check one thing after another on your endless to-do list. Sell your next customer based on your value proposition. The third answer to an industry advocate you need at your next event. Report a bug for your engineers. Signing a venue contract for your upcoming event. Review monthly fire figures. Pitching the 162nd investor to participate in your Seed round.
You and I both know that the end of that list is a myth. So, you grind. Day after day. Week after week. Month after month.
That’s sustainable, for a while. But you will inevitably reach a breaking point. You will get tired. Start making careless mistakes. Contact your CTO. Forget your niece’s birthday. Two days before a conference, realize you never booked the flight. Lose track of what actually moves the needle after weeks of working on the wrong things. Don’t talk to your parents for a few weeks.
Or worse: you get burned out. And when that happens, your company’s opportunity for success is lost.
There is no magic potion to keep you from reaching breaking point. You need to slow down and find a state of calm to ensure that the priorities guiding your life and business are the right ones right those.
Some call it loneliness. I call it something else…
Silence: A state of silence, calm and stillness in a person or place.
Enter ❇️GEM walks the Camino (part II)❇️, which one gave me exactly the peace I needed a year ago. So much so that we’re doing it again this year, from May 9 to 16, seven days and 100 kilometers of incredible scenery, deep conversations, amazing dinners, a supported trip, pre-booked accommodations and life-changing memories. You find yourself among ‘pilgrims’ from all walks of life, each there for their own personal reasons. It should tell you something that the majority of those who did a trek last year will undertake it again in 2026.
I have no doubt that this trip will be the most impactful trip of the year for me. Flights have been booked from May 5 to 18, after which I immediately return to the hustle and bustle Housing innovation summit. But for those seven days, I’m glad I won’t be hammering the keyboard. I will not hold any meetings. I’m not going to check Inman or X. I’m not going to write articles. Won’t get in the weeds of pitch decks. You don’t have to worry about filling the next dining table. I won’t worry about that, but instead focus on exploring my own thoughts, in the company of other wonderful people who choose to prioritize their own self-exploration.
If you’re ready for a dose of rest in 2026, I highly encourage you to join us on the GEM Walks the Camino trek in May (May 9-16). We still have two or three spots available. If this all sounds great but you’re unsure, me VERY HIGH encourage you to watch The Way.
When I have completely disconnected from digital life, those are the moments in my life when I have felt the most free. Even if the Camino trek doesn’t fit into your schedule, don’t forget to look up every now and then and experience the moment you are in. You’ll find that it heralds a renewed energy as you get back to work, focused on what really matters. At least, that’s true for me.
Would you like to know more? Send us an email at community at geekestate dot com or view the events calendar at GEM Primer for further details.
#Finding #peace #Camino