This morning I left at 4AM to drive to Düsseldorf (Germany) and drop off the oldest three of our four kids at the train station for quite the adventure!
This is their first time traveling internationally with just the 3 of them as siblings!
They are traveling back to the place we used to live for over 6 years to spend some time in the Italian mountains with dear friends.
When we used to live in Italy, summer breaks were three (!) months long.
Although it’s shorter now, it forces us to adapt our rhythms and change our pace.
Rest is not a reward for hard work. It is the foundation for it.
Summer is here. And it’s more than just a season. It’s an invitation.
School’s out. Calendars slow down. Rhythms change.
And if you pause for just a moment, you’ll feel it.
That quiet pull to breathe a little deeper.
To be fully present with your kids at the breakfast table.
To walk a bit slower. To look at the sky more often.
To read something just because you want to.
To remember who you are when you’re not on a deadline.
As leaders, we often carry the weight of vision, responsibility, momentum.
But here’s the paradox: you lead best when you’re most rested.
Because:
Rest isn’t the opposite of impact. It’s what makes it sustainable.
So here’s your permission (not that you needed it)…
Take the nap.
Forget the email.
Close the laptop at 4pm and go jump in a lake
(missing our ‘very own’ Lake Garda / Lago di Garda a little extra these days)
Let this summer break be a break.
Let it refresh you, recharge you, surprise you.
Because the world doesn’t need a burned-out version of you.
It needs the full-hearted, well-rested, wildly-alive you.
Have a great summer!
–Reinier.