06/02/2026
Have you ever had those moments where youāre completely exhausted⦠and then suddenly get a second wind?
For a long time, when that happened to me, my instinct was:
Amazing. We ride at dawn. š
Truly.
I would squeeze every last drop out of that energy before collapsing into bed barely able to see straight anymore.
And in the moment, it felt productive.
Exciting even.
Like suddenly having access to this fresh burst of creativity, momentum, life force, whatever you want to call it.
But over time, I realized something:
That second wind usually wasnāt a full refill.
It was reserve energy.
And instead of using it wisely, I was treating it like an invitation to drain myself all over again.
So while it felt like I was gaining momentumā¦
I was often digging the recovery hole deeper.
These days, I try to relate to those moments differently.
I notice the energy.
I might ride a little of it (because letās be honest, sometimes inspiration shows up at wildly inconvenient times š).
But Iām much more committed to letting the tank actually refill.
Because thereās a difference between accessing emergency fuel and building sustainable energy.
And I think a lot of high performers get rewarded for confusing the two.
Short term, overriding ourselves can feel productive.
Long term, itās often what leaves people depleted, disconnected, exhausted, and wondering how they got there in the first place.
Still learning this one in real time.