From the Founder, Brian Mazza 10/20
PRIORITIZE YOUR HAPPINESS
This weekend I had a casual check in with a friend, one of those routine conversations where we catch up on life, family, work, and the week ahead. At the end, he asked me what I had going on this week. Without really thinking, I said something that surprised both of us.
I said, “I’m going to prioritize my happiness more than I usually do.”
There was a pause, one of those rare, silent moments where both people know something real just landed. After that, the call shifted.
He asked me what that meant, and for the first time in a long time, I answered without rushing. I told him that I need to slow down and be more thoughtful with my approach to everything. To pause before I react. To be more aware of my pace, my purpose, and my presence.
I told him that I want to stop running past the moments that actually matter.
As high performers, we often pride ourselves on our grind. We wear our intensity like armor. But sometimes that armor becomes too heavy to carry. We confuse movement for progress, pressure for purpose, and achievement for joy.
That is when the tunnel vision sets in. We keep going, but we lose sight of why we started.
When you live with constant forward motion, you start believing that rest is weakness. You tell yourself you will be happy once the next milestone is reached, once the next deal is closed, once the next win is secured. But happiness does not live at the finish line. It lives in the small pauses in between.
By all means this does not mean get complacent or get lazy. It means being aware enough to know when your standards are serving your growth and when they are quietly draining your spirit. It means recognizing that performance without peace is never sustainable.
You can be both self demanding and self loving. In fact, you must be. Because true excellence is not built on exhaustion, it is built on awareness.
Happiness, for me, is not sitting still. It is alignment. It is knowing that the work I am doing, the people I am surrounded by, and the pace I am moving at all serve a purpose bigger than myself.
So this week, I am still chasing goals. I am still demanding more from myself. But I am also paying closer attention to what fills me and what empties me.
Because happiness is not a reward for high performance. It is part of the process.
Slow down.
Breathe deeper.
Think clearly.
Move intentionally.
You cannot pour from a restless cup.
Prioritize your happiness. It might be the most productive thing you do all week.
Reflection:
Where in your life can you slow down this week to reconnect with your purpose and protect your peace?
