Each year of my life,

going back to childhood,

I’ve come to this lake

in the Adirondack mountains. . .

sometimes hosting a creative retreat,

sometimes arriving alone with family.

It’s always a time

of restoration and an opportunity

to develop, review and revise material.

Given a few high-stakes events ahead,

I figured I’d come

down to the lake to do some prep.

Something about being away from

(and outside of)

one’s normal environment

provides an added edge of focus.

One sees new connections:

for me, it’s the links between the arts

and leadership, teamwork or sales.

Over the years, this dock has become

one of my favorite

“rehearsal studios” and stages.

And when I think back on it, I realize

some of my best work has been done

in some of the most unexpected places:

on subways, on planes,

in hotel hallways,

and yes, here at the lake.

You do your work wherever you can;

you keep your projects alive;

you don’t need the “perfect” set-up;

you just need to carve out

a little bit of time.

Risk Forward and Rock On,

P.S. If you saw my message last week about Steve Pressfield’s outstanding book, PUT YOUR ASS WHERE YOUR HEART WANTS TO BE, this is me doing just that.

P.P.S. If you look closely, you’ll recognize this very dock from the photo last week with Steve Pressfield.