hey, mau here

another day on a little island in paradise.

ngl, this hasn’t been the easiest thing ever. thailand is so much different than bali.

i’ve had 1000x less inputs. so it’s just been me, my thoughts, and my mind.

and yesterday, i caught myself in a similar loop.

i felt like nothing i wanted to write or post was “good.” that i was crazy for thinking i could help people build lives + brands that are true to them.

and that i should just revert back to the version of me that felt comfortable.

but then...

i saw a video that my friend tara (shoutout @taramorelove) posted that reminded me of a really important truth:

to go fast – you must go slow.

and damn. this shit hit.

so many times we think that if we can just move faster, ship more, do more, create more…

that things will just magically work.

“more more more!” we yell. “faster!!!”

and when they don’t?

we start to doubt and question ourselves. we throw it all away before it has a chance to bloom.

but in reality, our tendency to want to move fast is actually what slows us down — and in some cases, completely kills the whole thing.

truth is, great things take time.

great ideas can’t be forced.

empires aren’t built overnight.

and as much as we think that we can do things at lightning fast speed — especially with ai and all the tools we have available…

sometimes, we just can’t.

and the trap?

when things don’t happen as fast as you thought they would…

it’s SOOO easy to revert back to the old identity you’re trying to grow from.

why?

because it feels safe.

truth is, growing into a new role or identity will always come with being more exposed, more seen, and more responsibility.

and this shit is scary.

but here’s the crazy thing…

if you were already living the life you wanted —

you probably wouldn’t be in a rush. you wouldn’t be moving from an anxious energy. and most importantly… you wouldn’t be doubting.

you’d be calm. slow. intentional.

certain.

calmly moving. walking forward at your own rhythm.

and surprisingly — when you move from this place, that’s when things actually start to work.

this has been the endless dance of my life...

planning, but allowing. directing, but not controlling.

building the life i want — while simultaneously surrendering to the ever unfolding.

and sometimes, you just need to go at the pace that holds the life you want AND your nervous system at the same time

because if not?

you’ll ruin it before it can even work.

expand → stabilize.

expand → stabilize.

but…

never contract.

don’t contract.

this is how you continue to grow.

so if things aren’t happening as fast as you’d like, and you feel like you want to retreat back to the version of yourself that feels safe...

stop.

breathe.

allow your body to catch up.

get yourself in the right state — and move from there.

much love :)

mau

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