Sprint. Rest. Repeat.
String Music: A Newsletter from Dr. Hunter Taylor
Sprint. Rest. Repeat.
The Goalie
One of my favorite pieces of sports research involves soccer goalkeepers.
When facing a penalty kick, most goalies dive.
Left.
Or right.
Rarely do they stay in the middle.
The strange part?
Statistically, staying in the middle gives them the best chance to make the save.
So why don’t they?
Because standing still looks like you’re doing nothing.
Even when it’s the smartest move.
I wonder how often we make the same mistake.
The Lion
Naval Ravikant has a line I’ve been thinking about lately:
“I want to work like a lion, not a cow.”
A cow grazes all day.
Steady.
Constant.
Predictable.
It never really stops.
But it rarely produces extraordinary results.
A lion works differently.
It rests.
It watches.
Then, when it’s time to hunt, it gives everything it has.
Complete focus.
Maximum effort.
Then it rests again.
Not because it’s lazy.
Because recovery is part of the strategy.
Stillness creates space for reflection.
Reflection produces better decisions.
Better decisions produce extraordinary results.
Maybe the goal isn’t to stay busy.
Maybe it’s to know exactly when to sprint - and exactly when to be still.
The Reflection
Work ethic has never been my issue.
Maybe it hasn’t been yours either.
We’ve been taught that if we want opportunities, we have to work.
That’s true.
But I’m beginning to think the people who sustain great work over decades don’t simply work harder.
They recover better.
They create margin.
They think.
They reflect.
They edit.
For me, June has been full.
I’m grateful.
But as I look toward July, I don’t just want a slower month.
I want a wiser one.
More reading.
More thinking.
More quiet.
More thoughtful revisions to the work and people I’m responsible for.
Because I don’t think flourishing comes from constant motion.
I think it comes from intentional rhythms.
Your Challenge
Before you fill next month’s calendar, schedule your thinking first.
Protect time to ask:
What’s working?
What needs to change?
What deserves more attention?
What deserves less?
Reflection isn’t time away from the work.
It is the work.
The Final Reflection
Anyone can keep moving.
The best leaders know when to stop.
Sprint.
Rest.
Repeat.
This newsletter is reader-supported, and always free.
If you enjoy it and want to support my work, the best ways are simple:
Pick up one of my books — including Draw the Line, now available on Audible.
It helps me keep writing and sharing these ideas - and it means a great deal.