Clarity, Gen Z Reality Checks & Piña Coladas

The Break Did More Than Recharge Me.

In a previous newsletter, I shared what surfaced when I finally took a break: Mental untangling, buried “shoulds”, and the slow unraveling of business-as-usual. (Missed it? Read it here.)

But the real breakthroughs?

They sneak through those moments when you’re dodging the family with kids taking over the elevator. They pop up while you’re slurping a piña colada (with a ridiculous chunk of pineapple) and watching the sunset. Or in a conversation with someone whose worldview lands like a friend splashing you— playful, but still gets in your eyes.

This week, I’m digging into what happens when a break doesn’t just give you clarity — it shakes something loose.

Let’s get into it.

1. Shake up your assumptions with new perspectives

When you step out of your usual context, you meet people who live, work, and think differently. (I’m talking to you, islanders.)

Suddenly, your default settings get exposed — the beliefs and behaviors you’ve been running on without even realizing it.

“It helps you kind of step out of your mindset and the framing that you show up in the world with—and gives you an opportunity to see what adjustments you can make.”

This happened to me on the Big Island — casual conversations that gently (and sometimes not-so-gently) revealed how much of my thinking still carried the scent of a corporate overachiever.

Some of it was fun. Some of it was humbling. Like realizing I’ve been showing up like a 30-year-old trapped in a Gen X body. (Shout out to the Gen Zs and Millennials for the polite reality checks.)

But these shakeups are useful. They help you notice what still feels true — and what’s ready to be left behind.

2. Reconnect to fun — and why you’re doing this

When you come from a high-achieving background, it’s easy to turn your dream into a job.

Suddenly the business that was supposed to give you freedom starts to feel like the job you just left —only with fewer coworkers… and less PTO (at least in the beginning.)

A good break reveals just how deep into “doing” you’ve gotten.

“Because if it’s not fun, why do it? What are the reasons driving you forward?”

For me, it was realizing I’d slowly crept away from the parts of my work that actually felt energizing. Not on purpose — old habits die hard.

And the result? Everything started to feel heavier. Not harder — just joyless.

Breaks help you spot that. And if you’re paying attention, they’re an opportunity to reel that joy back in.

3. The real perspective shift? Asking: what else is possible?

Perspective isn’t just about clarity.

It’s about space. Space to imagine differently. Space for the question that doesn’t always come in a coaching session or a visioning worksheet:

“What else is possible for me?”

Breaks help you see where you’ve lost the thread—and give you the space to pick it back up.

That’s the moment when the break becomes more than recovery — it becomes rejuvenation. Not in a dramatic way. In a grounded, human way. A quiet reorientation toward something that fits better — because you want it.

Where this leads

That’s what these breaks do. They shift your center of gravity. They show you something you didn’t realize you were missing.

Consider this— those insights are fragile at first. It’s easy to downplay them once you’re back to regular life. To talk yourself out of the new direction. To file the clarity under “someday.”

Keep those insights close for a week or two after you get back. It’ll help you stay anchored in that new center of gravity.

If something in this resonated with you — and you know someone who’s been carrying a little too much for a little too long —forward this their way. Sometimes the break starts with a different perspective.

To your success,

Pierre

Certified Professional Coach

Photo by Garett Mizunaka on Unsplash