The energy industry is built on speed. Production, innovation, deadlines, technology, and everything’s always moving forward.
There’s pride in being part of it, and I get it. I’ve been around this world long enough to know what progress smells like: oil, sweat, and pressure. But I want to open my first column not by revving the engine, but by inviting you to hit the brakes.
This might sound strange coming from a speaker and consultant who’s built a career on momentum and pushing boundaries. But I’ve realised something that’s not often said in meetings or on rigs: sometimes the bravest thing you can do is stop.
Not forever. Just for a moment.
© Supplied by Unspoken WoundsLet me paint a picture. You’re knackered. You’ve smashed out another 60-hour week, caught up on your targets, troubleshooting, teams, emails, and family messages piling up back home.
You tell yourself it’s just the job, the life, the industry. But deep down, you’re quietly burning out. Maybe not always burning, but often heating up and feeling the increased pressure.
There’s this unspoken pressure, isn’t there? To keep going, to be more, do more, and give more. We hear it wrapped in buzzwords like “progress” and “performance”.
Before you know it, you’ve broken your own rules. You skip the gym. You stop phoning your pals. You miss your kids’ bedtime again. You forget what it feels like to sit still without guilt.
So here’s my radical proposal: slow down. Not forever. Just for a day.
Take a day with no agenda. No goals. No washing to put on. No dishes to clean. Nothing but you, breathing. Be gloriously unproductive.
In Italy, they have a phrase I love: “Il dolce far niente”—the sweetness of doing nothing. A concept that might seem like a crime in the high-performing energy world, but let me tell you, it’s not. It’s medicine.
I’m not talking about laziness. I’m talking about stillness. About rest. About choosing, just for a moment, not to be productive. Not to chase, but just to be.
This isn’t theory. I’ve lived it. I’ve worked offshore, travelled, and sat on stages sharing stories of trauma, resilience, war, and hope. I’ve seen what happens when we run ourselves into the ground. I’ve seen what happens when strong men and women crack under the weight of “keeping up.”
And I’ve learned to treasure the day with no tasks. I’m a big fan of chick flicks, by the way. Aye, consider that useless information now public record. But there’s a line in one of them that says it best: “We rarely get to do nothing.” And when we do, we rarely enjoy it without feeling like we’re falling behind.
So I’ve started taking those days more seriously. Not because I’m lazy. But because I want to last, and when I slow down, something magical happens—my mind clears, my body softens, and I remember what I’m doing this all for.
© Supplied by Unspoken WoundsNow, you might be asking: what does this have to do with energy?
Everything.
What’s the point of being at the forefront of global energy, leading science, pioneering technology—if you never get to feel any of it? What’s the point of earning big if your nervous system is fried? If your soul is disconnected? If your life is a blur?
Energy isn’t just about resources. It’s about people. And people need space to breathe.
So here’s my first offering to you in this column: take the pressure off. Choose a day, any day – even just half a day – and do nothing. Not “meditate” or “journal” or “strategically recharge.” I mean, actually, nothing.
Let your mind wander. Watch the clouds. Sit with your thoughts. Stare at the sea. Listen to your breath. Try to just be with yourself and the people around you, with zero need to fill the spaces of the hourglass.
Because when you do, you’ll discover something extraordinary. Underneath all the noise and speed, your truest energy. Your clarity, your fire, your joy, was waiting there all along.
Let’s be the kind of industry that honours that kind of power too.
