Life is About Direction, Not Speed

In a world that glorifies hustle, speed, and constant motion, it’s easy to feel like you’re falling behind.

But what if the real problem isn’t how fast you’re moving… it’s where you’re going?

In this episode of Operation Next Chapter, Marc and Cole break down the truth that progress isn’t measured by speed—it’s measured by direction. Moving fast in the wrong direction only takes you further away from where you actually want to be.

We talk about the pressure to “keep up,” the comparison trap, and why slowing down to realign your priorities can be the most powerful move you make. Whether it’s your career, finances, fitness, or purpose, clarity of direction will always beat urgency without intention.

If you’ve been grinding but still feel stuck, this episode will challenge you to pause, reassess, and make sure your actions are actually leading you where you want to go.

In this episode:

• Why speed without direction leads to frustration
• The danger of comparison and false urgency
• How to realign your goals with your values
• Slowing down to make better long-term decisions
• Building intentional momentum instead of reactive movement

You don’t need to move faster.
You need to move with purpose.

Listen now and take control of your direction.

#OperationNextChapter #LeadershipWithoutTheUniform #Purpose #Discipline #Mindset #PersonalGrowth #VeteranTransition #Clarity #DirectionOverSpeed

OperationNextChapter@gmail.com

Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:01

Finding that direction, finding where you want to be, finding what you want to do, and then doing it, not with a sense of urgency, but with a sense of purpose. It doesn't have to be fast. Everything doesn't have to be fast. You can have a sense of urgency to get things done, but you don't have to make urgent.

SPEAKER_01 0:28

We're marketing code. I like beyond you. We're here to help you move forward with clarity and confidence. Let's get started. Life is about direction, not speed. And it reminded me a couple years after I retired, I heard a phrase, you're redirected, not retired. And I wish I had heard that the couple years before when I actually retired because I thought it was about speed and finding the next thing. And I didn't see it as being redirected. I saw it as being retired, military, and having to find the next thing as fast as I possibly could.

SPEAKER_00 1:22

I think a lot of people fall into that. I know I did. In my job now, you know, I go around and I talk, and I and when I talk to people in general, you know, I tell them to retire, but I'm doing this. And like you, I mean, with everybody's heard my story, I was not necessarily looking for a job. But when something presented itself, I felt like I had to jump on it and I had to move forward quickly. Looking back, I didn't need to. I'm sure you felt the same way, Mark. We we talk about that. And you just mentioned it. You retired to find something else, right? And why in life do we do that? Why is it everything has to be done so quickly in the right now immediately, instead of just taking that breath? You and I finished careers, right? We finished successful careers, and yet we still fell into I've got to find something else.

SPEAKER_01 2:25

I think it's because our life and society and our culture, and we talked about this in America, is very fast. And so we try to fill that gap with the next thing as soon as possible. And the next thing could be a lot of different things, whether you're retiring from the military or the fire department or the police department or wherever. And we were fairly young when we retired, quote unquote. I was late 30s, and I would say the majority of people from the military and those other service career fields are probably around the 40s, mid-40s or so, and you have a lot of life left. And I think the traditional look at retirement in our country is I'm never gonna work again and I'm not gonna do anything, and I'm gonna just enjoy the rest of my life, whatever that is, golfing or going to the beach or who knows. But as we've said, we all need some purpose. So that redirection, that next thing, could be this, a podcast. It could be being coach, it could be another career, it could be taking care of your grandkids, it could be anything. And I think that's the point is that will come. It doesn't have to come tomorrow or the next day. Take a little time and find your true calling and figure out what you want to do. I think that's the piece we miss a lot is figuring out what we want to do, where we're gonna be happy and serving some sort of purpose.

SPEAKER_00 3:59

Yeah. That's sage advice. Finding something that you want to do. I feel like, you know, we're rushing to the next thing, we're competing with the next individual, we're competing with ourselves, we're competing with everything in life. And sometimes we rush into poor decisions, both financially, dietary, spiritually. We leave a church, we got to find that next church. You know, everything in life is such a competition. And and again, guilty, been caught up in it. We feel like we're under the gun, so to speak, and you have to get it done right now. Instant gratification, instant movement, instant everything can lead to a string of bad decisions because you're you're in that mindset.

SPEAKER_01 4:50

Yeah, I'm totally guilty as well. And I think that's why it's easy to talk about now because I realize looking back, like I probably made some choices that weren't the right ones at the right time, but it just felt like I had to do it. And then realizing, you know, six months or whatever into it, that this wasn't the right choice.

SPEAKER_00 5:11

So that urgency topped the priority, I guess. Yeah. Well, let's be honest. You were in a job that I was applied that I applied for, and you and I had this conversation. This might not be where you want to be. I was 100% gonna rush into that. I was 100% moving in that direction because I felt like I needed to do it right now. It needed to happen. And thank you for the advice. Hey, take a breath. Take a breath. Is this the right decision? Is this where you want to be? Not to say that you can't be successful, but there's that but take that pause. In life, in today's society, we we lose out on that a lot, I think. People lose out on that a lot because having to find the instant right now, in the moment, let's go get it done. And I'm not saying don't go get stuff done, but sometimes that pause, that but, that time frame, might be exactly where you need to be and exactly what you need.

SPEAKER_01 6:20

Yeah, it also made me think about the transitions that we're both going through right now and with our spouses, setting up this business. We did take that pause, and I mean, we've been thinking about it for a few months, if not more than that. So we knew the direction that we wanted to go and we knew that it didn't have to be rushed, it wasn't urgent, it was just the right time had to come. And so when that did come, you know, Tiffany took on the clinical side of getting things lined up and set up. I took on the business side, and you know, those those paths crossed, obviously, and it's happening, it's working, but it wasn't urgent. We have the ability to get it done in our time zone and not other people's. And so this is all coming full circle as we're having this discussion. Is last night I would receive some emails that I've been waiting on from the city and the state for facilities. And I looked back at, you know, the dates that I had submitted information requests, it was almost a month ago. So I can only imagine like if we were in a rush, if we thought this was an emergency, like we'd be stressed out. But knowing that we weren't, like, it'll come, it'll get done. And from us both being government workers prior, we know how the government works, whether it's local, state, federal, it's not fast.

SPEAKER_00 7:53

No doubt.

SPEAKER_01 7:54

So I knew that this is all this will all come together when it's meant to be, and it's not gonna stop our progress. It's just a couple rocks that we had to get over, and guess what? It's flowing, and we're not feeling pressure, we're not feeling the urgency. It's just takes time for it to come together.

SPEAKER_00 8:14

How comforting is that for you guys going through this? I grew up in a in a household where my my stepfather was he was a business owner, and you know, there was stress involved in that, right? There's stress involved in, you know, when business is slow. There's stress involved in, you know, when you gotta change direction, or the customer is not happy with with what's going on, and you know, you've gotta you've gotta deal with that. You and Tiffany are in a position right now, you're starting up, you're getting everything rolling, you're dealing with the government, which, as you mentioned, is not a fast process. But if this was the only source of income, if there was no planning that went in long prior to today, and the startup and the decision to move forward with the business, if you know, if you guys didn't set parameters and set everything up, you know, beforehand, then the the 30-day pause because the the city's making their decision, or they're not even making their decision, right? They're just taking that long to get back to you. The the stress level in your household is up, which means, let's be honest, everything's affected. Your sleep's affected, your workouts are affected, your eating's affected, your grandchildren is affected, your time together is affected, and everything else. When we fail to plan and fail to look forward, stress happens. Inevitably, there's going to be stress. Now, does that mean that there's, you know, there's no question marks going through your and Tiffany's mind? And what are we waiting on and all that stuff? Does that mean that's not happened? No, it doesn't, right? But there's very there's little stress involved in that because you know what? Like you said, it'll work. It's timing, it'll work.

SPEAKER_01 10:00

Yeah, and it always works. It's weird how when you think that you've hit a roadblock or the end of the road, there's always a way. And again, that's stuff we've learned from the government is there's always a way. And most of the stuff I've been waiting on is just information, questions that I've had, didn't know what direction to go. Yeah, it really is just waiting on somebody to reply and respond with what I'm asking. And yeah, I knew it was gonna come together. And I know we've hit this before too. I or Tiff would not want to go at this alone because what seems very simple business concept, there's a lot of pieces to the puzzle. And I know that two Clydesdale are better than one, and we're pulling in the same direction. We've got different loads, but we're working towards the same goal. And thankfully, she likes to do what she's trying to do, and I like this part of it. So it just worked out naturally, as opposed to me trying to do something that I have no idea what I'm doing, or don't know the or have the expertise like she does. And same with her, like the stuff that I'm doing, she's like, I wouldn't even want to do that. Like, if if you were doing it, I wouldn't be going in this business. So having a teammate, having somebody by your side doing it together is priceless.

SPEAKER_00 11:23

Yeah, and you're you're doing it with Tiff, with your wife, right? You guys have been working together for years and know each other inherently very well, and understand each other's strengths and more importantly, each other's weaknesses. And most importantly, you're not afraid to speak about your weaknesses or allow them, allow Tiff to take over where you may be weak and and her the saying. Jenny and I are are similar position, you know, moving across the country. And I know where she's strong and trying to prepare the house and get everything going and and and everything else and the planning pieces. She knows where my strengths are and my weaknesses are. Uh, we are two Clydesdale pulling together. Sometimes I'm a Clydesdale that goes off the rails a little bit, and Jenny knows when to yank the reins back and pull me back in because we just need to go get it done right now. And and again, we're talking about this episode right here, right now. And I'm telling you that that it's happening in my life right now. Just go get it done. Well, no, let's let's pull, let's tighten a bit, you know, yank on on Cole's mouth a little bit and slow him down. And hey, let's think about this, or let's pause for a second. When we get into the the stressful situations, that's what that's my go-to. Well, like you, this is not a stressful situation. It doesn't have to be, right? It's just a situation that we're going through. It's a chapter in our life. It is closing one and moving to the next one. You know, we have started writing our next chapter before we close this one, but it it's not stressful. And we've prepared for it.

SPEAKER_01 13:15

It's spot on, spot on analysis. Yeah, and we're currently in two different chapters also. And could you imagine Cole wanting to go East Coast, Jenny not wanting to go? It wouldn't work, right? You guys are in the same book, the same chapter, the same page, going at it together. And hopefully our listeners and people out there have those people in their life. And it doesn't have to be their spouse necessarily, but it helps when your spouse and you are on the same page and everything in life, not just the next career, not just finances, not just your health, like everything. You guys are working towards the same direction, the same goals, and you're winning together, and one person's not winning, the other person's feeling left behind. And trust me when I say this, we haven't always been this way. There have definitely been times where I was probably going in a different direction than she was expecting. You learn from those and realize, man, maybe that wasn't a great idea. I probably should have, you know, had this discussion before I made a decision.

SPEAKER_00 14:18

It's it's like Pavlov's dog. We see something that we want and we just go do it. You know, that reaction is inherent. And the beauty for myself, I have also recognized that in myself. And I have learned, now my pause is much shorter than what Jenny would like, but I have learned that I should probably pause for a second and at least make eye contact before I take off running, which leads to her then very quickly grabbing the reins and pulling back. But at least I I I consider that a win for both of us because I at least gave her the opportunity to know he's about to do something, though. Yeah, and you've been together long enough where she knows. Yeah, yeah. So it's funny. And when we retire from the Air Force, yes, I have a retired behind my name as far as the Air Force, but I'm not retired. I found a different direction. I found a new direction. I found somewhere else to go. Was it perfect? No, we've we've said that many times. Finding that direction, finding where you want to be, finding what you want to do, and then doing it, not with a sense of urgency, but with a sense of purpose. It doesn't have to be fast. Everything doesn't have to be fast. You can take that breath, and you just might find you make a better decision if you can pause and take that breath.

SPEAKER_01 15:45

You know, I even find it weird to say I'm retired. And I've learned to say I'm retired military because it makes more sense to people, because we aren't old enough, right? In the traditional sense of retirement. And even when I'm coaching, I'll have members ask me, so do you do something outside of coaching? I'm like, no, I'm retired military. I'm like, oh, okay. Like it makes more sense, right? And most of them don't think I'm my age anyways, they think I'm much younger. So then when the grandkids get brought up, they're like, whoa, well, what, wait, what? You got grandkids? So it it feels weird to say that word is what I'm getting at. And my response is just, no, I found a new direction life, and this happens to be where I feel I have the most purpose is coaching and helping people find, you know, their their health, right?

SPEAKER_00 16:39

And it's on your timeline. Yeah. It's where you guys want to be. It's where you have planned for years to be. And years. It it didn't just happen overnight. Right? All of these things that we're talking about don't just happen overnight. It didn't just fall into your lap. It wasn't a a good idea fairy, a shiny object that came in. The ideas have been there. The planning has been there. Was it as fast as somebody else could have done it, or maybe did do it? No. Or yes. Does that make a difference? No. Life happens for to each of us, and nobody else's nobody else's timeline should influence what what our timeline is on things, where we're going on things, how we're moving on things. You know, the keeping up with the Jones Joneses, that's where those Russ decisions may get you in a bad place. Other people's timelines on what our life is makes no difference. Yes. It's irrelevant to our thoughts. Now, a younger Cole didn't think that way. A younger Mark probably didn't think that way. I've been caught in that. And I've made decisions, poor decisions. But I have made decisions that taught me stronger lessons, I'll say that, than others, based on what other people were doing, what other people thought I should be doing with my life.

SPEAKER_01 18:06

Yeah, 100% true. And that's what I was about to say was our years of planning and long-term thinking started basically in 2015, 2016. The stroke was kind of the catalyst for that. And then shortly after that happened, you realize how short life is. And it's amazing what an event like that can do for your mental clarity and planning purposes, where you're not living just to the next day or the next paycheck or the next month. You're thinking long term, like, how are we going to go at life together and make it easier than what we're doing right now? And that's what I'm saying. This is years in planning. I'm talking 10 years easily by now. And that's for us, it started with the health part of it and the finances. So fitness and finances, I believe for us, was the foundation that led us to where we are now. Those two things together is really what improved our marriage and created what we have now, going together in life, winning together. And if I can give marriage advice, that's what it is.

SPEAKER_00 19:14

You mentioned two very important things that that affect the foundation of life, of marriage, of everything. The fitness and finances. Finances are huge. When money's tight, everything is tight. When when you don't have a plan for where your money's going, then every other plan in life is affected. You know? And and you mentioned fitness, health, health, period. If your health is failing or your health is suspect, then then your brain's not clear, you're not thinking clear, you're not acting clear, you're not not any of that stuff. So those are good foundations, right? Uh and and I'll say fitness, fitness, not just physically fitness, like we talked about with JJ. Life, it's not physically fitness, it's your mind, it's your spiritual side, your spiritual fitness, your your clarity, your brain fitness. It all plays together, it all ties together. And it and it, if one part of the fitness is not right, then work on that. Then it's time to time to restart, time to reset. And it pays off huge dividends.

SPEAKER_01 20:27

Life is about direction, not speed. We said it. Figure out what you want your life to look like. That's the process, that's the hard part that I don't think we take time to do. And that's why we make those speedy decisions and urgent actions, is we don't have clarity on what direction and where we want to go. And that's all this is about is slowing down, taking time to get that foundation built, those four pillars, if you will, those big rocks. And once you have those in sight or under control, that's when life gets easier to navigate.

SPEAKER_00 21:04

Yeah. You you can have a sense of urgency to get things done, but you don't have to make urgent decisions. Right? You can have a sense of purpose and a sense of urgency to get things done and make life happen, but you don't have to make your decisions, urgent decisions. You can take the time to think about the decisions that you're making. Yeah, that's really good.

SPEAKER_01 21:28

I think that's probably a good way to end this episode is exactly what you expect. Urgency, not urgent. I like it. Oh, sorry about it. Thanks for joining us on the chat. Oh, let's go running the podcast.