When The Engine Smokes.....
- Matthew Cossens
- Jun 18
- 3 min read
I’ve been running hot.
You know the kind of heat I’m talking about.
The kind that doesn’t show up in your calendar, but simmers in your bones.
The kind that builds things..... Brands, businesses, movements.
The kind that gets results, but quietly taxes the system in ways most people never see.
For months now, I've been operating at full tilt. Helping drive partner success, building the future of xrecruiter, creating XROS, focusing on every single component of our Mastermind, holding space for others to rise.
And honestly, I love it.
But even the best engines need to cool.
In just over a week, I get on a plane to Bali. 2 weeks where I completely shut off.
It’s not just a holiday. It’s a ritual. A discipline.
Two weeks. No laptop. No phone. No inbox chasing me around like a shadow.
Just presence with my family, with myself, with the version of me that doesn’t need to be constantly on.
I do this every year. Not because I’m tired, but because I’m human.
Tim Grover, the coach behind Kobe and MJ, said it best - You can’t train like a beast and recover like a rookie.
High performers often pride themselves on pushing limits.
But the great ones? They protect their recovery with the same intensity they give to their goals.
I stop because I want to show up better for the people who matter most.
For my wife. For my kids. For the partners who trust us at xrecruiter. For the legacy I’m still building.
I don’t want to build something that looks good but quietly eats away at the things that matter more.
Pausing isn’t a reward. It’s a responsibility. To lead well, I have to live well.
And living well means learning to put the sword down, to let silence do its work, to be still enough to hear what matters.
This isn’t just self care fluff.
This is high-performance strategy. Recovery is where
Creativity returns
Decisions sharpen
Patience grows
Perspective resets
Energy renews
Recovery is where leaders reset the rhythm of their lives.
If you don’t make time for recovery, your body will do it for you and it won’t be on your schedule.
This isn’t about taking a break when things fall apart.
It’s about being wise enough to pause before you unravel.
Here’s the things I notice when I stop
Gratitude hits differently when you're not racing.
It’s in the quiet mornings with my youngest daughter by the pool reading a book
It’s boxing at the hotel with my oldest daughter without a care in the world.
It’s in the unhurried conversations with my wife.
It’s in realising I’m already living a life I once only dreamed about.
It's about understanding life is not just hustle. But heart. Not just metrics but meaning.
Perhaps you are a leader that never stops. If you’re reading this and you feel a little uncomfortable or you are feeling the pull…..
Not to push harder, but to pull back listen to it. You don’t have to earn your pause. You need your pause.
And if you lead others especially if you coach, parent, partner, or mentor then you’re modelling what sustainable greatness looks like.
Greatness isn’t forged in constant motion.
It’s forged in rhythm.
In knowing when to strike and when to rest the blade.
Maybe you can’t fly to Bali. But maybe you can block 24 hours.
Switch off the noise.
Watch your kid’s soccer game with both eyes.
Read something that recalibrates you.
Write a note to someone you’ve been meaning to thank.
Breathe. Because the world doesn’t need another exhausted achiever.
It needs leaders who are anchored.
Leaders who know how to run hard but also know when to stop, breathe, and come back stronger.
Your next breakthrough may not come from grinding harder.
It may come from stopping long enough to remember why you started.
See you on the other side.
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