Check out the last week’s newsletter: Why I Deleted My Instagram Last Weekend

This week is an opportunity to talk about taking breaks and how important it is.

Last week, I went back and forth about writing a newsletter for Memorial Day. Then I thought I could release one later in the week, but finally, I just decided not to release one… and here’s why:

It’s nothing deep other than the fact that I’m working on being more intentional about taking breaks and allowing more room for margin. It’s helped a lot with my creativity and allowed me to experience some exciting things in the last several weeks and make new friends as well.

We all have the same 24 hours, but often times, we’re not as intentional as we could be with it to make sure we’re not stuck on autopilot.

Activity doesn’t always mean productivity.

Simply doing things doesn’t mean you’re getting the output that you think you’re getting.

Taking a break and being intentional about reflecting allows you to reposition yourself to make sure you’re focused on the right things and being intentional with your energy. Obviously easier said than done, but just remember that if you continue to avoid the warning signs of burnout and your body does shut down on you, it will most likely be at the worst possible time.

When we run on autopilot, we don't just risk burnout; we risk letting external circumstances and other people’s expectations to dictate our path.

This exact theme of intentionality, grit, and breaking out of default mode came up in a massive way during my recent conversation on the IncrediPaul Leadership podcast with Rob Richardson, the founder of Disruption Now and MidwestCon. Rob is a builder who connects innovators and policymakers to drive social impact, and his insights perfectly bridge the gap between protecting your energy and maximizing your impact.

Here are three core lessons from our conversation on how to stop settling for autopilot and start disrupting your own potential:

Rob shared a story from his youth. In the eighth grade, a teacher flatly told him he wasn't meant for college and was setting himself up for failure. Instead of letting that narrow view define him, he relied on advice from his mother that he still carries today:

He went on to earn an electrical engineering degree, a law degree, and became the youngest chairman of the board at the University of Cincinnati. How? By realizing that grit is a muscle. When you first start lifting weights, you get sore. When you first step out of your comfort zone or try to change your habits, it's painful. Most people quit during that initial "soreness" phase. If you want to avoid burnout and achieve true productivity, you have to build the stamina to push through the temporary discomfort.

We are living in a historical moment of technological shift. Rob predicts that the next five years will be more disruptive than the last 50 due to the rapid acceleration of AI. But here is where intentionality comes back into play.

A lot of people are using AI on autopilot, resulting what Rob calls "AI slop", generic, thoughtless outputs. To truly stand out, whether you're job hunting or scaling a business, you need a formula:

If you have zero clarity on what you want to achieve, or zero expertise in your foundation, your output will be zero. Taking breaks gives you the mental margin to find that clarity so you can use tools to amplify your unique voice rather than replace it.

In a world where technology can democratize intelligence and everyone can generate a "perfect" resume, what actually moves the needle? Real human connection. Rob dropped a major truth bomb during the episode:

Your connections will move faster than any credential you could ever have.

Digital platforms are great, but the ability to sit down, have real-life conversations, and understand where people are coming from is a superpower. If you are buried in endless "activity" behind a screen, you miss the very human interactions that open doors.

Are you ready to stop letting your environment dictate your pace? Want to learn practical strategies like meta-prompting to make your career stand out, or hear the wild story of how Rob stared down political intimidation early in his career?

The full episode of IncrediPaul Leadership is packed with actionable gems on leadership, technology, and building unstoppable resilience.

I sit down with Rob Richardson, the founder of Disruption Now and MidwestCon. Rob shares his journey from being told by a teacher that he would fail, to becoming an electrical engineer, a lawyer, and the youngest board chair of a major research university. The conversation dives deep into the impending massive disruption of artificial intelligence, actionable strategies for Gen Z to stand out in the modern workforce, and why real-world human connections will always outpace a line on a resume.

Don't stay stuck on autopilot. Step back, protect your margin, and learn how to run through the doors of opportunity waiting for you. Keep disrupting to Be Incredible!

👉 [Join the Waitlist for the IncrediPaul L.I.F.E. Mentorship Program]

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