I’ve never been very good at taking my foot off the throttle. Throughout my career, I willingly accepted difficult assignments, packed my calendar with commitments, and convinced myself I could always find a way to fit one more thing in. That drive served me well. It opened doors, created opportunities, and helped me accomplish more than I ever imagined.
Recently, Ben Narramore (Director, Global Operations at PlayStation) wrote an excellent LinkedIn article, “They Call It Luck Because They Didn’t See the Receipt.” His point resonated with me. We often admire someone’s success without seeing the years of hard work, sacrifice, long hours, missed family events, failures, and persistence that made it possible. Success almost always has a receipt. I know mine did. Those choices shaped my career, taught me invaluable lessons, and created opportunities I wouldn’t trade.
But Ben’s article also made me think about a different leadership question. Just because we’re willing to pay the price, does that automatically mean it’s the right price to pay? As our careers, families, and priorities evolve, I don’t think that’s a question we ask ourselves often enough. Some commitments absolutely deserve extraordinary effort. Others don’t. Sometimes we continue paying yesterday’s price for something that no longer delivers today’s value.
Looking back, I can see there were commitments that came at too high a cost. Time with family was sacrificed. Stress spilled over onto the people around me. Simply working harder wasn’t always the right answer. Though semi-retirement has given me much more control over my calendar, my default setting is still to run at ten-tenths. The challenge for me is rarely saying yes; it’s knowing when to say no. That’s why this journal entry is not about something I learned at the Mosport circuit this past weekend, it is about my last minute decision not to attend.
The dominoes began to fall over the July 4th weekend. During one of the hottest stretches of the summer, our air conditioner failed. Then we lost power. Twice!!! If to add insult to injury, the mower broke down too. All while we were hosting family and preparing for more visitors. A calendar that was already full suddenly had no margin left.
Months earlier, Stacy and I had committed to the race. We both knew fitting it into our schedule would be a stretch, but Mosport is an iconic track that I hadn’t raced since 2019, and my good friend @Paul Subject had invested an incredible amount of time helping organize the event. My instinct was predictable: Just push through. That’s what I’ve always done.
But this time, pushing through wasn’t the right decision. Instead of looking forward to the weekend, the race had become an obligation with a high price. It was adding stress at a time when our energy needed to be focused elsewhere. So, with some reluctance, I called Paul and told him we were going to cancel.
Almost immediately, I felt the weight come off my shoulders. Paul couldn’t have been more understanding. The world didn’t come to an end. The race went on. Life moved forward. What changed was me. It reminded me that many of the pressures we carry are ones we’ve created for ourselves.
Racing teaches this lesson as clearly as leadership. There are times to attack. There are times to drive consistently. And there are times to conserve your tires, fuel, and equipment because the race is longer than the next corner. Championships aren’t won by driving every lap at ten-tenths. They are won by understanding the conditions, adapting your strategy, knowing when to push, and, just as importantly, when to lift.
Leadership works the same way. Our careers reward people who are willing to push. But wisdom comes from recognizing when the conditions have changed. Great leaders don’t simply work harder. They manage their energy, protect what matters most, and leave enough margin to handle life’s inevitable surprises.
Ben is absolutely right. Success has a receipt. The lesson from this canceled race weekend is that leadership isn’t just about being willing to pay the price. It’s about periodically asking whether the price you’re paying still matches the value you’re receiving.
I’m still learning that lesson. I’ll probably always be wired to chase one more opportunity, one more project, one more race. But maybe real success isn’t measured by always keeping your foot on the accelerator. Maybe it’s measured by having the judgment and the courage to know when to lift.
My next and final race of the season is not until early November at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. I usually pause from racing in August to take advantage of the beautiful summer weather we get in the Finger Lakes then race at my home track in Watkins Glen early September. I am taking a slightly different path this year but will tease that I am scheduled to drive a cadre of historic sports cars on some unfamiliar roads that I anticipate will lead to a journal entry or two.
More to come…