Is it OK to have nothing to say?

Since the start of the year I've been posting on Linkedin everyday, including weekends. Plus writing a weekly blog at FounderON . Plus this weekly Linkedin newsletter.

Those that know my tech competence levels won't be surprised to hear I'm not utilising any AI or automations. To be honest, it takes bloody ages every week. But I get so many messages from people with comments about the content that it keeps me motivated.

Thanks to all of you motivators.

But last week I pulled out my laptop on a flight to Dublin, ready to write my newsletter. Usually the newsletter is my favourite one to write, because I basically just talk about what's happened. I don't have to think of a topic or try and sound clever.

For the first time, I got writers block.

Not because I couldn't think of anything that had happened. I had a super busy week with a trip to the Cassidilly house to meet contractors, clients visits and 20 calls with founders.

But it was just business as usual. Nothing newsletter worthy.

I did visit a farm and get a selfie with a sheep. But didn't feel like I could fill a full newsletter with that alone.

So I decided, that even though I've committed to a weekly newsletter about building my new businesses. You would probably prefer I just skip a week when nothing groundbreaking has happened.

You're probably wondering whether this one will start getting better in fact.

Good point.

Ramble over. But to summarise, building a business has many highs and lows. But often it just has normal days too. And that's fine. In fact, they're sometimes the best days.

Now, on to the topic of this weeks newsletter. Yep that's right, all that waffle above was just an intro.

On all of these calls that I'm doing with founders now (www.founderon.com/work-together in case you'd somehow missed it) there are a couple of questions that come up regularly once we're into the small talk phase at the end.

1. How has life changed since selling Molzi?
2. What motivates you now?

Despite getting asked them so often, I didn't really have a good answer. But this week, both struck me while I was on the move.

How has life changed since selling Molzi?

Lets tackle this one first. There is a long answer of course. My life has changed in so many ways. But it's amazing how quickly life normalises. Things that were daydreams in the past are just business as usual once you have them. But every now and again, a very small thing happens, that makes me realise just how different life is.

I used to absolutely love going to the airport as a child. For me, an airport was associated with excitement, exploration and fun. But, without me even realising, that changed as I became an adult.

Even though I did have holidays that started in an airport, my overwhelming feeling when I drove to Heathrow was dread. A work trip that I didn't really want to be on. Leaving my family for days. An awkward meeting that I had to navigate.

I started to associate airports with negative events. Even if I was going on holiday. There would be no excitement or anticipation on the drive to the airport. Instead, that kind of sick feeling in your stomach where you know something is bothering you but your not sure what.

I didn't even realise this had happened, because it was so gradual. I only noticed it last week as I was driving to Gatwick to fly to Ireland. I was like a kid again. Excited to get their early and find somewhere for breakfast. And it dawned on me that now I don't have to go places that I don't want to, or leave the family behind when I travel.

Such a tiny thing, but it was a huge eye opener of how I've started to take my new life for granted.

What motivates you now?

Like the above, I hadn't consciously figured out my answer to this question. But on a walk from Waterloo to Liverpool Street this week I found myself daydreaming about the very thing that motivates me.

For me entire life I had been motivated by the goal of building a business and selling it. It worked well for me because it was a long term aim with a small likelihood of coming true.

And now I have a new goal, that is just as low likelihood, but even more exciting for me.

Last month we bought a house that we plan to renovate into an all singing, all dancing holiday rental. Follow Cassidilly if you missed the announcement :-) . My goal with that business is to grow it slowly over the next couple of decades.

Already it's a family business, with me and my wife as co-founders. But I found myself working out how old our kids would be in 20 years time, how the business might look by then, and what roles they might both be interested in.

The thought of building a business that my children might want to be involved in is my new motivation. The chances are slim. They're already both very independent thinkers, and I would never want to encourage them onto a path that they didn't want. But as long as I just get my head down and build the business, there's at least a chance that it will become a reality.