Drive the car.

What watching F1 in Vegas reminded me about balancing big vision with moment to moment execution.

Mantra: Drive the car.

I spent the weekend in a world of suspended reality.

Red Bull invited me to F1 in Vegas with an incredible crew of athletes and full behind the scenes access. I knew it would be unforgettable, but I did not expect to come home from this break feeling so inspired to get to work.

Standing on the rails with cars flying past at two hundred miles per hour, there was a visceral sense of possibility you simply don’t feel through a screen. You realize that inside each of those cars is a human being completely locked in to one of the most demanding physical and mental challenges imaginable.

It’s beyond comprehension how much has to happen for these races to exist. From pit crews to mechanics to managers to drivers, the entire circus rests on individuals giving everything they have to their part of the Formula One dance. And beyond the racing, the economy that supports it all hinges on the sponsors, the city and the fans who come alive around it.

But for those drivers on race day, it is all about what they can do behind the wheel of the car.

That contrast stuck with me. The glamour and the grind. The zoomed out view and the zoomed in one. The spectacle and the singular focus.

For each of those drivers, the contrast between all the moving parts of their world must always be present. And honestly, it’s at the crux of achieving high performance in any area of life - being able to determine what to focus on, how much, and when.

Of course, you need to understand the complexity of the bigger picture and play the external game. At its best, it can motivate you, stretch you, support you, shape your vision. It can capture your imagination with what might be possible on the road ahead.

But when you get in the driver’s seat, everything else must fall away. The external game gives rise to the internal one. In a sea of distractions, high performance hinges on how well you can tune out the noise and execute in the moment.

You have to know when to release all that complexity and narrow your attention to one all consuming focus:

Drive the car.

Message: it’s never just you…

Musing:

Where do you need to build more support or structure in order to grow? And where is it simply time to put your head down and drive the car?

Probably the coolest part of the weekend getting to drive an F4 car!!

Thank you Red Bull for an insane experience!