Minute With Mallon: Living In The Bubble Zone!

May 18

Welcome to Minute with Mallon!

Real quick…

Sometimes I feel like I’m throwing these newsletters into the middle of the ocean and just hoping they land somewhere meaningful. 😂

So if today’s edition—or honestly, any of them—speaks to you, challenges you, or gives you something to think about, hit reply and let me know. I truly enjoy hearing your thoughts and stories.

Something I Taught:

What if I told you that the best version of you—the one who feels focused, energized, and fully alive—isn’t gone…

…it’s just been buried under stress, distraction, and a lack of rhythm?

You’ve felt it before.

That moment when everything clicks. When the work feels effortless. When you’re not forcing it—you’re flowing.

That’s what it means to be “in the zone.”

Recently, I was working with a client who had let his job get the best of him. It had been months since he had walked out of work feeling anything close to satisfaction. He felt like the proverbial hamster on the wheel—running, running, running, but getting nowhere. I could see in his posture, his tone, and his demeanor that he was worn out. The stress was literally sucking the life out of him.

I asked him how often he exercised and he told me that he didn’t.

Then he told me that he used to…

At one time, he had been ranked 2nd in the world in two-person rowing. Both his mother and father had been rowers, as well as his grandmother. He had grown up around the sport. From the age of 16 to 22, he rowed every day. Over that six-year period, he had taken only ONE day off.

ONE DAY!

As he talked about it, he stared off into the distance as if he had been transported back in time. I could tell this part of his life carried deep meaning for him, so I simply listened.

He described the early mornings.

The races.

The training.

The exhaustion.

The discipline.

Listening to him felt like he was describing a lost love.

After a few minutes, he looked up at me and said,

“Do you want to know why I quit?”

I told him I did.

“My partner got hurt. When we raced, eventually we would get the scull moving so fast that we were literally skimming across the surface of the water. You could hear the bubbles under the boat, and they made this very specific sound.

“I loved that sound because it was the sound of winning.”

After my partner got hurt, I never found another person who could help me make the bubbles sound the same way.

So I quit.” 😔

As he said those words, something became very clear to me.

My friend needed a finish line again.

He had become so consumed with pressure, responsibility, and the big picture of life that he had lost the daily rhythm that once made him feel alive. He no longer heard the sound of the bubbles.

It was as if he had only one paddle in the water, and no matter how hard he tried, he was simply going in circles.

So our coaching now is focused on helping him hear the bubbles again—at work, at home, and in life.

He understands it. I understand it. And I think you understand it too.

Is it possible to live this way? Is it possible to align your life in such a way that you hear the bubbles again?

Can you participate in work that brings you such joy and satisfaction that you hear the bubbles as you glide through your day?

I think you can.

But I also think it requires intentionality.

Most people are waiting for someday.

Someday things will calm down.

Someday they’ll feel better.

Someday they’ll get back into rhythm.

But someday rarely comes on its own.

At some point, you have to decide to begin listening for the bubbles again.

So here’s my question for you:

Where in your life have you lost the sound of the bubbles?

And more importantly…

What would it take to get it back?

Don’t overcomplicate this.

Pick one area:

Your work
Your health
Your marriage
Your friendships
Your walk with God.

Then ask yourself:

“What is one thing I could do this week that would help me hear the bubbles again?”

Maybe it’s taking a walk.

Maybe it’s sitting on the back patio listening to music.

Maybe it’s reading a book.

Maybe it’s reconnecting with someone you love.

Maybe it’s finally slowing down long enough to think.

Whatever it is… do it.

Because the people who consistently live “in the zone” are rarely lucky.

More often than not, they have intentionally built rhythms into their lives that help them hear the bubbles more often than most people.

Start this week.

Go find your rhythm again.

Something to Ponder:

If your vision is for a year, plant wheat. If your vision is for ten years, plant trees. If your vision is for a lifetime, plant people.

…The greatest return on your life is not what you build… it’s who you build. (Chinese proverb)

Something I Learned:

I learned that by laying on the beach for 9 days straight, reading 3 books just for enjoyment, eating about 5,000 calories a day—mostly seafood—and simply enjoying the love of my wife Sandy, who also happens to be my best friend in the world, I can learn absolutely nothing…and that’s perfectly fine with me! 😂