August arrives with a slower pace. Out-of-office replies start piling up, Instagram is flooded with beach sunsets, and somehow, it feels like the whole world has taken a collective break. Everyone seems to be enjoying the downtime, except you.
If you’re a business leader still knee-deep in to-do lists and decisions, it can start to feel isolating. The guilt creeps in. Shouldn’t you be taking a break too? Are you working too much? Or not enough? In a month where everything feels quieter on the outside, the noise inside our heads can get louder.
The quiet comparison game
August has a strange energy. When others slow down, you might find yourself speeding up, catching up on tasks, planning the next quarter, reviewing your strategy. But it’s easy to slip into comparison. Why am I not unwinding like they are? Am I missing something?
It’s important to recognise that the way others work, rest or show up in August doesn’t have to dictate your own rhythm. We all have different seasons in business and in life. Just because the world has turned the volume down doesn’t mean you need to.
Rest doesn’t have to look like a holiday
The pressure to take time off can be as stressful as not taking any at all. But rest isn’t always about flights and sunbeds. Sometimes it’s about smaller, intentional pauses, long walks, shorter workdays, slower mornings. If you can’t take a full break, create pockets of quiet that help you recharge in your own way.
It’s also worth remembering that some of us feel more energised when we’re working on things we love. If your August is filled with work that excites you, that’s not failure, it’s alignment.
Your pace is valid
There’s nothing wrong with working through August. What matters is whether the pace you’ve set serves you. If you’re using this month to prepare for a busy September, that’s smart planning. If you’re catching up after a chaotic start to the year, that’s understandable.
The danger comes when guilt drives you to change your pace, not choice. If you feel compelled to rest just because others are, or to work just because you’re worried about falling behind, you’ll end up stuck in someone else’s rhythm.
The guilt isn’t about August, it’s about expectations
We often don’t realise how much of our internal pressure comes from unspoken expectations. You might expect yourself to be always-on. Or to have the kind of business that runs without you. Or to be able to switch off like others do. These expectations clash in August, and the result is guilt.
Instead of fighting those feelings, notice them. Ask where they come from. Then decide how you want to spend this month, not based on what others are doing, but based on what you and your business need.
What’s your August for?
For some, it’s recovery. For others, it’s momentum. There’s no right answer, just an invitation to be intentional. What would make this month meaningful to you? What kind of energy do you want to carry into autumn?
The more you focus on your own lane, the less distracting other people’s journeys become.
A different kind of August success
Success this month doesn’t have to mean scaling up or shutting down. It can mean trusting your own rhythm. Whether you’re resting, rebuilding, or refocusing, REACH is here to support you in leading a fulfilling business and a life that works on your terms.
Our Cycle of Business Success Workshops are game-changers for business owners. They love what they see, and it completely fires them up. You’ve got nothing to lose by coming along to these free events and everything to gain. Why wait? Don’t put off until tomorrow what you absolutely know you should do today.
Upcoming event:
Friday 19th September 2025 – Hilton East Midlands Airport
Guaranteed Investment
Everything I do is bound by my SOLID GOLD GUARANTEES. Regardless of which programme we work on, if you do what you said you were going to do, when you were going to do it, you will get a return on investment guaranteed. If not, then I will refund you the difference. Yes, I am guaranteeing your investment. I’m totally confident in what I do, the rest is up to you...
