I’m in the process of trying to accept that things don’t happen as quickly as I want them to. In fact, sometimes they seem to be happening so slowly that I feel as though I’m going backwards.

But what am I comparing speed against?

I vividly remember the time I spent in Fiji from 2009-2018. There, I learned about “Fiji Time”, a well-known cultural phenomenon where everything is done particularly slowly. What that means, in general, is that people seem happier and more present. It also means that projects take longer to get off the ground, and daily chores are frequently postponed until tomorrow.

But in the end, none of that really matters.

What matters is that people are happy and healthy.

Surely I should be the one able to adopt this slower approach to project management — and, in this case, the vision of Island Spirit. But instead, I find myself feeling completely pressured by the tech revolution.

The advent of AI has dramatically changed the way I think about both Island Spirit and work itself. I can use AI to produce cleaner documents, generate ideas, help with numbers, and support a whole range of tasks that I wasn’t able to do so easily just six months ago.

And while all of that is incredibly useful, I recently read (in one of The Knowledge newsletters I subscribe to) that 18% of Gen Zs feel hopeful about AI. My opinionis that it deskills us in the end.

Back to Fiji.

Life there was slow, but it was also thoughtful and thorough. The original idea behind Island Spirit — bridging the gap between tourists and outer-island communities — came to me while I was working for a local NGO there. It took nearly two years to get the project off the ground, and before long it became internationally recognised.

In many ways, it was a pioneering a virtuous circle CIC business model that benefited everyone involved.

I mention this because it demonstrates how doing things slowly and methodically, while trusting instinct and intuition, can create incredible results.

I’m now at a crossroads where I need to seriously consider how to make Island Spirit sustainable. There is little point in building a sustainable Community Interest Company if the founder herself is completely burnt out.

For those who don’t know me, I’m a single mother to a rapidly growing preschooler, a landlord, an Airbnb host, the founder of Island Spirit, and a non-practising yoga teacher and a trained Montessori facilitator. I like to keep myself busy!

But often it feels as though I am constantly running uphill while achieving very little. Sometimes it feels like I’m running simply to stay standing still.

Recently, though, I’ve realised that much of this is mind over matter. I am my own worst critic, and that needs to change. I need more gratitude in my life — perhaps even a gratitude list every morning.

My daughter is my pride and joy, and I need to celebrate that more often.

What I don’t want is to spend the precious eighteen hours a week I have available for Island Spirit endlessly posting on social media in what now feels like a vain attempt to spread the word and get people on board.

It’s a trap.

I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had any direct sales from social media. Most bookings and opportunities have come through listing sites, press coverage, and word of mouth.

So how are we supposed to organise and deliver incredible experiences when we spend most of our time promoting them?

I’m really passionate about providing incredible off-grid experiences and wellness options for like-minded people and when I read stuff like this it gives me fuel. So onwards and upwards!

“Long written off as obsolete in the age of online reviews and ChatGPT, “the travel agent is alive and well”, says Heidi Mitchell in The Wall Street Journal. Total revenue for the industry is projected to hit $134bn this year, up 17% from 2023, while LinkedIn listed “travel adviser” as one of the 25 fastest-growing jobs of the past three years. The trend is apparently being driven by travellers wanting to avoid the busy tourist spots that everyone else goes to, and to have local intel and seamless transport, particularly for complicated trips or uber-luxe experiences.”

TIP:

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