gm zm
I’m traveling back home from Boulder today.
It feels like I just stepped out of something important — something that hasn’t even fully materialized yet. I can’t completely explain it. Not cleanly. Not in one sentence. Not in one post.
But I know it mattered.
Being in rooms with that level of genius… watching how other builders think, structure, ship, and iterate… seeing the workflows behind what people are actually building right now — it expanded me.
Not in a loud way.
In a quiet recalibration way.
The kind where you realize you’ve been leveling up without even noticing.
Over the next week, I’m going to try to unpack it all. Live streams. Spaces. Newsletter articles. Posts. Conversations. I want to translate what I absorbed. Not just the ideas — but the energy. The standard. The depth of execution.
Right now, though, it’s still settling.
And I’m okay with that.
Today’s mindful moment is simple: take the time to appreciate the small things.
Yes, big opportunities happened this weekend. Big rooms. Big names. Big ideas.
But the small things are what made it real.
The side conversations.
The walks between venues.
The quiet moments before a panel started.
The in-between spaces are where the signal hides.
If I only chase the headline moments, I miss the texture that actually makes them meaningful.
So today, on the way home, I’m choosing to notice the smaller pieces that held the whole experience together.
Growth doesn’t just happen on stage. It happens in the pauses.
Take a breath and let it land.
– BetterCallZaal on behalf of the ZABAL Team
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The ZAO NewsletterYear of the ZABAL – Day 46
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gm zm
I’m traveling back home from Boulder today.
It feels like I just stepped out of something important — something that hasn’t even fully materialized yet. I can’t completely explain it. Not cleanly. Not in one sentence. Not in one post.
But I know it mattered.
Being in rooms with that level of genius… watching how other builders think, structure, ship, and iterate… seeing the workflows behind what people are actually building right now — it expanded me.
Not in a loud way.
In a quiet recalibration way.
The kind where you realize you’ve been leveling up without even noticing.
Over the next week, I’m going to try to unpack it all. Live streams. Spaces. Newsletter articles. Posts. Conversations. I want to translate what I absorbed. Not just the ideas — but the energy. The standard. The depth of execution.
Right now, though, it’s still settling.
And I’m okay with that.
Today’s mindful moment is simple: take the time to appreciate the small things.
Yes, big opportunities happened this weekend. Big rooms. Big names. Big ideas.
But the small things are what made it real.
The side conversations.
The walks between venues.
The quiet moments before a panel started.
The in-between spaces are where the signal hides.
If I only chase the headline moments, I miss the texture that actually makes them meaningful.
So today, on the way home, I’m choosing to notice the smaller pieces that held the whole experience together.
Growth doesn’t just happen on stage. It happens in the pauses.
Take a breath and let it land.
– BetterCallZaal on behalf of the ZABAL Team
Subscribe to The ZAO Newsletter
>500 subscribers
Support The ZAO Newsletter
The ZAO NewsletterYear of the ZABAL – Day 46
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2 comments
ZM traveling back from Boulder today and it feels like something shifted. Not because of one big moment — but because of the level of builder depth in the room. Real workflows. Real shipping. Real coordination. Still processing it. 6:30pm EST on Spaces + Songjam leaderboard we’ll start unpacking what’s next. https://paragraph.com/@thezao/year-of-the-zabal-day-46
A reflection on a trip home from Boulder, noting a quiet recalibration after witnessing top builders. Small moments—the side conversations, walks, pauses—provide texture to big ideas, while plans to unpack the experience include live streams, spaces, and posts. @zaal