I’m sure you’ve heard this countless times, but where did the summer go? It’s already August and that means that for some school season is starting again, for others quarter three is filled with lots of exciting opportunity. And while the spectrum maybe large, stepping away, and creating new experiences opens up a new door. A door that maybe you didn’t even realize needed to be opened and unlocked, but you’ve got the key that fits; and that makes all the difference now!

Happy Tuesday, and welcome back to Tech Trend Forward! We spend most of the year moving in between emails, meetings, pivots, KPIs, but have you strategized what your next pasta dish looks like? Or what view you’d like to be overlooking as you envision your next meaningful you moment.

Maybe it’s somewhere over the Mediterranean, where the Wi-Fi is questionable, but the view makes you forget you even needed it. Or maybe you’re sitting in an Italian café ordering your Italian pasta ravioli with a spritz in one and absolutely no intention of checking your inbox with the other. Because here’s the irony of the situation: sometimes doing absolutely no work can produce some of your best work.

There’s something essential about changing the scenery, watching the gondolas glide through the canals of Venice and exploring streets you didn’t plan to discover. It wasn’t originally part of your itinerary, but it becomes a worth it discovery.

When you disconnect, the world begins to move at a different pace. And somewhere in between the cappuccinos and pistachio croissants, aka cornetto in Italian you become completely present in the moment. A moment where your mind starts wandering again, but this time creatively not aimlessly. You notice things differently, making connections and welcoming ideas with clarity. Ideas that maybe you were trying to figure out for months, and suddenly you have what you’ve been looking for.

Maybe that’s the real luxury of stepping away. The ROI of Italian pasta is all about perspective! And Perspective has a funny way of creating opportunity. It isn’t doing nothing, it’s about creating enough space for something new to find you.

Because sometimes the opportunity was there all along, you just needed a different view to see it.

We’ve been a little quieter this summer, but there’s a lot happening behind the scenes.

Tech Trend Forward is coming back with new stories, exciting events, fresh perspectives, and more opportunities to discover the people and businesses shaping what’s next.

And there’s another part of that next chapter.

What began as early access is now officially live: Tech Trend Connect.

So go ahead, explore who's already here, discover someone new, and see what’s next on Tech Trend Connect.

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Annette