---
title: "3 Lessons: Seize the Day"
id: "9371"
type: "post"
slug: "3-lessons-seize-the-day"
published_at: "2018-12-21T00:00:00+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-03-15T02:51:15+00:00"
url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/12/21/3-lessons-seize-the-day/"
markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/12/21/3-lessons-seize-the-day.md"
excerpt: "Ben Martin, CAE Executive Director The Review Society Nashville, Tennessee Take a break. There’s a nature trail that meanders along a stream less than 50 yards from my home office. As long as I’m home and the weather cooperates, I..."
taxonomy_category:
  - "Executive Leadership"
taxonomy_post_tag:
  - "ASAEcenter"
  - "C-suite"
  - "decision-making"
  - "Executive Skills"
  - "Innovation"
  - "Leadership"
  - "personal growth"
taxonomy_content_format:
  - "Article"
taxonomy_role:
  - "Association CEO / Executive Director"
  - "Executive Team"
taxonomy_persona:
  - "Executive Leadership"
---

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 » 3 Lessons: Seize the Day

**Ben Martin, CAE**Executive Director  
 The Review Society  
 Nashville, Tennessee

### Take a break.

There’s a nature trail that meanders along a stream less than 50 yards from my home office. As long as I’m home and the weather cooperates, I take two to three short walks along that trail daily to clear my head, brainstorm ideas with my partner, and discuss the day’s accomplishments and challenges. Taking “micro-vacations” helps to reset my creativity and productivity.

### Take a risk.

Some of the best decisions in my life were the riskiest moves I made. The pace of change in our world requires leaders to make bold decisions and seize opportunities before the competition. If you haven’t failed recently, you haven’t been trying hard enough. Don’t let fear drive your decision-making process. Really, what’s the worst that could happen?

### Take a peek.

What an amazing time it is to be alive. With all of the changes happening in culture, science, and technology, there are so many opportunities to embrace transformation and achieve breakthroughs in the professions and trades that associations serve. I make it a point to peek my head out from the day’s work and seek to understand what trends and changes are affecting my members and their ecosystem.

Tags: [#C-suite](https://associationsnow.com/tag/c-suite/)
 [#decision-making](https://associationsnow.com/tag/decision-making/)
 [#Executive Skills](https://associationsnow.com/tag/executive-skills/)
 [#Innovation](https://associationsnow.com/tag/innovation/)
 [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/)
 [#personal growth](https://associationsnow.com/tag/personal-growth/)

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