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Ideas, enthusiasm and joy

The Friday Takeaway5 min readSam Page

I'm on holiday this week and next, down in Cornwall, so this week's Friday Takeaway is going to be a little bit different. In particular, because I've not done very much 7DOTS work this week – the brilliant 7DOTS team are picking up all the pieces.

So if you don't want to read the musings of my life outside of 7DOTS, you might want to check back in a couple of weeks when I'm back!

If you do, here's what has been on my mind...

Do mix business and camping

The first weekend of our holiday we headed down into Sussex for a weekend camping with our friends, one of whom, Missy Clements, is also Chief of Staff at 7DOTS.

I've never bought into the saying "don't mix business and pleasure". Sure, mixing the two can make some situations trickier. But on the whole, I think it makes for a better life, and in particular a more enjoyable working life.

Did we talk about work while camping? A tiny bit, mainly as I'm then off this week. But most of the time our families enjoyed being outdoors, hanging out together, and just finding a slower way of life for a few days.

Oh, and yes, I took the trailer. It was a complete game changer.

Most things are possible if you commit to them

Gemma Page CPCC and I watched 14 Peaks on Netflix one evening this week. If you haven't seen it I highly recommend it. There are 14 mountains over 8,000 metres. For a long time the world record to climb all of them was 16 years. This was smashed and brought down to 7 years. Nims, an ex-Gurkha and SBS, sets out to do it in 7 months – something the climbing world said was impossible to achieve.

No spoilers here, you'll have to watch it to see what happens, but the way he approaches the challenge is inspiring and phenomenal. It's sparked a whole new approach to exercise in my routine – I've run 15km so far this week, having not really run much at all for months.

The main outtake for me though was a quote from the programme:

You can fill your life with ideas, enthusiasm and joy.

What a beautiful sentiment… and something I'm going to try and carry forward with me every day from this day on. Life's too short to let it drift by without filling it with these things.

And I've been trying to keep this sentiment in mind when playing with the kids while on holiday… even if 50% of the time they are winding each other up, and therefore me, in the process.

Working towards something bigger

Yesterday we went to a beautiful spot called Shaugh Bridge, with family. We spent time exploring the rocks, having a brew using the Jetboil, and generally chit-chatting.

My thoughts kept coming back to another quote from 14 Peaks.

You must want something from your heart. Not for self-glory, but for something bigger.

Being surrounded by nature for me is always thought-provoking. I think it's the fact it's the polar opposite of being in the city, where I spend most of my time.

I've always believed that to make something happen, you need to be incredibly passionate about it, from the heart. And as Ben Scoggins wrote about recently, you do then need to back that up with a lot of brain and planning. One without the other just doesn't work.

But what really stood out in this line for me is the part about "not for self-glory, for something bigger". Nature is perhaps the ultimate representation of this.

I know I'm at my best when I'm driven by a cause that is beyond me, and that's easier to find when it is a good cause such as Dyslexia or Kingston Giving. It can be harder to find in business, but still possible, which is why professionally I always come back to trying to use technology to create positive human outcomes. And it's why I love working with Pippa Labs, DealCraft.ai, The Dyslexia Shop Limited – businesses that are driven by a deep desire to make things better for the people they serve.

Being on holiday feels like a good time to reflect on these areas of life, with a clear and fresh perspective, to ensure what I'm doing day-to-day aligns with something that feels like a valuable greater good, and I believe in strongly, from both the heart and mind.

The one thing that always comes up when I do... I'm still looking to do more, to have a greater impact… maybe that's something we all experience? But either way, I shall keep looking, and try to ensure I am enjoying the journey along the way.

If you've got a project that's ambitious and driven from trying to have a greater impact in the world, I'd love to hear all about it.

First published on LinkedIn.

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title: "Ideas, enthusiasm and joy"
url: https://sam-page.com/thinking/ideas-enthusiasm-and-joy
date: 2026-08-21
author: Sam Page
type: The Friday Takeaway edition
categories: [The Friday Takeaway]
reading_time: 5 min
summary: "I'm on holiday this week and next, down in Cornwall, so this week's Friday Takeaway is going to be a little bit different. In particular, because I've not done very much 7DOTS work this…"
first_published: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ideas-enthusiasm-joy-sam-page-jenve
---

# Ideas, enthusiasm and joy

I'm on holiday this week and next, down in Cornwall, so this week's Friday Takeaway is going to be a little bit different. In particular, because I've not done very much [7DOTS](https://www.linkedin.com/company/7dots/) work this week – the brilliant 7DOTS team are picking up all the pieces.

So if you don't want to read the musings of my life outside of 7DOTS, you might want to check back in a couple of weeks when I'm back!

If you do, here's what has been on my mind...

### Do mix business and camping

The first weekend of our holiday we headed down into Sussex for a weekend camping with our friends, one of whom, [Missy Clements](https://www.linkedin.com/in/missyclements), is also Chief of Staff at 7DOTS.

![](https://sam-page.com/img/thinking/ideas-enthusiasm-and-joy-1.webp)

I've never bought into the saying "don't mix business and pleasure". Sure, mixing the two can make some situations trickier. But on the whole, I think it makes for a better life, and in particular a more enjoyable working life.

Did we talk about work while camping? A tiny bit, mainly as I'm then off this week. But most of the time our families enjoyed being outdoors, hanging out together, and just finding a slower way of life for a few days.

Oh, and yes, I took the trailer. It was a complete game changer.

![](https://sam-page.com/img/thinking/ideas-enthusiasm-and-joy-2.webp)

### Most things are possible if you commit to them

[Gemma Page CPCC](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAEMmH5wBmJ194DuHV_zQ8MMyAAIrqCKcoVE?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAAEMmH5wBmJ194DuHV_zQ8MMyAAIrqCKcoVE) and I watched 14 Peaks on Netflix one evening this week. If you haven't seen it I highly recommend it. There are 14 mountains over 8,000 metres. For a long time the world record to climb all of them was 16 years. This was smashed and brought down to 7 years. Nims, an ex-Gurkha and SBS, sets out to do it in 7 months – something the climbing world said was impossible to achieve.

No spoilers here, you'll have to watch it to see what happens, but the way he approaches the challenge is inspiring and phenomenal. It's sparked a whole new approach to exercise in my routine – I've run 15km so far this week, having not really run much at all for months.

The main outtake for me though was a quote from the programme:

> You can fill your life with ideas, enthusiasm and joy.

What a beautiful sentiment… and something I'm going to try and carry forward with me every day from this day on. Life's too short to let it drift by without filling it with these things.

And I've been trying to keep this sentiment in mind when playing with the kids while on holiday… even if 50% of the time they are winding each other up, and therefore me, in the process.

### Working towards something bigger

Yesterday we went to a beautiful spot called Shaugh Bridge, with family. We spent time exploring the rocks, having a brew using the Jetboil, and generally chit-chatting.

![](https://sam-page.com/img/thinking/ideas-enthusiasm-and-joy-3.webp)

My thoughts kept coming back to another quote from 14 Peaks.

> You must want something from your heart. Not for self-glory, but for something bigger.

Being surrounded by nature for me is always thought-provoking. I think it's the fact it's the polar opposite of being in the city, where I spend most of my time.

![](https://sam-page.com/img/thinking/ideas-enthusiasm-and-joy-4.webp)

I've always believed that to make something happen, you need to be incredibly passionate about it, from the heart. And as [Ben Scoggins](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAASjCTgBTNgtAd3CZxx_Fk_WohhyFd2eLQY?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAAASjCTgBTNgtAd3CZxx_Fk_WohhyFd2eLQY) wrote about recently, you do then need to back that up with a lot of brain and planning. One without the other just doesn't work.

But what really stood out in this line for me is the part about "not for self-glory, for something bigger". Nature is perhaps the ultimate representation of this.

I know I'm at my best when I'm driven by a cause that is beyond me, and that's easier to find when it is a good cause such as Dyslexia or [Kingston Giving](https://www.linkedin.com/company/kingstongiving/). It can be harder to find in business, but still possible, which is why professionally I always come back to trying to use technology to create positive human outcomes. And it's why I love working with [Pippa Labs](https://www.linkedin.com/company/pippa-labs/), [DealCraft.ai](https://www.linkedin.com/company/dealcraftai/), [The Dyslexia Shop Limited](https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dyslexia-shop-limited/) – businesses that are driven by a deep desire to make things better for the people they serve.

Being on holiday feels like a good time to reflect on these areas of life, with a clear and fresh perspective, to ensure what I'm doing day-to-day aligns with something that feels like a valuable greater good, and I believe in strongly, from both the heart and mind.

The one thing that always comes up when I do... I'm still looking to do more, to have a greater impact… maybe that's something we all experience? But either way, I shall keep looking, and try to ensure I am enjoying the journey along the way.

If you've got a project that's ambitious and driven from trying to have a greater impact in the world, I'd love to hear all about it.