There’s a road every one of us walks. Some of it you choose. Some of it chooses you.
And on certain days, when the dust clears and the music fades, you find yourself staring at the rearview mirror, asking one very human question:
Now what?
Today—April 1—marks the 42nd anniversary of that question becoming mine. It was the day my career began. A day that, every year since, I stop everything to reflect on the road behind me and the road ahead.
Today also marks the 70th edition of Now New Next.
Thank you for coming along for the ride.
This one’s more personal.
I hope it hits a frequency that resonates with you wherever you are right now.
NOW: Reeling From a Fast Fail
Yesterday, after 50+ demos and even more conversations, my partner and I made the call: pull the plug.
The product? A Customer Intelligence Platform for the wine industry—built with purpose, designed for people who live at the frontline of customer experience. The response? “Yes, this is needed,”… but not needed enough to pay for.
We were met with polite nods, corporate noise, and industry uncertainty. Timing was off. The climate was strange. And like a scene you can’t rewrite, the market turned the page on us before we had a chance to finish the first chapter.
But we knew the deal—we gave ourselves 90 days. No lingering. No blame. No spin.
Just the sting of a fast fail—and the grace to own it.
Some reflection questions for your own Now:
Have you ever failed fast, truly fast?
What did you learn when you walked away?
What story did it begin, rather than end?
NEW: Turning the Page
Today, we dust off. We don’t frame it as a failure—we frame it as a decision. One that required courage to start, and even more courage to stop.
Yes, I stepped slightly off-course from my core Strategic Narrative practice to launch something new. But make no mistake: everything I’ve practiced, preached, and facilitated showed up in this experience.
I applied it all. As an operator. Not an advisor. I built the thing. Lived the process. Learned the hard truths.
And what did I discover?
That customer experience remains painfully transactional.
That delight is an aspiration more than an operating principle.
That, despite all our tech, human connection still feels like a miracle when it happens.
But the best part of falling is the recalibration. A fresh lens. A new prescription for the same old mission.
So… now what?
Some questions for your New:
How do you metabolize a miss?
Do you know your own reset mechanism?
What new truth just came into focus for you?
NEXT: The Dent You Didn’t See Coming
The future doesn’t always roar in.
Sometimes, it shows up as a whisper. A decision. A door closing quietly.
I’ve spent years helping leaders find the inflection point—the moment when failure turns into fuel. I can help them see it in themselves. It’s harder to see in myself. But it’s there.
And I still believe in the dent.
The one Jobs talked about.
The one I’ve made before.
The one I’m still chasing.
The dreamer in me is alive. The Virgo in me is focused. The Midwesterner in me still rolls up his sleeves.
One chapter ends. Another begins.
Some questions for your Next:
What was the best decision you never made?
Who helps you see the parts of you that you’ve forgotten?
Are you ready to take the next swing, no matter the pitch?
THE PAYOFF: Turn the Page
Baseball is back. And once again, we celebrate the .300 hitters—the ones who miss 7 times out of 10 and still end up legends.
The same holds true here. You show up. You swing. You adjust. You turn the page.
In the Now, we acknowledge what was real.
In the New, we recalibrate with clarity.
In the Next, we take one more swing at something that matters.
And so, as the lights dim on one stage and rise on another, I leave you with this:
“Oh, here I am. On the road again.
There I am. Up on the stage.
Here I go. Playin' star again.
There I go. Turn the page.”—Bob Seger, Turn the Page (chorus)
Thank you for reading. Thank you for riding along. Here's to what comes after ‘Now What.’
Let’s write the next 70 together.
Hello, I am Tobin.
I see the world through a mosaic lens, fashioned by an infusion of AI. The sum of the parts is derived from remixing the individual pieces (digital tesserae) into a cogent visual story.
My superpower is finding the soul of your organization and then designing for alignment. This is achieved by building a belief system that leads to a differentiated narrative and a new path forward.
Follow me on LinkedIn. Or DM at tobin@spatialshift.com for more information.
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If you want to learn how to build alignment between you and your narrative, book a free consultation with me, and let's consider the possibilities.
My client roster includes Global 1000, Senior Executives, and Movements. And, the startup school of hard knocks and realities.
Fall down seven times, get up eight. Thanks Tobin. "Baseball is back. And once again, we celebrate the .300 hitters—the ones who miss 7 times out of 10 and still end up legends. The same holds true here. You show up. You swing. You adjust. You turn the page."
Such an inspiring read, Tobin. Huge respect for making the call—it’s never easy. I know I’ve stayed too long in situations, pouring in emotion and ego when what I really needed was a moment of clarity and the courage to shift course. Life keeps teaching, and resilience is one of its most powerful lessons. Bravo and on to the next chapter.