The view from my office isn’t too bad these days; there’s no doubt that everything looks better from 7,000 feet.

It’s amazing the kind of work you can accomplish up here in the mountains, how the view can inspire you to think beyond the ordinary. The big picture comes into focus and everything else seems to fall into place.

Everything on Whistler and Blackcomb feels so comfortingly familiar, the backyard playground of my youth, and yet… it never gets old.

Several things have aligned this year making my mountaintop office possible.

In his 2008 book Outliers Malcolm Gladwell writes about the “10,000-Hour Rule.”

To become the best in your field, Gladwell says you need to put in the time with “deliberate practice.”

In my case, I put in 20 years in my businesses, learning them inside out, from the ground up.

If we go by Gladwell’s theory, I’ve put in my time.

But that’s just one part of taking a business to the next level.

The real trick is figuring out how to step away after you’ve done your 10,000 hours and let others take the reigns.

Let your team become experts too. Keep finding ways to nurture their talent and give them space to excel.

This, I believe, is a critical step for growth.

This year I made a promise that I would make room for my team to really shine.

They were chosen for a reason. They understand their objectives. They know what’s expected of them.

As this was happening and I was preparing to focus less on the nitty-gritty and more on the big picture, I started to rediscover the mountain of my youth through my children.

I had vowed to read more and exercise more but how to fit it all in?

What if I could combine them? My exercise. My education. My work.

So I’ve found myself packing my lunch, going for hikes on my skis, my earphones playing my latest book, my phone giving me access to business meetings and emails.

Up here, among the peaks, I’ve found clarity and focus.

I’ve put in about 60 days to date. Not all are the same.

But there is one constant — a deep sense of wellbeing, a feeling of being where I’m supposed to be.

This past season up here has filled my soul. I feel as though the last 20 years, in a way, has prepared me for this moment in time.

It feels as though the sky is the limit, in more ways than one. Up here, nothing seems impossible.

The Gibbons big picture has never been more exciting. You’ll just have to stay tuned for more.

In My Ears:

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey
• Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
• The Art of War, by Sun Tzu
• My Life, by Bill Clinton
• When I Stop Talking, You’ll Know I’m Dead, by Jerry Weintraub