LAST WEEK'S BREAKTHROUGHS

In last week’s newsletter, I asked you to choose one moment, make it meaningful, and see if that becomes your purpose.

My email came “at the perfect time” for our first reader:

“I have been working on a new job and realized that I wasn't feeling motivated or at least it didn't feel meaningful. That is when I found a way to make it meaningful. I figured that I could donate a portion of my earnings to charities that actually make a difference in the world, charities that feel meaningful to me. This way I made my work mean something. Now my job is not just a job, it is a means for me to change the world and make it a better place by donating to charities that save lives and there are plenty of those. This is how I made my boring job meaningful and also increased my motivation.”

Melanie found my take on purpose—as a meaningful way to use your time—helpful:

“I decided to run for my local City Council office and half-way through I kind of gave up and just did nothing. I somehow won anyway even though I didn't campaign. I am now sitting in a place of anxiety because I don't know what to do and wanting to quit, however deep down I have always wanted to get involved. I always felt that my purpose was bigger but that feels very overwhelming to me so it causes anxiety and fear.

Today when I read this newsletter and decided to ask the question of ‘How can I use my time in a way that feels meaningful?’ instead of ‘Is this my purpose?’ it became clear that this is something I want to do.

Then the fear kicks in and I have no idea what I am doing and I start to panic and go back to the thought of needing to drop out. Then I read your next comment of ‘You build your purpose, experiment by experiment, mistake by mistake’ and I realized that everything in my life has been built through learning and mistakes and nothing worthwhile has ever been easy. I just wanted to say thank you for this and although I am very uncomfortable, I recognize I want to do more for my community and I will do it anyway.”

Finally, at the end of the Friendship, Solved Course in our community last month, I asked our members to share the meaningful moments that make their friendships. Here’s Kara being intentional with technology:

“This week, instead of just ‘liking’ an old friend’s response about being on the job market, I shared his profile with a recruiter at my organization, asked for his resume and shared that after the recruiter asked for it, and said that I would love to actually talk since it had been a few decades since that happened. We had a 30-minute phone call, he caught me up on his life since high school, and what he is currently up to. He was a dear, close friend then, we have kept in touch on social media, so it was cool to hear his voice and his journey over the last 30 years. It was really nice, much better than back-and-forth messaging. I want to keep doing this when that warm feeling urging me to reach out strikes.”

This month, we’re going all in on Purpose in our Solved Membership community. So if you’ve ever wondered what all of this is for—all the sleepless nights and early mornings, more days than not feeling tired and lost—come join us as we piece together our life purpose through daily action prompts and the support of a like-minded community. Learn more in one click here.

As always, send your breakthroughs by simply replying to this email. Let me know if you’d prefer to remain anonymous.

Until next week,

Mark Manson

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author
My Website – My Books – My YouTube Channel – My Podcast – My Community