I've been reflecting a lot on purpose and happiness. Specifically, should we pursue our purpose wholeheartedly and eliminate anything that stands in our way, or is there value in short- to medium-term sacrifice for long-term gain? This dilemma lies at the heart of the debate between retirement planning and the "YOLO" mindset. Should we embrace the present, or defer our joy for a future reward? Often, this discussion is framed as a binary choice, which severely limits our ability to navigate life effectively.
So, what does it mean to "win the game"?
In my view, we can't commoditize time. We can't buy, sell, or trade it. Time flows regardless of our actions, and each of us has a finite amount. The only control we truly have is over how we spend our time. That’s the crux of it.
Winning the game involves examining the time slots that make up our lives—hours, days, weeks, months, and years—and striving to fill them with as many purposeful activities as possible while eliminating the ones we find loathsome. This isn’t a binary process; I envision it as an ongoing monthly or yearly practice.
How often do you review your calendar? Are most of your time slots filled with intentional activities, or are they cluttered with tasks that lack purpose? Do you spend too much time on things you dread?
Once you make this assessment, you can begin to make changes month by month, year by year. Transitioning from total sacrifice to total purpose won’t happen overnight. You can draw on various tools at your disposal: money, youth, energy, talents, community, and passions.
These tools help you manipulate key levers in your life. There's the joy of addition—bringing more purposeful activities into your day. Then there's the art of subtraction—removing things that don’t serve you. And when necessary, there's substitution: swapping one unfavorable situation for a slightly better one—changing roles at work, switching bosses, or even exploring new companies.
This isn't an all-or-nothing proposition. As you engage in this process, you should gradually see your sacrifices decrease while your sense of purpose increases. Life should continue to improve.
You should become increasingly happier.
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As mentioned in the above episode, get one free hour of coaching with he purchase of 5 or more copies of my new book, The Purpose Code. This offer is limited to the first twenty people, and only in this preorder period! Just send me proof of purchase and we will schedule your session.
