“If something burns your soul with purpose and desire, it’s your duty to be reduced to ashes by it. Any other form of existence will be yet another dull book in the library of life.β – Charles Bukowski
I just started a new project and I’m hoping you can help.
I’m calling it The Book of Life Mastery (working title, might change), and it will be a rapid-fire list of my best thoughts on the major dimensions of life:
1. Finding Your Path
2. Health & Performance
3. Love & Relationships
4. Social Intelligence
5. Business & Career
6. Building Wealth
7. Life Design & Optimization
8. Self-Mastery
9. Spirituality
10. Happiness
I’m not sure what it will turn into…
Maybe it will be a lead-magnet to help grow this email list, maybe it will turn into an actual book.
Maybe it’ll be both, or something else entirely.
Whatever it turns out to be, it’s going to begin as a (banger) email series, and today is Part 1.
Check it out below — on the other side, I have a favor to ask…
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Finding Your Path (Part 1)
βThe two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.β β Mark Twain
The first goal of human life is to figure out why you’re here, and the second goal is to do it.
All other goals are just substitutes; empty replacements for the real thing.
Here are a few navigational principles that have helped me find my own life path:
1. Feeling lost is the first step.
We all start on the path of society. Only a rare few blaze their own trail, and feeling lost is the first sign you’ve gone off-road. Welcome to the deeper game.
2. Curiosity is the first clue.
What do you feel drawn towards? What are you obsessively learning about? What have you always been interested in, but never pursued? Pull at that thread, and see what unfolds.
“What are you excessively curious about to a degree that would bore most people? That’s what you’re looking for.” – Paul Graham
3. If you don’t feel curious about anything…
If you feel flat and uninspired… Wake your system up. Train hard, take cold showers, do a social media detox, eat clean, get plenty of sunlight and sleep. Purpose requires energy; take care of yours.
4. Create clarity through action.
Don’t wait until you can see the entire path, because you cant; the path only reveals itself one step at a time. Take the step in front of you and find your way through forward movement.
“If you can see the path laid out in front of you, it’s not your path.” – Joseph Campbell
5. Focus on direction, not perfection.
A plane is off-course for 90% of its flight path until arriving at the destination. As long as your general direction feels right, you’re on the right track.
6. Finding the wrong path is part of finding the right path.
Figuring out what you don’t want to do is critical to figuring out what you want to do. Cast a wide net. Try things out. There are no failed experiments, only new data points.
(Principles 7 – 12 for Finding Your Path will be released tomorrow)
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So that’s the first half of the first chapter (Finding Your Path).
Now, for the part I need your help with:
Which of these principles resonated with you?
Hit reply to let me know, and feel free to list as many or as few as you’d like.
I need to edit down to the key essentials for every chapter, and your input is invaluable.
Let’s polish this book into a diamond.
– T
P.S. While you’re at it, I’d love to hear your general thoughts on the idea:
How does the book / title / chapter list land for you?
Is it something you’re excited to read, or do you feel lukewarm about it?
Lemme know π