Feeling Adrift? Uncover Your Essential Intent and Live With Purpose. Here's How...
Are you feeling adrift or overwhelmed??
Do you find yourself in a place where you feel adrift, doing things without a clear sense of direction or purpose? Do you ever feel overwhelmed, like the day is controlling you instead of you being in control of your day? In our busy lives, it's easy to lose sight of what truly matters and get caught up in endless tasks. But there's a powerful concept called essentialism that can help us find our purpose and live a more meaningful life. During the pandemic, I came across a book called "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less" by Greg McKeown , and it had a profound impact on me. In this month’s newsletter, I want to share some key insights from the book and explain why discovering your essential intent is so important. It has the potential to transform your life. There are so many gems in this book that I highly recommend that you give it a read. I may even revisit it in future editions with a different focus. It has changed my perspective, and writing this article is helping me reframe my mindset and set new goals as I navigate the next chapters of my life.
The Book "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less" by Greg McKeown
The book can be broken down into four main parts. In each part of the book, I’m going to bring forward four key principles, one from each section that can help us find our North Star or as Greg calls it, our 'Essential Intent'.
Part 1 - The Essentialist Mindset?
Part 2 - Explore?
Part 3 - Eliminate
Part 4 - Execute ?
1) What is the Essentialist Mindset??
[Essentialist Principle] Choose: The Invincible Power of Choice
Greg McKeown explores the significant impact of our decisions on our lives. It emphasizes our ability to take control by making intentional choices aligned with what truly matters to us. By embracing essentialism, we can prioritize and say "no" to non-essential things, setting boundaries that protect our time and energy. In this chapter, he encourages us to understand the transformative power of our choices, guiding us towards a purposeful and fulfilling life that reflects our values and goals. Essentialism invites us to recognize the importance of making thoughtful choices in every part of our lives. Instead of rushing into decisions, it encourages us to take a moment to think and evaluate before saying "yes" to something. Ask yourself if each choice matches your main goals, adds value to your overall purpose, and brings you closer to the life you want. By practicing this kind of intentional decision-making, you ensure that your actions align with what truly matters to you, leading to a life filled with meaning and satisfaction.
My Essentialist Story and Implementation
My life before the pandemic was a stark contrast to the life I lead today. I was constantly saying yes to numerous opportunities, but they pulled me in different directions. On weekdays, I worked in Digital Asset Management for my ad agency, while on nights and weekends, I pursued my passion for DJing at various clubs and events. Unfortunately, this left me feeling scattered and overwhelmed. The pressure to keep up with my DJ gigs, even when I was on the verge of burnout, made me feel trapped and obligated. When the pandemic hit and the world came to a halt, including the nightlife scene, at first I was shocked like the rest of the world. But deep down, I felt a sense of relief because I could finally take a much needed break from the hustle of that life I had created. Fortunately, I still had my day job intact to still make a living, and not having to DJ multiple nights a week while working full-time was a welcome change. It was during this time that I came across a book that changed my perspective - Greg's book on essentialism. I realized that I had always had a choice, even though I hadn't fully recognized it before. The pandemic forced me to confront an important question: Where did I want to take my career? In the book, when making choices, Greg also emphasizes the power of trade-offs. Understanding the importance of trade-offs allows us to make intentional choices that align with our essential intent, prioritize what truly matters, and embrace the notion that we can't do it all, but can focus on being more effective and finding upside in our decisions. In the past, I hesitated to let go of my DJ life because I had invested so much time and effort into it. I felt like abandoning it would be a betrayal of all the hard work I had put in. However, I reached a point where I had to make real decisions that would shape my future.
2) Making Space to Uncover Your Values and Passions
[Essentialist Principle]?Escape: The Perks of Being Unavailable?
In this chapter of the book, Greg explores the benefits of disconnecting and taking time for ourselves. It highlights the importance of setting boundaries and not always being available to others. By creating space for ourselves, we can recharge, focus on what's truly important, and avoid feeling overwhelmed. We can also use that time to take a step back and look at our lives as a whole to see where we want to go and determine how we can get there. We can use this focused time to be proactive and design our lives rather than be reactive and feel like we're being backed into a corner. It's okay to prioritize our well-being and say no to constant availability. It's about finding a healthy balance between our responsibilities and taking time for ourselves. What I've noticed is that it allows me to maintain a healthy balance, ultimately leading to greater happiness and fulfillment when I do actually make the time to put this principle into practice.
My Essentialist Story and Implementation
Continuing my story from the previous section, the pandemic brought a much-needed pause to my world, allowing me to rest and recharge. It was a gift that allowed me to step away from the nightlife scene, which was actually detrimental to my well-being due to the unhealthy habits associated with that environment. Being disconnected from the world gave me the opportunity to focus on myself, spend quality time with my family, and more importantly, create space to reconnect with my own goals and aspirations. This was a real game-changer for me. Taking the time to sit down and simply think was crucial. Sometimes, it's important to be alone with your thoughts and reflect on where you're headed instead of constantly being on the go. During this period, I made a conscious effort to identify the areas of my life that I wanted to improve and set new goals, or as Greg refers to it as finding your Essential Intent. Even as I write this now, I'm reminded of the importance of dedicating regular time each week for introspection, instead of getting caught up in the daily triage of the day. You'd be amazed at how these moments of self-reflection can profoundly influence your day.
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3) Crafting Your Essential Intent
[Essentialist Principle] Clarify: One Decision That Makes A Thousand
In this chapter, Greg explains the significance of making clear and intentional decisions. It's about recognizing that a single choice can have a ripple effect on other aspects of our lives. By taking the time to understand our values, priorities, and goals, we can make decisions that are in line with what truly matters to us. This clarity helps us avoid wasting our time and energy on things that aren't important or meaningful. When we base our decisions on our essential intent, it becomes easier to stay focused and make choices that lead to a more purposeful and satisfying life. Living with essential intent involves setting meaningful goals that align with your purpose. Take the time to define clear objectives that resonate with your values and passions. Set goals that challenge you to grow, inspire you to take decisive action, and bring you closer to a life driven by purpose. By aligning your goals with your essential intent, you create a roadmap that guides your actions and infuses your endeavors with a sense of fulfillment and significance.
My Essentialist Story and Implementation
As I sat there, deeply immersing myself in this section of the book, I engaged in an exercise of identifying 5-8 areas in my life that I truly wanted to improve. I had attempted this in the past, but often my New Year's resolutions end up being vague and lacking actionable steps. Back then, I weighed over 235 pounds, which my doctors warned me was extremely unhealthy. On top of that, I felt awful most of the time. Rather than just saying I wanted to "lose weight," I set a clear goal with essential intent. I aimed to reach my target weight of 165 pounds, ensuring a healthy body mass index under 25 by December 2021. This wasn't just about shedding pounds; it was about improving my overall health and boosting my self-confidence.
Another essential intent I set was to pursue a career that I genuinely enjoyed. At that moment, I found myself at a crossroads, questioning the true essence of my passion as a DJ. I had dedicated myself to pushing its boundaries and achieving remarkable milestones that still fill me with pride. From performing at renowned arenas with top music acts to captivating audiences in diverse venues worldwide while also building a nightlife brand that became a symbol of my team's identity in the vibrant scenes of Los Angeles and Long Beach - these were all accomplishments that were amazing but also helped me learn so many practical lessons along the way. However, I came to a realization that no matter how amazing this phase of my life was, I needed to acknowledge and appreciate it for what it truly represented - a passionate hobby that I deeply loved. It was essential for me to shift my perspective and view DJing as a cherished passion rather than a long-term career. This realization prompted me to confront a significant question: Was I ready to let go of DJing and redirect my focus towards a fulfilling career that would shape my journey in the years to come and enable personal growth and genuine fulfillment?
Fortunately, I was able to make that tough decision, and make that leap of faith, which I talked about in my last newsletter . I made the courageous decision to transition DJing from a long-term career to a cherished passion.?This opened the door to a new direction, and I took a leap of faith by moving from my day job of being a Digital Asset Manager to challenging myself by joining the account management department, setting my sights on becoming an account executive by the end of 2021. With this specific and achievable goal in mind, I then worked backward to develop a plan to accomplish it. With a clear and measurable objective in place, I meticulously crafted a plan to achieve my career goal. Currently, my essential intent revolves around reaching the role of Account Supervisor by July 2023. This purposeful journey has seen me make significant strides, diligently tracking my progress and documenting invaluable learnings along the way.
4) Positive Momentum For The Win
[Essentialist Principle] Progress: The Power of Small Wins
This chapter is about the importance of making progress in small steps towards our goals. It emphasizes that even small achievements can have a significant impact on our overall success and well-being. Greg explains that by focusing on making consistent and incremental progress, we can build momentum, gain confidence, and stay motivated. Celebrating and acknowledging these small wins along the way helps us stay on track and brings a sense of accomplishment. The chapter encourages us to embrace the power of small steps and recognize that progress, no matter how small, is essential in achieving our goals and living a fulfilling life. Another possible way to implement this strategy is to measure your progress, analyze the outcomes, and celebrate the small wins along the way. Rather than being overly critical of yourself in the face of setbacks, you can shift your focus towards identifying ways to set yourself up for success in future attempts. By adopting this mindset, I personally experienced significant growth as I tracked my progress, learned from each experience, and continuously pursued improvement.
My Essentialist Story and Implementation
It’s funny how I never really liked spreadsheets or journals, but during this time in my life, I became a full-on nerd for both. I diligently tracked my dietary intake and workout reps. I must admit that I've slacked off on this habit recently, but writing this article serves as a reminder and an accountability tool to reignite my motivation and put these habits back into practice. I understand that tracking progress on a daily basis may seem tedious or even annoying to some. However, during that time, it worked wonders for me. It almost felt like I turned the process into a game, finding ways to measure my weight loss journey. On the career front, any time I had a mistake that I got frustrated about, I kept a journal of what happened, took a step back objectively to see what I could have done to produce a better outcome and closed the journal. This allowed me to process my emotions, externalize my thoughts, and formulate a plan for future situations. Sure enough, when another similar task came across my desk, I was able to pull from those solutions at a later time and succeed. At the end of each week, I would check my entries for the week and see my progression and that ultimately energized me. Celebrating those?small wins along the way fueled my momentum and kept me motivated. Even today amongst my teammates at work, I do my best to stop and celebrate the small (and big) wins and acknowledge the power of progress to push forward with that much needed momentum.?
Closing Thoughts
Embarking on the path of living with purpose and discovering your essential intent can truly transform your life. It starts by understanding what truly matters to you and what brings you joy. Letting go of things that don't align with your purpose and setting meaningful goals that resonate with your values is essential. Making deliberate choices and staying focused on what's important allows you to live a purposeful life.
Writing this month's edition was very therapeutic for me because it reminded me that I need to do this for myself on a quarterly, weekly and daily basis. Our goals with essential intent are often moving targets with the changing seasons of our lives.
Every decision you make brings you closer to a fulfilling and meaningful existence. Start your journey today and experience the incredible power of living with purpose.
Thank you,? Greg McKeown ! ????
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