Hey there, friend.

You deserve a job that gives you a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. You deserve to wake up feeling inspired, motivated, and endlessly curious every day of your life.

However, this is the exception. Many of us are not working jobs that allow us to feel inspired, motivated, and curious most days. To have such a career is a rare and beautiful thing.

This doesn’t mean that feeling fulfilled is out of reach.

Instead of leaning into that sense of emptiness of your dislike for your job, I want you to try and do the harder thing. I want you to try and find joy and purpose where you can, right now, in the small and even trivial moments of your day. Attempt to look at your life without judgment, expectation, or unnecessary pressure.

And after that, I want you to go even further. I want you to reset your expectations of what it means to live “a good life.”

For a moment, clear every idea the world has ever taught you about what it means to be successful, to be happy, to do things the right way. Erase the notion that you have to follow a certain playbook in order to live with purpose and meaning.

Pretend you live in a society where status, money, and “success” do not exist. How would you live your life differently? What choices would you make? And, more importantly, how would you be different? How would your values, desires, and goals shift and change?

I know many of us feel like we are living someone else’s life. I also know that, in ways, we are shockingly disappointed by what our adult lives have to offer us. We spent our whole childhoods excited to grow up.

When we did, many of us looked around and thought to ourselves:

“This is it?”

If you feel misled in life, even a little tricked, it’s because in ways you were misled and tricked. This world told you what you should care about, where you should go, and what you should do to be happy and successful. And you listened, at least partially, because other people listened before you and they seemed to turn out just fine.

But you were never meant to listen to others over your own inner voice. You were never meant to follow the crowd. When you pay too much attention to what everyone else is doing, and when you give too much importance to what this world expects of you, something heartbreaking happens. You become disconnected from who you really are and what makes you happy.

Think back to when you were very young, before the world told you what was important, and what was good or bad. What was important to you? What was your idea of a good life?

Maybe you didn’t care about having a big, successful career. Maybe you wanted something much smaller, but even more worthy: a simple life carved from your inner passions, joys, and desires. A life that brought you a sense of inner peace.

The way back to happiness and feeling less empty requires getting back in touch with your younger self. It requires you rediscovering your innermost passions and desires. The moment you reconnect with that inner spark–– that electric piece of life within you that glitters and glows and makes you feel alive–– will be the moment you finally feel fulfilled.

When you make room for your true self (not the self the world has created, but the self you’ve always been) you will know what it means to feel alive again.

I would also like to add that we all venture away from our true interests partly because we have to. You cannot always stay true to yourself and be a person in this world, all of the time. There will always be moments where you need to do things that you don’t want to do, that you don’t necessarily agree with. This is a part of life. Balance is needed.

Now, you have an important decision to make. Will you choose to honor yourself and your inner values, or will you continue striving for goals and dreams that were never yours to begin with?

It’s time to begin challenging what a good life means to you.

Does it look like making as much money as possible? Does it mean acquiring material things, and living every day of your life focused on these material things? Does it mean getting the best degree and the best job, and feeling bad about yourself when these things don’t happen in the way you planned?

Or, perhaps a good life looks like something that is less focused on money and the material, and more focused on experiences and connection. It means trying your best and being graceful with yourself always, even when you fail, and striving to be less critical of both yourself and everyone around you. Working hard but refraining from making work your entire life. Spending more time with the people you love, connecting with each other with intention and patience. Taking time to explore the world and be outside in nature.

Try to honor those inner values you cultivated when you were very young, before the world told you what you should care about, who you should be, and how you could be happy. Only you can decide what makes you happy. This is your life, no one else’s.

Right now I’m offering a new free workshop, and I would love for you to join. It’s called re(NEW) You. I usually don’t do free online events, so I’m delighted to be hosting this no-charge session for my community.

In this free workshop, I’ll guide you through the 5 simple (proven) steps to break free from your old habits and begin building a new life that you truly love.

If you feel like you were meant for more, it’s because you are. And only you can decide what that “more” means for you.

Click here to access my free workshop now. 🙏

With gratitude,

📚 #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
🎧 Host of the On Purpose Podcast
🙏 Former Monk

PS: Want your question answered in a future Weekly Wisdom? Submit your best questions here.

A word from this issue’s sponsor…

It’s time to STOP using Honey and Credit Karma

Kudos: The all-in-one app that outshines Honey, Credit Karma, and Apple Pay. Maximize rewards at 3M+ stores, discover top card deals with The Points Guy, and enjoy one-click checkouts. Pick your best card, earn more cashback, and simplify online shopping. Kudos does it all.

Download Now—It’s Free!

What you need to know today (to create a better tomorrow) ✨

• I’ve wanted people to have real, actionable data about their bodies. After searching and testing different solutions, I finally found something that truly works. Function is the tool that helps you understand what’s happening inside your body.

• This writer has read over 200,000 love stories. Here’s what he discovered, and how it can help you love better.

• Need help keeping firm boundaries? Learn the foolproof way to respond to awkward personal questions.

• A recent study found that over half of young adults feel anxious, angry, and powerless over climate change. Turn your anxiety into action.

• Feeling mentally and emotionally drained? Learn 3 easy, science-backed ways to boost your mental health.

• Night owls weren’t made for the 9-5 grind. Nearly 8.2% of the population’s natural sleep cycle doesn’t fit society’s mold.

• Relationship struggles? Think twice before going to TikTok for marriage advice.

This newsletter is sent out to over 740k+ readers every week. We want to learn more about you.