This helps you get through the hard shit

The purpose of purpose

The podcaster and author Lewis Howes worries this advice might be “basic” or “corny,” but I disagree.

Given that life is not an escalator that glides smoothly and inexorably upwards, you need something to keep you going when shit gets hard.

Friends can help. So can meditation. But you know what else is massively useful during a setback? A clearly defined mission. A purpose. A north star.

Here’s an illustrative anecdote from Lewis: A few years ago, the podcast business hit the skids. As a result of both a market correction and a change to the Apple Podcasts algorithm, his show, the popular The School of Greatness, started to hemorrhage ad dollars and listener downloads. (So did mine, by the way; it sucked.)

Lewis was, quite justifiably, freaked out. But what kept him going was remembering his purpose, which is to help people learn and grow. He realized he wanted to keep going and figure it out. So he reevaluated his process, made changes, and his show is now well on the road to recovery.

I defined my own purpose late in life. And when I figured it out, I got it tattooed on my wrist, right next to my watch, so I can remind myself as much as possible.

It’s off-brand in its earnestness, but my mission is to work “for the benefit of all beings,” which is an ancient Buddhist phrase. Hence my FTBOAB tattoo.

Having a mission is massively clarifying. When I experience anxiety or confusion—both very common for founders of new businesses—I can usually arrest the downward spiral when I remember what my job is: to be useful.

What’s yours? It’s worth giving it some thought.

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Finally: Join me May 19th-23rd for The Buddhist Antidote to Anxiety: A Live Meditation Miniseries, designed to help you navigate the various dumpster fires of life with greater balance and sanity. Monday is open to everyone, and the following four days are for paid subscribers only. Hope to see you there.