Read at your own risk

The Thought: Financial motivation is enough to get you going but not enough to keep you going (with fulfillment, at least).

The Context: Money and things were the things that I derived my status, security and worth from. Looking back it wasn’t a good long-term solution.

Money and material things are an unhealthy external validation that will never give long term satisfaction.

I think those things will be a nice byproduct of the conversation this week.

WARNING: Read at your own risk. I’m pressing into everything we hold holy on the altar of success.

I don’t blame you if you want to unsubscribe after this letter.

“Chris, are you anti-money and wealth?”

No, not at all. Well, unless it owns you.

Money and wealth have tremendous utility and can do a lot of good. Can’t pay the mortgage payment with good vibes and intention.

I think we tend to become enslaved to the thing(s) we think give us freedom?

I-Was-A-Slave. ugh.

I had big businesses, great income, accolades, peer-“atta boy’s”, toys and, it owned me.

How? I needed those things to validate my worth.

Sustained success comes from internal not external.

We live in a world that values everything-external. If that’s the premise in how we operate in business nothing is ever enough (like the King said).

When we don’t think we’re valuable, worthy or worth love WITHOUT EXTERNAL SUCCESS we’ll always chase the thing that will say I’m finally worth attention, care, love and acceptance.

This is anything that gives validation that — “I’m good and valuable”.

Caveat: I’m not saying any of those things are bad. I am saying that we need not derive our meaning and existence from those things (anymore).

The Order of Long Term Success…

1. Identity: It’s Fixed

When our identity IS we don’t need anything to validate us. You and I already have innate value and worth. When we live in THAT truth I won’t seek to find it outside of myself.

I can still find joy, fulfillment and satisfaction in other things but I won’t NEED it. That’s the key difference.

Btw, I’m not talking about narcissism. I’m talking health.

A lot of my time and effort in building business and achieving success has come in order to validate ME. 😆 

What a humany thing to do.

When I love me. I approve of me. I value me. I say I’m good enough. I don’t need to rely on external things to fill that internal cup. Yup.

A fixed identity isn’t entangled in a business or strategy or relationship or assets or ______________.

Those things are great and fine but they do not define you or me.

Everything stems from a healthy identity.

Identity is being.

2. Purpose: Flows from Identity

This is Why am I?

Purpose is what gives meaning and intention to what we’re doing. If identity is being then purpose is our doing.

I don’t think my purpose is to be a doctor. Love doctor, maybe. But not a real doctor.

The ancient Japanese process for finding purpose is really interesting to me and makes sense….

The simple version is this…

Find:

1. What you love

2. What you’re good at

3. What the world needs

4. What you can be paid for

The intersection of the above might be the spot you find your “purpose”.

I think working from purpose is a key to longevity because it contributes to fulfillment.

From what Jim Collins has discovered in his studies on businesses that last -they meet the above criteria. Proofs in the puddin’.

3. Vision: What I see

Vision isn’t, “I want to make a million dollars bro”.

I think goooood vision flows from “who am I” and “why am I”.

Again, it’s top down because as we grow and evolve and expand our vision can grow, evolve and expand.

Not just another million tho bro. haha I’m having too much fun with the scale-bro rhetoric.

What do you see and feel is possible? Go create!

4. Strategy: The Plan to Accomplish the Vision

Strategy is the business, the investing, the diet, the routine, etc. Those things are all flexible.

Businesses, relationships, money, assets, etc are all things that come and go.

How we (read, I) get into danger is when we intertwine our identity with those things so when they’re ripped from our cold boney fingers we get turnt up and not in a good way.

Some of these thoughts I pulled from one of my coaches, Stephen. He says healthy identity is the thing that pulls us forward. With my experience I think he’s right.

BTW, I love strategy things. I think they’re good and important but even more fun when they’re not ruling our souls. ;)

Chris