The only essentials.
Welcome to issue #011 of Unsubscribe. Each week, I send two essays that help you step off the default path to build a life you love, supported by work you enjoy. If you need support on your entrepreneurial journey, join our network of over 875 entrepreneurs. You’ll instantly access our group chat, weekly live Q&As, monthly workshops, and exclusive networking events.
We’re inundated with noise nowadays.
Social media is full of "thought leaders" telling you what you should care about. How to live. What to buy. How to invest. Who to follow. How to build your personal brand. What your morning routine should look like.
It's all theater.
A global game of comparison that keeps you sprinting on a treadmill, trying to keep up.
None of it actually matters.
I've chased every definition of success. I've worked 80-hour weeks to get noticed by bosses I didn't even like. I've spent too much time building businesses because they impressed people, not because they brought me joy. I've followed advice from people who look successful but are actually miserable.
Turns out, a genuinely good life has remarkably few components.
Do good work. Work that you’re excited about, that challenges you, makes you better, and creates value for other people. Work that you're proud of, not just work that pays you well.
Make some money. Not obscene amounts that require sacrificing everything else, but enough to support your life, give yourself options, and generate peace of mind. Money doesn’t buy happiness, they say, but it creates options.
Stay healthy. Nothing else matters if your body and mind are falling apart. Get good sleep. Move daily. Eat real food. Protect your mental space.
Help people. Nothing feels better than making someone else's life better. Your family. Your friends. Your community. A stranger. Be useful and be kind.
Love your family. The people who know you best and love you anyway deserve your time. Not your leftovers. Not what remains after some 12-hour workday. The best version of you.
Travel the world. Leave your bubble and challenge what you’ve always believed. See how other people live. Taste different foods. Learn different customs. It will make you more creative, empathetic, and aware of what actually matters.
Everything else? Just theater. People performing for each other.
The awards. The accolades. The comparison trap. The social media follower count. The obsession with outworking everyone. The lifestyle flexing. The constant search for validation.
None of it makes the essential list. None of it will lead to a more meaningful life. You won’t talk about any of those things on your deathbed.
Are you spending most of your energy on what's essential? Or on the dog and pony show?
Because time isn't infinite.
And the essentials list is mercifully short.
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I was in a networking session yesterday, and the icebreaker question was, "If you had a walk through a door right now, what would be on the other side of that door?" And my own answer surprised me. At first, I was thinking more environmental (BALI sure looks great.) or I was thinking about the world around me (can we stop with all the wars )...but what I just spat out was, "I think I would walk into my own life right now." And that's not to say it's because it doesn't have struggle or hardship or I want to do more, but if I think about what really matters in life, as you say, I have a great family. I have great kids. I love my husband. We travel. I do something that helps people. My work is challenging and it motivates me to get up every day to help more. I am healthy. And I thought outloud, "Well, isn't this what we're all after anyway?" I'm not sure what this random gut check thought is going to mean for my existential crisis on a daily basis, but we'll see, great post Justin, per usual.
The “good life” sounds great. Getting there feels impossible for most.
Or maybe I’m just having a bad week.