I tried to skip the climb

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A few people have called out that I removed the standard weekly sections from the bottom of this newsletter.

I stopped writing them because they didn’t feel purposeful anymore. I talked about this a couple of weeks ago, but I’ve been trying to make everything I write come from a place of intentionality.

And right now, that purpose is found in being brutally honest about where I’m at in my journey of self-discovery.

Where’s that, exactly?

All over the place 😂

It’s hard to feel organized when your self-discovery to-do list just keeps getting longer.

At first, I thought finding purpose meant figuring out what I wanted from my career. That quickly turned into asking what I wanted from life.

And from there…it exploded.

Lately, my notes app is filled with questions like:

What do I actually value in life?

What does “enough” look like for me?

What, and who, should I prioritize in my 20s?

Every question seems to lead to ten new ones and zero answers. Don’t worry, I’ve realized that’s not sustainable. If I keep filling my mind with questions, there won’t be any room left for answers.

The truth is, I’ve been trying to teleport to the top of the mountain, to have a clear view of what I’ve done and where I’m going, without putting in the climb.

But that’s not how life works.

You can’t skip the steps that shape you. You have to take each one, even when you’re unsure. Because it’s through the climb that we become people worthy of the view.

So, enjoy the journey. And surround yourself with people that make that journey better.

While I originally removed the weekly sections of this newsletter because they didn’t feel intentional, I haven’t brought them back because my thoughts still feel messy. It doesn’t feel right presenting them in a clean, repetitive way when life isn’t that way right now.

So for now, this newsletter is going to be structured like my mind — a little messy.

And as my thoughts move from disorganized to directed, so will this newsletter. It’ll serve as a living record of how I go from feeling lost to finding purpose, and hopefully, inspire you to start (or continue) your own climb.

Until next week.

Step by step,

Nathan

P.S. If you’ve been missing my media recommendations, make sure to come back next week for a podcast rec! If you want a hint, here’s a book that the podcast may have inspired me to buy…

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