purpose

Feynman’s Favorite Problems Will Help You Discover Meaning in Life

May 10, 2021 by Eva Keiffenheim

And how I use a Roamkasten to work with mine.

With 24 hours a day and limited days before you die, you’re facing a trade-off between how you spend and not spend your time.

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman was well aware of this dichotomy, and he developed a framework that helped him navigate through life.

If you ever wondered whether you’re using your time for the right things, this timeless idea will help you direct your attention to what matters most.

Richard Feynman’s Mental Framework

While most people find problems inconvenient, Feynman took a fresh approach. Through his lens, problems can give your life meaning and purpose. He once wrote:

“My approach to problem-solving is to carry around a dozen interesting problems, and a dozen interesting solutions to unrelated problems, and eventually, I’ll be able to make connections. […].

You have to keep a dozen of your favorite problems constantly present in your mind, although by and large they will lay in a dormant state.”

What Feynman intuitively described, learning scientists now call the diffuse modes. Without actively thinking, your subconsciousness works on problems.

It not only helped Feynman become a highly respected physicist but also other world-class performers, such as Stephen King.

King says he found the best ideas for his novels during diffuse mode thinking: “These were all situations which occurred to me while showering, while driving, while taking my daily walk and which I eventually turned into books. [..] It’s that sudden flash of insight when you see how everything connects.”

Once you know your favorite problems, you don’t need to work on them constantly. Your mind will look for answers while you’re focusing on something else.

In essence, your favorite problems are questions that help you get into an explorer mindset. When you read through other people’s ideas, you’ll unconsciously make connections to your favorite problems. Day by day, you’ll make progress on finding solutions.

“Every time you hear a new trick or a new result, test it against each of your twelve problems to see whether it helps. Every once in a while there will be a hit, and people will say, ‘How did he do it? He must be a genius!’”

— Richard Feynman

How to Find Your Favorite Problems

Your favorite problems can be anything — related to your work life, scientific questions, your love life, your health, wealth, or humanity as a whole.

The only important thing is to settle on problems you can contribute to. In a letter from 1966, Feynman wrote to his former student Koichi Manom:

“The worthwhile problems are the ones you can really solve or help solve, the ones you can really contribute something to. […] No problem is too small or too trivial if we can really do something about it.”

To find twelve worthwhile problems for your life, consider the following questions:

What are you curious about?
What have you always pursued?
What puzzles you about life and society?
Which problems you can’t stop thinking about?

Most of your favorite problems won’t have a single solution. The goal is not to be done with them. Your questions will stay with you or evolve, sometimes for years or even decades.

How I Work With My 12 Favorite Problems

To serve as guiding principles for your life, you’ll want to revisit your questions regularly.

I work with my problems by using a Zettelkasten with Roam. The Zettelkasten was invented by socioligist Niklas Luhmann. Thanks to the method, he published 70 books and 500 scholarly articles.

I’ve been using a digitized version of Luhmann’s system for four months. I can already see how it’s improving my writing, thinking and helping me find answers to my 12 favorite problems.

Understanding and implementing the system takes about five to ten hours, but here’s the quintessence of Zettelkasten’s notes hierarchy:

Fleeting Notes
Fleeting notes are ideas that pop into your mind as you go through your day. They can be really short, just like one word. You don’t need to organize them.
Literature Notes:
You capture literature notes from the content you consume. It’s your bullet-point summary from other people’s ideas. I create these notes for all books, podcasts, articles, or videos I find valuable.
Permanent Notes:
When you create permanent notes, you think for yourself. In contrast to literature notes, you don’t summarize somebody else’s thoughts. You don’t just copy ideas but develop, remix, and contradict them. You create arguments and discussions.

My 12 favorite problems serve as a filter for my permanent notes. Whenever I develop my opinion, I think about how it relates to my favorite problems.

Here’s a snapshot of my current permanent notes page on my first favorite problem — How can I help education evolve so it ignites kid’s curiosity and creates a lifelong love of learning?

Permanent notes in Roamkasten for my first favorite problem. (Source: Author).

By using your favorite problems as guiding questions for your permanent notes, you will start to get answers. Plus, you’ll revisit your questions regularly.

In Conclusion

Writing your interests as a dozen questions will help you clarify what you’re truly after and making better decisions.

By keeping a list of problems, you can decide what you want to read, watch, or listen to. Feynman’s framework can work as a system of filters and turn consumption into contribution.

All you need to do is write down your 12 favorite problems and keep them in the back of your head, e.g., through integrating them in your Zettelkasten.

As you capture information to find answers to your favorite problems, you will start to see patterns of interest and find more meaning in life.

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7 Signs You’ve Internalized Capitalism

May 6, 2021 by Eva Keiffenheim

Societal structures have shaped the thoughts we tell ourselves about productivity, rest, enjoyment, relationships, and growth.

Do you ever lay down thinking you didn’t achieve enough?

If you worry about being worthless, it’s likely because you’ve adopted a toxic thought pattern — often without realizing it. As Dr. Emilia Roig writes:

“Capitalism is to us like water is to fish. We do not notice that it surrounds us.”

If you’ve internalized capitalism, you‘ll never come to a point where you feel like you’re good enough. Your hard work won’t lead to happiness.

The following list will help you know if you’ve internalized capitalism — and what you can do about it if you want to change.

1) Your self-worth is tied to your productivity.

When was the last time you watched Netflix without feeling guilty?

Society values busyness and productivity. It’s easier to measure your worth by what you do instead of who you are. Your self-worth depends on your performance.

Psychologist Nikita Banks writes: “It is this idea that to be unproductive is sin, and as such, this idea that you must always be producing is in direct relation to your worthiness.”

With the internet full of productivity porn, it’s hard not to judge yourself for being unproductive. But when you equate your self-worth with productivity, you will never experience inner peace.

“The glorification of hustle culture reinforces the belief that being busy and productive is the key to happiness.”

— Lee McKay Doe

2) You feel guilty when you do something enjoyable.

Do you do things purely for fun? I feel guilty whenever I do something without any productivity goal. I have the inherent fear that pleasure will wreck me.

When you’ve internalized capitalism, you always put aside pleasure and focus on making the most out of your time. Daydreaming is for losers. You’re on the eternal quest for the next achievement.

But being busy is not better. With productivity as a default, more productivity isn’t the right way to go. When work is all you do, it ultimately becomes meaningless — overwork for too long, and you’ll ultimately burn out.

Many workaholics I know have eating disorders or addiction issues. They seek energy from external resources like food or drugs to keep running. But short-time highs only throw them further out of balance, and they crave for the next high.

I’m not against hard work. Yet, too much of it comes at a high cost. A balanced life is a happy life. And to live in balance, we need enjoyable tasks as much as we do need work.

“Hard work is important. So are play and non-productivity. My worth is not tied to my productivity but to my existence.”

— Glennon Doyle

3) You prioritize work over health.

Have you pushed yourself to work when your body was recovering from an illness? A capitalist society holds people responsible for their well-being. If you can’t work, it’s your fault.

You feel unproductive when you go to the doctor. You’re mad at fluctuating energy levels and work out to be more productive. You expect to work like a robot. There’s no room for ups and downs.

Only prioritizing health when it prevents you from working is a clear signal for internalized capitalism. You only take care of your health to avoid not being able to function.

I’m unlearning that doing more, faster, and better makes you happier. I try to stop sacrificing my health and striving for ‘high-performance’. But despite I know faster-better-more isn’t the key to a fulfilled life, my inner voice still asks, is it?

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

― Howard Thurman

4) You equate rest with laziness.

I grew up in a hard-working German middle-class family and internalized sentences like:

Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
(Was du heute kannst besorgen, das verschiebe nicht auf morgen.)
Work hard, play hard.
(Wer abends lange feiern kann, kann morgens auch schaffen.)
“You can’t make something out of nothing.”
(Von nichts kommt nichts.)

Many people normalized and remember these thoughts as if they were our natural behavior. We even stopped questioning them.

You force yourself to keep productive while your inner world tells your body sends the signals it’s enough. You only deserve a break when you’ve worked so hard that you now deserve it.

You have to earn your downtime. You judge everybody who doesn’t work hard enough. You think it’s your own mistake if you struggle to achieve your tasks.

5) Activities exist in hierarchies.

Reading a historical fiction book vs. taking an online course — which one do you find more valuable?

Capitalism offers opportunities to individuals — but only to those who work hard enough. Dr. Emilia Roig compares capitalism with a race where people compete against each other under the same conditions.

The race is unfair. There are people who, no matter how hard they work, can’t reach the finishing line. “Everyone can do it” is an easy excuse to make by people who had privileged starting conditions.

Internalized capitalism downgrades all activities that don’t make you win the race. What doesn’t contribute to making money or improving yourself is a waste of your time.

You’re trapped in a logic of material productivity and competition. Things and actions that value love, enjoyment, empathy, mindfulness, understanding, and care have less value.

6) You prioritize work over relationships.

Individualistic orientation is at the heart of advanced capitalism. You are responsible for yourself. With an entire society valuing self-sufficiency, most people don’t allow themselves to need people or ask for help.

Researchers confirm what we instinctively feel. Robert Waldinger, psychiatrist and former professor at Harvard Medical School, shared in a TED Talk how relationships are essential for a healthy, happy life.

Yet, many people don’t put their relationships first. They work long hours instead of caring for their friends. Forgetting a text message once or skipping a friend meet-up twice doesn’t matter.

But if you always put work first, it’ll pile up. You’ll lose friends one after another. Working instead of fostering friendship decreases wellbeing.

It’s human connection that adds meaning to our lives, not accomplishments.

“Many relationships and moments of inner peace were sacrificed on the altar of achievement.”

— Ryan Holiday

7) You optimize for personal and monetary growth.

Almost everything we see in life should be optimized. A look on the scales is a hint for working on your weight. The look in the mirror a reminder to improve your skin. The number of daily steps a hint to walk more.

Whatever we see is an invitation to optimize.

As Hartmut Rosa writes, “Mountains are to be climbed, exams to be passed, career steps to be taken, lovers to conquer, places to visit, and taking photos (‘you have to see it’).”

In the 1930s, John Maynard Keynes suggested people stop striving for more as soon as their needs are met. Once they reach this point, they prefer to live the good life.

But his theory was wrong. Even though economies reached all-time highs, people don’t work less. In ‘How much is enough?’, Edward and Robert Skidelsky describe how the rich world has so much less leisure than Keynes suggested.

Why? Material desires are limitless. Accumulating capital and optimizing our well-being is a cornerstone of capitalism. You see your growth trajectory, and you want more.

In Conclusion

Societal structures have shaped the thoughts we tell ourselves about productivity, rest, enjoyment, relationships, and growth. This article is not about anti-capitalism or praising any other economic system. Instead, it’s an invitation to question the status quo.

I won’t lie — it’s difficult to unlearn internalized capitalism. Even when you’ve accepted productivity, money, and achievement won’t make you happy, changing your thoughts and behavior is tough. Yet knowing these signals will raise your awareness.

Whenever you spot internalized capitalism, remember that you’re enough — no matter what you do or don’t do. You’ll find yourself living a happier, healthier, and freer life.

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7 Questions to Ask Yourself If You Seek More Meaning in Your Life

March 10, 2021 by Eva Keiffenheim

Start by defining what a great day means to you.

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

― Howard Thurman

Do you ever lie in bed thinking you ticked off so many to-dos but still didn’t have a great day?

If you don’t really feel alive, it’s likely because you focus on the wrong things. And the most dangerous thing is to measure your day based on the level of your productivity.

Doing a lot of exciting work is good. But being too busy to feel alive isn’t.

Stop numbing your mind with work. Here are seven better metrics to judge your life. Using some of them will transform your days from good to great.

1.) Did you do something meaningful?

For a long time, I believed the only purpose of life was happiness. What other reason is there to go through life’s ups and downs if not to be happy?

But chasing happiness is the fast-track to an unhappy life. Happiness isn’t something you can catch. That’s why neither things nor achievements can make you happy.

The first time I felt long-lasting happiness was after meditating for ten days, eleven hours a day.

Because happiness is the freedom from desire, you can let go of desire when you detach from what you think you need.

Apart from meditation, there’s another way to let go of desire and feel happiness: stop making life only about yourself. Ralph Waldo Emerson said:

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

You don’t need to work at an NGO to do useful, honorable work. You can find it in tiny actions such as:

Create a meaningful gift for a person you love.
Take your parents on a day trip.
When somebody says they’re having trouble with something, find a way to help.
Write an article about something you learned and share it with a group.
Go food shopping for a neighbor that’s in need.
Do something at work that’s outside of your responsibility.

Now you might argue that these things bring you away from what you want to achieve. That you will waste time and not be productive. But this over-optimization is what prevents you from feeling alive.

Life is no chase. There’s nothing to catch. If you want to feel alive and happy, do something meaningful and compassionate.

2.) Did you spend time in nature?

It’s easy to get lost in front of our screens. When we feel busy, we feel like making progress.

Yet, our laptops will never make us happy. You won’t find a single person on a deathbed mumbling, “I wish I spent more time on the internet.”

Don’t focus on the laptop life. Focus on the natural life. Hours spent outside, surrounded by water and forest, is the best thing you can do.

Japanese scientists have proven the health-promoting effects of the forest in several studies. Just looking at the forest lowers your blood pressure, slows your pulse, and decreases the concentration of the stress hormone cortisol.

Nature makes people healthy all by itself. The rustling of the leaves, the scents of the trees, birdsong, and the splashing of the streams heal people and strengthen their health.

“Natural stimuli are fascinating,” says Dr. Anja Göritz, professor of psychology in an interview with the German Times, “They captivate people and attract their attention. The mind is pleasantly occupied.”

To move your day from good to great, spend time outdoors. Go for a walk after lunch. Plan a weekend trip to the next national park. Make camping trips during summer. Start measuring your days by the time spent outside.

3.) Did you learn something you didn’t know before?

Knowledge is power. That’s why learning can improve any life. Yet, only very few people make learning an ongoing habit.

Reading is the easiest way to learn every day. Books expand your mind. They make you discover truths about the world and yourself. Page by page, they help you live a happier life.

Use your curiosity as a guide. How much do your days engage your curiosity? If the answer is “not much,” consider changing something.

This study followed aging individuals while tracking their curiosity levels. They found that people with high levels of curiosity were more likely to live five years longer.

Plus, curiosity drives discoveries. There’s strong evidence curiosity makes you better remember new knowledge. The more curious you are about a topic, the more it’ll stick with you.

So, read outside of your typical field. Say less and ask more and better questions. Spend time with children. Let curiosity guide you to learn something new.

4.) Did you feel your mind-body connection?

My boyfriend has worked out almost every morning for five years. Before COVID, he jumped out of bed at 5:50 AM and biked to the gym. Now he exercises at home. He doesn’t listen to music. He’s fully present in his body.

I always admired his willpower. But he says he doesn’t need willpower anymore. Once you feel your mind-body connection, you want to feel the connection between your brain and your body.

My boyfriend in October 2020. (Picture by Victoria)

And while I’m not yet where he is, doing yoga every morning helps me grasp what he’s talking about. When I connect with my body through movement, the day gets a new quality.

Throughout centuries, philosophers and scientists have hypothesized about the mind-body connection. There’s no consensus yet. We have been left with what many refer to as the mind-body problem: What is the relationship between mind and body?

And while neither philosophy nor modern science has given a clear answer, I just witnessed how it can transform my days from good to great.

5.) Did you sharpen your mind?

The body is one part of the equation. The mind is the other half. Yet, most people don’t prioritize mental health. They chase around, trying hard to take care of the world and, meanwhile, forget to take care of their mind.

“If you take care of your mind, you take care of the world.”

— Arianna Huffington

Meditation is the most effective way to take care of your mind. Mind training tackles different topics such as dealing with a monkey mind, letting go of fear and anxiety, and returning to the present moment after distraction.

Scientists attest to the manifold benefits of meditation. This meta-analysis with more than 1,200 adults found meditation can decrease anxiety. Another study discovered that individuals who completed a meditation exercise had fewer negative thoughts when seeing negative images than the control group.

Meditating is one of the most powerful habits you can build.

Your meditation muscle will grow day by day. By seeing your thoughts as thoughts and letting them go as they arise, you’ll let go of inner chatter. As Mark Twain said, “I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.”

6.) Did you have time to think for yourself?

Whenever I have a spare moment, I try to fill it. I listen to podcasts, read books, have a conversation with my beautiful boyfriend, answer messages, or hop to the next task in my bullet journal.

And while these activities can be enjoyable and add energy to my life, they have a marginal return on thinking utility. After a certain point, every additional minute of doing decreases the ability to think for yourself.

When we’re so busy doing, we don’t spend single second thinking. Entire days go by without a single deep thought. At the end of your life, you realize you’ve lived the life of others.

An easy fix is to eliminate distractions that take away your time. Get an alarm clock and ban your phone from your bedroom. Leave your phone turned off until lunch. Disable all notifications and use your time to think and connect the dots.

7.) Did you spend undivided attention with fellow humans?

Two friends met at a party. It clicked; over a few months, they enjoyed their time together — until she fell back into her old beliefs. She prioritized her physics research and became a sloppy communicator. At one point, he ended it.

Many people struggle to put their relationships first. Ryan Holiday found great words for this:

“Many relationships and moments of inner peace were sacrificed on the altar of achievement.”

During quarantine, many people have first felt the true benefit of relationships. Human connections give us energy, a sense of belonging, joy, and a feeling of oneness.

Researchers confirm what we instinctively feel. Robert Waldinger, psychiatrist and former professor at Harvard Medical School, shared in a TED Talk how relationships are the most important ingredient for a healthy, happy life.

This is probably the most important point of the entire article. Because if you don’t get your relationships right, having great days is almost unattainable.

Every hour working is an hour without friends and family. Eric Barker cites a study where one of the top five regrets of people on their deathbed is “I wish I didn’t work so hard.”

Care for your friends. Trait working time for people time. A great day for me always includes deep human connection.

All You Need to Know

Now, most people on this planet don’t have the luxury of transforming their days from good to great. But as you’re reading this, you belong to the privileged people who do have a choice.

Start by defining what a great day means to you. Consider using some of the above metrics as inspiration:

Did you do something meaningful?
Did you spend time in nature?
Did you learn something you didn’t know before?
Did you feel your mind-body connection?
Did you sharpen your mind?
Did you spend undivided attention with fellow humans?
Did you have time to think for yourself?

Don’t make these things other achievement items on your to-do list. Pick what you like and screw the rest.

Making time for some of these things is one of the greatest gifts you can give to your future self. Repeat it often enough, and you’ll find yourself lying in bed being grateful for all the great days in your life.

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3 Quotes by Yuval Harari That Changed the Way I Think and Live

January 19, 2021 by Eva Keiffenheim

On happiness, human extinction, and illusions.

To be honest, I fell asleep every time I read a few pages of Sapiens. I was overwhelmed by the width of Harari’s thoughts.

There’s a reason why he’s one of the most influential thinkers of our time. He regularly discusses global issues with heads of state, like Angela Merkel or Mauricio Macri.

In his recent interview on The Tim Ferriss Show, Yuval shared three thoughts I can’t stop thinking about. Chances are, they’ll change the way you think and go through life as well.

“We’re thousands of times more powerful than people in the stone age. But it’s not clear whether we are at all happier than they were.”

I’m an innovation enthusiast, and it took me some years and Tristan Harris to realize innovation doesn’t equal progress.

We don’t know whether we’re happier than our ancestors. We haven’t solved the equation of happiness, and we don’t know how to decrease human suffering.

With all that you’ve achieved in your personal life — are you happier than you were five years ago?

I no longer get drunk twice a week. I enjoy my life and earn money by doing things I love. But am I happier than my five-year younger self? I don’t know.

Whenever we improve something, it comes at the price of something else. After all, we don’t know whether we’re happier than our stone-age ancestors.

What to do:

Yuval practices Vipassana meditation for two hours every day and takes an annual meditation retreat for a month or two every year.

Here’s what he wrote about Vipassana in Tribe of Mentors:

“It is not an escape from reality. It is getting in touch with reality. At least for two hours a day, I actually observe reality as it is, while for the other 22 hours, I get overwhelmed by emails and tweets and funny cat videos. Without the focus and clarity provided by this practice, I could not have written Sapiens and Homo Deus.”

I sat through my first Vipassana course in 2019. After ten days, everything clicked together. I felt true happiness: a complete silence of thoughts. I didn’t sit down for two hours every day afterward, so the effects soon vanished.

But prolonged meditation can help you reach peace of mind, better mental health, and more focus. It’s a proven path to decrease suffering and accessible to everyone. You can search for a donation-based course on Dhamma.

“As a species, we are very good in acquiring more power, but we are not good at all in translating power into happiness.”

— Yuval Noah Harari

“We created stories as a tool for us. We shouldn’t be enslaved by them.”

Yuval explains the only reason why the human species has more power than animals is that we can collaborate.

We created fictional constructs that help us work together. Stories about religion, money, states, and cooperations to create trust on a larger scale.

Often, we forget that humans were the inventors of these stories. When we start fights or even wars about self-made concepts, we should pause to remind us of what really matters.

He doesn’t oppose fictional stories as we need them as they’re the basis for cooperation. But he says we should regularly run the test of suffering.

What to do:

The test of suffering simply shows whether something is real. Humans and animals can suffer. Cooperations, countries, or cars can’t.

All we have to do is ask ourselves: What is real in the world? And what are fictional stories?

When I started working self-employed, I worried a lot about the financials. Will I make enough money to reach financial independence? Or will I miserably fail to pay the bills? Worries about stories aren’t real.

Since I learned about the test of suffering, I’ve found it easier to see worries about fictional stories as they arise. Whenever I do, I let them pass.

“Even in the best scenario, I don’t think Homo sapiens will be around in two or 300 years.”

While his other insights are inspiring, this one is rather frightening. Yuval lists three main global problems that bring him to his conclusion:

As global tensions rise, so does the chance of a nuclear war.
Climate change, destruction of habitats, and ecological collapse.
Technological disruption, mainly from artificial intelligence and bioengineering.

He doesn’t think people will live like us in 200 years because the ongoing changes are too big. The best scenario is that Homo sapiens will disappear, but in a peaceful and gradual way, and be replaced by something better.

What to do:

Memento mori — remember your own mortality. Time and attention are your most valuable resources. Choose how you spend them wisely, and keep in mind that nothing will last forever.

“Change is the only certainty in life.”

— Yuval Noah Harari

Final Thoughts

We’re so often trapped in our heads that we forget the universe’s scale. Harari’s insights are a great reminder of the many axes of life.

These three quotes are so meaningful; your conclusion is likely different from mine. Here’s how Yuval’s insights changed the way I think and live:

Make Vipassana meditation a priority. Training your mind will lead to a calmer, happier, and more focused mind.
Don’t be enslaved by fictional stories. Break free whenever you’re worried about human-made constructs.
Know that one day you’ll die. So, speak your truth and follow your inner guidance.

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How To Do Your Personal Annual Review and Get the Most from 2021

December 2, 2020 by Eva Keiffenheim

The step-by-step guide to a year of your dreams.

2020 was a great year to learn more about yourself.

You were forced to cancel travel plans and minimize social interactions. You’ve likely spent more time with yourself than ever before. And while time alone might have brought your most unpleasant feelings to the surface, your experiences can reveal a promising way for your future.

Yet, this year per se isn’t enough to make you learn more about yourself. You can spend 52 weeks alone without evolving at all.

It’s about when and how you reflect on your experiences that will improve your life’s quality and prepare you for the next year.

Billionaire entrepreneur Sara Blakely shared in an interview how she regularly reflects on her life’s obstacles and the lessons learned. And psychologist and educational scientist John Dewey summarized the effects best, writing:

“We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience.”

I’ve run a personal annual review for the past four years now and continue to look for ways to improve it. Recently, I went through all my notes and distilled the practices that helped me the most.

4 Things You Need To Run Your Annual Review

You don’t need a fancy retreat to conduct your reflection. All it takes are four simple things.

2×3 hours of uninterrupted time. You don’t want to rush through your review in one sitting. For me, the reviews work best when I block three hours on two subsequent days. You can, however, also block two times 3 hours on a single day. Your life, your choices.

Paper, pen, and the printed questions. Your computer or your phone will easily distract you. Shut your devices off and prepare a technology-free working area. Print this article (you’ll find a printable version a the end) or write down the questions. You can always look up information afterward if you need it.

Journals, diaries, calendars, or other personal data. Your memory is good, but your documentation works better. Collect all personal evidence from the year before your review. It’ll help you answer the questions that follow. If you manage your life digitally, you can use your computer and phone (in flight mode) for part one.

A blank desk, floor, table, or a whiteboard. I’ve done my reviews on a beach chair, in a hostel, and on my desk. What works best is a big empty area, like a clean desk or an empty whiteboard.

Optional: People to work with. Depending on the COVID situation, it can be beneficial to do the review with two to three close friends. You can bounce ideas, verify your thoughts, and help each other focus.

Part 1: How to Kickstart Your Personal Review

The first three hours are all about reflection and examination. It’ll be your evidence-based foundation for the session that will follow in the second session.

Start by getting into the present moment. You can either do it with a 5-minute breathing meditation or by journaling about how you’re feeling right now. Then, ask yourself what you’re most grateful for in life right now.

Once you feel you’re in the right mindset, start going through your notes and impressions from the year. Flip your journals’ pages, look at the key events in your calendar, or think of your highlights and lowlights of the year. You don’t necessarily need to write anything down yet, but you can make some notes if you feel like it.

Now it’s time to answer questions that’ll help you organize your thoughts and feelings. You don’t need to answer them chronologically. You can even skip the ones that don’t feel right. However, I’ve found that the questions I felt resistance toward shined a light on something I tried to ignore.

Questions to Reflect Holistically

How have you lived your life in the past twelve months?
What residual feelings do you have about the past year?
What were your 2020 highlights?
When did you feel your heart most open this year?
What moment did you feel most alive this year?
What are you most proud of? Why?
What were your 2020 lowlights?
What was most challenging for you, and how did it make you feel?
How have you experienced crisis, loss, and pain this year?
What made you feel hurt, angry, or sad? Why?
What have your highlights and lowlights this year taught you? What are the life lessons you want to remember?

Questions to Reflect on Your Success & Growth

How have you grown and developed last year?
What were your three biggest work accomplishments? What contributed to them?
Are there any other goals apart from the work you achieved that you are proud of?
Have you developed any healthy habits you want to keep?
Have you developed any new skills? What helped you learning them?
What was the best decision you made all year? What did you learn from it?
What risks did you take, and what were the rewards?

Questions to Reflect on the People & Relationships in Your Life

For which people in your life are you most grateful?
Which qualities about relationships do you value most personally and professionally?
Which person has inspired you the most? How?
Which person had the biggest negative impact on your life? Why?
Are there any toxic friends in your life? How have you signaled your boundaries in the past year?
What new relationships enhanced your life? Who? How?
How has your relationship with yourself changed over the year?
Is there anything else you want to reflect on that hasn’t been asked yet?

Going through your memories and answering all of these questions might take more or less than three hours. Time is a mere reference point.

Once you feel your answers are complete, you can stop. If you feel like it, talk through them with a friend and explain what surprised you the most. Then, take a break and let it rest until you feel ready for part two.

Part 2: How to Make the Most From Your Insights

Now you’ve mastered the reflection; it’s time to start thinking ahead to 2021. Based on your foundation, you want to develop bigger aspirations and plan the processes neccessary to realize them.

Questions that Reveal Your Deepest Aspirations:

What happens when you really show up in the world? What are you really longing for?
What would a dream year look like for you in 2021?
What does success in 2021 mean for you?
What three big goals will you accomplish next year?
What three skills will you acquire?
We are now in December 2021. You integrated all your experience and learning from 2020, and 2021 was the most incredible year of your life — surpassing even your wildest expectations. With all your energy, write about your year — what happened and how did you feel?

Once you feel happy about your answers, it’s time to dig deeper. Even if it can feel difficult at first, it’s essential to answer your reason behind it. So, with all honesty, ask yourself: Why do you want to achieve it?

Do you want to receive external praise? Do you want to make your parents proud? Do you want to leave the world better than you found it? Do you want to spread love and happiness while fostering a healthy body?

None is better than the other. But knowing your ‘why’ will help you move faster towards your dreams.

Put Your Dreams into Actionable Goals and Processes

You’ve already mastered the deep work of your annual review. What’s left is a plan that helps you move towards your desired 2021 outcome.

When you skip this step, your annual review remains mere entertainment.

You won’t move towards your big goals.

I know because I made this mistake. In 2016 I didn’t translate my annual review into actionable steps. Guess what? My wildest dreams didn’t manifest.

In 2019 I applied the advice that follows. And despite the pandemic, I reached almost all of my goals. My mind and body are strong and healthy. I became self-employed and made a great living from working on my dreams. I run a weekly couple’s podcast with my partner and write six days a week. I live in an honest, exciting, and supportive relationship. I feel a deep appreciation and love for the people in my life.

The only thing that didn’t work out this year — and you’ll know why — is spending the cold European winter in a warm country.

Here’s how you can make it work for you.

Have Clear Goals but Focus On Your Process and Systems

It’s easier to focus on the outcome. But the goal is not in your control. By obsessing about the outcome, you prevent yourself from immersing in the process that leads to your outcome. As James Clear put it:

If you’re a coach, your goal is to win a championship. Your system is what your team does at practice each day.

If you’re a writer, your goal is to write a book. Your system is the writing schedule that you follow each week.

If you’re a runner, your goal is to run a marathon. Your system is your training schedule for the month.

If you’re an entrepreneur, your goal is to build a million dollar business. Your system is your sales and marketing process.

So, instead of obsessing over the outcome, think about the processes and systems required to get to your goal. Again, James Clear:

“Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress.”

One of my 2020 goals was to live in a strong and healthy body and mind. But instead of obsessing over the outcome, I came up with habits that would get me there. I focused on building a daily yoga practice and prolonging my daily meditation practice. I developed a feel-good plan to eat 99% plant-based food and do intermittent fasting almost every day.

I reached my goal because I focused on the process instead of the outcome.

Here are the questions that will help you:

How do your goals for 2021 translate into actionable habits and processes?
What habits, behaviors, or attitudes will you need to develop or adopt next year?
What things or habits do you need to stop doing?

Once you’ve broken down your dreams into actionable processes, summarize your reflection on one clean sheet. This summary will be the anchor for 2021. Place it somewhere clearly visible, like next to your mirror or on the wall behind your desk.

Close On A High Note

Congratulations! You’re almost done. To finish your annual review and close the year behind you, write down your answer to:

How are you feeling right now? How do you feel about 2021?

If you feel like it, share your summary with your friends or family. In this way, you create accountability partners who might remind you or check in with your progress.

In Summary

It’s easy to skip your annual review and continue as before.

It’s much harder to take six hours, face your feelings, keep your focus, and derive actionable steps.

An annual review isn’t easy. But when you commit to taking an honest look at your year— your highs, your lows, your actions, your mindset — you shift your life’s trajectory.

That’s what will help you live the life of your dreams.

I hope you’ll find the energy to achieve anything you want.

Get Your Free Printable Personal Annual Review Version Here

Is It Time to Break Up With Your Résumé?

November 12, 2020 by Eva Keiffenheim

Follow your heart for true career freedom

My parents didn’t go to high school or university. Luckily, they had no idea what a ‘good résumé’ should look like.

They didn’t stop me when I took a 6-month study break to work in India. Neither did they tell me to get a study-related job instead of selling gym memberships on Frankfurt’s sidewalks. As long as I paid for it, they supported my decision to pick an exchange semester location based on a climate graph.

But then, in 2015, everything changed.

A university friend said one of those sentences you can’t unlearn. You’ve likely heard it many times, in some variation, from your parents, study friends, or colleagues. It always goes something like this:

How will that look on your CV?

As a 23-year naïve girl, I used this question as a new compass. I studied like a freak, aced my exams, landed a prestigious internship in Shanghai, followed by a fancy FinTech job in Frankfurt. At the end of my master’s studies, I had built the perfect résumé and found myself interviewing for a consultant job at McKinsey.

But then, sitting in the Berlin Office, solving case studies, cognitive dissonance kicked in. Something didn’t feel right. Only later I realized the tension came from the inconsistency between my actions and beliefs.

So, I broke up with my résumé.

I followed my gut, didn’t take the prestigious job, and instead went for what my heart was telling me. Here’s what happens when you stop building your life for your CV.

1. People Will Try To Stop You

Many people never dare to break up with their CV. They’re afraid of mind-made struggles like not finding a job anymore, earning less money, ending up on the street, and so on.

When these worried people see a person break out of their mind-made prison, they start to rebel. They’ll start projecting their fears upon you and will try everything to stop you.

Stopping you can take many forms. You’ll hear countless counterarguments on why you shouldn’t deviate from the norm. You’ll be asked ridiculous questions. You’ll see many shaking heads once you take ownership of your life.

My parents tried to stop me from becoming a full-time writer. Even after I made a full-time income with writing, they continued to send me job offers. While I felt devastated at first, a friend made me realize their reaction wasn’t linked to my actions. Instead, my parents acted upon their internalized need for security and stability.

2. You Start to Question Yourself

Unless you’re a stone, these people don’t leave you indifferent. You’ll start to feel insecure and wonder whether your decision is the right thing to do.

I had a ton of self-doubt in the year following my CV break-up. I was even considering reapplying for that consultant job. But somehow, I outlasted my inner-critic.

Eventually, my parents stopped sending me alternative job offers. After a while, they even accepted my decision. Once they saw how confident I continued on my path, they lost interest in trying to stop me.

You might embark on a similar path and overcome your inner critic. Once you’ve tasted freedom, you can’t help but continue on your new way.

3. You Lose Some Friends

So you go on. And some people in your inner circle won’t be able to handle it. Your level of self-ownership will bust their excuses on the way they live their life.

To them, you’re dangerous.

Your actions demonstrate everybody has the power to create the life of their dreams. These friends can no longer tell themselves life will fall apart if they stop perfecting their resume. They can indeed quit their job before two years in or work half-time because there’s a creative career they want to pursue.

4. You Win New Friends

Once the people who can’t accept your decisions are gone, your emotional space frees up. You no longer hold on to people who want you to stay as you were. You’re available for new connections.

You’ll attract like-minded people. Your new tribe ultimately helps you overcome any remaining self-doubts.

You no longer feel insecure as you see more people made the decision you just took long before you. In sharing your experiences, you rise by lifting each other.

Your new friends will feel like an energy booster. Plus, they’ll lead you towards your unknown unknowns — destinations, mindsets, and lifestyles you never knew existed.

5. You Will Unlock Streams of Energy

What felt like a burden before suddenly becomes a joy. You’re looking forward to getting up. You love Mondays.

Once you dare to do your heartwork, work doesn’t feel hard anymore.

You might feel energy shoots that overwhelm you. There will be so many ideas new ideas flowing in. You don’t know where to start. But you don’t need to hurry. This new strain of energy is unlimited.

Will life be easy?

No. And yes.

You’ll still encounter hardships. You’ll have problems that initially feel unsolvable. There will still be tasks that bore you.

Plus, living in extreme self-ownership can also feel exhausting. You can’t blame anyone but yourself.

And yet, knowing that you made your life choices will add layers of freedom and energy to your life.

You’ll continue to reinvent yourself again and again.

Once you start living your life, you’ll never want to go back.

Stop making your decisions through the lens of your CV.

At the end of the day, you won’t need to justify your life for any recruitment or your parents. Instead, the only one who’ll judge your life is you.

So, what‘s the next choice you make?

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How Would You Spend Your Time if Money Was No Object?

October 8, 2020 by Eva Keiffenheim

Move closer to your authentic self.

Knowing yourself doesn’t happen in an instant.

It happens through continuous inner work; by questioning yourself, and discovering single puzzle pieces to then, finally, putting the single pieces together to form a complete picture.

So, if you want to understand yourself, your values, your energy levels, or even your purpose on this planet, the question is not which books to read or which mentors to find. Instead, the question is:

“Which answers do I need to find that will allow me to discover the puzzle pieces that eventually, help me understand myself?”

1. What makes a ‘successful’ life for you? Why?

Most people never question their definition of success. They inherited their parents’ ideas, added a pinch of opinion when they finished school, and leave the picture untouched for the rest of eternity.

It takes courage to answer this question instead of blindly following society’s norms. More often than not, your answer sheds light on what psychologists call cognitive dissonance, meaning your actions contradict your beliefs.

You might have a specific success idea in mind but act in a way that pulls you away. Yet, once you take an honest account of your understanding of a successful life, you can adjust your actions.

Plus, according to this study, the definition of success varies over one’s lifespan. At 12, we want to be famous. At 17, own a fancy status symbol and five years later, accumulate all the money we can. In our mid-20s, success might equal a healthy lifestyle, and, after our phase of self-centeredness, we will equalize success with helping others.

And that’s what makes this question so powerful. By finding your answer in your current life phase, you’ll move one step closer to understanding yourself.

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”

— Mark Twain

2. How would you spend your time if you didn’t have to think about money?

This is a tough one. Earning money is the primary objective in our modern working world. By searching your answer to this question, you’ll explore spheres beyond your everyday orbit.

You won’t find your answer the first time you ask it.

But by revisiting this question, you’ll soon move past short-term vacation fluff. No, you don’t want to spend your life traveling through the Amazonas, joining Ayahuasca ceremonies while learning how to play the guitar.

That’s fine for a few weeks, or even months.

But you want to dig deeper.

What then? What comes after taking the vacation and seeing some new cultures? How would you spend your time if money wasn’t an issue? What would you be focusing on?

By thinking of answering this question, you’ll know more about your purpose than many people on this planet.

3. What gives you energy?

While the other questions were about deep thinking, this one is about observing. You want to take a closer look at your activities, environment, interactions, and objects.

The best way to find an accurate answer is a personal energy journal. For the next five days or so, make a list in your notebook (or whatever you’re using for your to-do list) and fill a simple, two-column table with the headlines activity and energy level.

Take an honest account of whether your activity elevated (+) or reduced ( — ) your energy level. Your answers to how you spend your days are the best insight, whether you’re engaging in the right kind of activities.

“For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

— Steve Jobs

4. Around which people do you feel like yourself?

Robert Waldinger, a psychiatrist and former Harvard professor, analyzed the longest study on human happiness and proved relationships to be the most important part of our lives.

In the 1930s, researchers invited 19-year-old sophomores from Harvard and teenagers from the poorest neighborhoods of Boston to take part. For over 75 years, scientists did interviews, medical tests, and checked up on their subjects every two years to see how they were doing.

While many of us think fame, fortune, and hard work will bring us happiness, Robert proves us wrong. He highlights ingredients for our health and well-being:

having social connections is better for our health and well being
having higher-quality close connections is more important for our well-being than the number of connections
having good relationships is not only good for our bodies but also for our brains

So, knowing around which people you feel like yourself is by far the most critical step in finding the puzzles of your life.

By getting your relationships right, by surrounding yourself with people you genuinely care about, you’ll eventually move closer to your true self.

What Are Your Big 5 for Life?

August 13, 2020 by Eva Keiffenheim

How to find and integrate your life goals.

Imagine, somebody would catalog every one of your days.

No, not a shiny Instagram feed kind of catalog.

A plain book that portrays your days as they really are.

And in the final days of your life, all those day pages would be displayed in the museum of your life.

You’d walk through that museum on the day before you die. You’d see exactly how you spent your time, what you experienced, what you felt.

If today was your last day, what would be displayed in your museum of life?

Is what you see equal to what you would love to see?

While this concept sounds romantic, for most people, the museum of life would look pretty much the same.

An adult human is awake every day for 15 hours and 39 minutes. A knowledge worker spends 8 hours working on a computer and an additional 3 hours on their smartphone.

Most people don’t protect their time on earth, because they don’t know how they want to spend their days. They don’t know their big five for lives.

I was one of those people. I didn’t know what I was living for, what I was striving towards. But once I read John Strelecky’s book and defined them, my life changed.

You don’t need to read the entire book to define your big life goals.

Here’s precisely how you can use your big five for life to create the museum of a life you want to live, and not dream of living.

Find Your Big Five for Life

Unless you define your big five for life, you will always live the life others.

If you don’t know what’s your ultimate goal, you’ll navigate through life like a ship without a sail.

To be honest, I felt like a shipwreck when I learned about the museum metaphor in April 2018.

Indeed, I had some images of how I wanted my museum to look like: free, independent, loving, adventurous.

Yet, when I took balance from what would be portrayed, the picture looked different: overworked, stressed, distracted, unbalanced.

It’s in our hands to live the life we truly want to live.

No matter what your museum would look like today, you can change it with every hour, every decision you make.

Your big five are self-defined life goals. It’s a vision and guideline that you created for your life.

It’s something you can look at when you feel lost, or find inspiration when you’re feeling down. They serve as an anchor and lighting house.

When you know your big five, you’ll understand what makes life successful for you. They are the best tool to create the life you want to live.

Once you know how you want to spend your time, you won’t let it be taken away from you without your consent.

Only you know your answers. Only you know what success means for you. Health, relationships, work, knowledge, spirituality, travel, what’s behind these terms for you?

As your life, these goals are dynamic and can evolve. Don’t obsess over finding the perfect targets. You’ll be able to change them, like life changes.

“Imagine what it would be like to walk through that museum toward the end of your life. To view the videos, listen to the audio, look at the pictures. How would you feel knowing that for the rest of eternity, that museum would be how you were remembered?”

How to do it:

Get into your peak state. Take a good song, a piece of paper, and a pen, set a timer for ten minutes. Write down everything that comes to your mind reading the following question.

What five things would you like to see, feel, hear, learn, or experience, that will make your life a complete success?

Don’t edit yourself. The more, the better. Don’t stop before your timer rings.

Dream as big as possible and write everything that flows from your heart.

Then, go back to your answers and highlight your quintessence.

Integrate Your Big 5 For Life into Your Days

Defining your life goals was the hardest part. Once you know what you want, life will take care of the rest.

Yet, to let life bow into your goals, you must continuously remind yourself of them.

You wasted your time if you write your goals and never take a look at them.

After I wrote down my goals in my bullet journal in April 2018, I didn’t open the pages for some months. My goals hadn’t changed. But I ignored them and continued to live like before.

If you really want to change your life, you must remind yourself of change.

Since I placed my goals on the wall of my sleeping room, acting towards them feels natural.

One of my big 5 is “I foster a healthy mind and body to experience the multifaceted nature of our world.”

When the first thing I see every morning is my health goal, I’ll surely hit my meditation pillow for a 15-min semi-guided headspace meditation. I won’t negotiate with my mind whether I’d skip it or switch to a 5-minute meditation. I know why I do it.

Reminding yourself of your big 5 is the best way to integrating them towards your life.

“The hardest thing is the figuring out, ‘this is what I wanna do’. Once you know things will start to work.”

How to do it:

Once you’ve written down your big five, place them somewhere meaningful: your vision board, bullet journal, screensaver, Pinterest board, or whatever you look at every day.

Record your voice and read your life goals to you. Tell all the people around you. Opportunities will come as you dare to spread the word.

Final Thoughts

Unfortunately, there’s no shortcut to living the life you want to live. Yet, knowing and integrating your big 5 for life is the best shortcut you can get.

Step by step, they’ll bring you closer to the life you dream of.

By writing down your big 5 and looking at them every day, you’ll not only uplift your mood but also be able to be more intentional with your time.

If done correctly, knowing your big five for life will help you to spend your time and energy on tasks and projects that truly matter.

And at the end of your day, when going to bed before your sleep, ask yourself:

“Was today a great day for the museum of my life?“

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How To Decide What To Do For A Living

June 9, 2020 by Eva Keiffenheim

A step-by-step guide to bold decision making.

You are on a career path.

The question is: Is this path also the one you want to be on?

Do you make a living with something worth your time?

Does your work allow you to live the life you want to live?

To live the life you choose to live?

Most people were lured into their current career path. Parents, friends, and employer branding guided their decisions.

But unless you decide what to do for a living, you’re like a ship without a sail. Or as Gary Vaynerchuk puts it:

“The one thing I know for sure, is the outcome of what happens if you don’t decide. If you never make a decision, or deliberate for too long, all the upside or potential opportunity could be lost.”

My life changed once I took ownership of my career path. Since that decision, every minute of my time became precious. I want to be on the path I’m on.

If I can do it, you can do it, too.

Once you know what you want, you can land any job you want.

Here’s how you can boldly decide what to do for a living:

0) Get Into “Peak State”

How you start something determines how you finish it. No person made great decisions while feeling like a douche-bag.

A low-quality state of mind leads to low-quality choices.

But you shouldn’t settle for mediocre choices.

You deserve the best.

That’s why you want to be in a peak state when you think about your next move.

So before you consider making a decision, check whether you’re in a state to thinking this decision through. Put yourself in an environment that supports your clear, open mind. Get into a peak state.

How to apply this advice

If you have a powerful, ritualized morning routine, you’ll be in peak state right afterwards. The time frame after your routine is excellent for altered thinking and decision making.

Another way to peak state is to get your body moving and breathing. More oxygen equals more energy. Hike through a forest, or simply breathe fresh air before you sit down.

1) Determine Your Orbit

Be selective about how you spend your time.

Rather than asking what’s possible, ask which topic is worth dedicating your life to?

You have the skills. You have the knowledge. Your life is precious. But eventually, you will die.

Your lifetime is too precious to remain within the limited boundaries of your existing reality.

To make bold, right decisions, think outside of your current environment.

How to apply this advice

Which topic makes you want to jump out of bed at any time? What issue can’t you stop thinking or talking about?

There’s no wrong answer to it. Don’t even think about what other people think about your answer. There’s no right or wrong answer. Be honest with yourself.

If you can’t find anything, it comes down to two reasons. You’re not in your peak state, or you need more inspiration. Make learning a daily habit. Read books outside of your habitue. Visit meet-ups. Travel.

There’s no valid reason not to have any topic you burn for.

Find out what that topic is for you.

2) Analyze Your Energy Level

“The energy of the mind is the essence of life.”

— Aristotle

Two days, packed schedules.

Have you ever wondered at night, why on some days you feel drained and wasted, while on other evenings you’re still feeling fresh?

Your energy level determines how you experience your days, weeks, years, and ultimately, your life.

Yet, most people don’t have any clue about their energy drainers and givers. They never pay any attention to our energy. Our ignorance doesn’t protect us.

You won’t make smart decisions on what to do for a living unless you’re clear about your energy management.

How to apply this advice

Before you look for “what’s out there,” make sure you know “what’s inside” of you. Regularly ask yourself:

Which activities make you feel good and give you energy?
Which activities destroy your mood and drain your energy?

Once you pay attention, you’ll quickly realize different activities lead to different energy levels.

Feel free to copy this simple table to your journal or in your notepad and fill it for a week. You’ll be clear about energy givers and takers afterward.

After tracking and rating your activities, consolidate what you’ve learned. Here’s my general energy list. Notice that yours might be completely different.

Energy drainers: Repetitive tasks, hour-long computer work, detail-oriented tasks like filling spreadsheets, meetings with >5 people, PowerPoint, reading law texts, spending time with negative people, greasy food, WhatsApp, grocery shopping, driving a car

Energy givers: Teaching, writing, public speaking, networking, strategic planning, helping others, reading philosophy, self-reflection, organizing, music, time with my partner, laughing with friends, singing, meditation, ashtanga yoga, dancing, sunshine, cooking and then eating self-made dishes, driving in trains

When reading job descriptions or making job choices, we often forget what’s behind the fancy title. “Digital Transformation Consultant” might mean nothing more than sitting in front of a computer, building powerpoints, or sales pitches 3/4 of your time. “Customer Relationships” might equal sitting in front of a computer and inserting contact details into a spreadsheet. “Human Resource Specialist” might be another term for being on the phone with requiters and scheduling interviews for potential candidates.

Before deciding on a career path, be clear about your energy drainers and givers.

3) Focus On Growth

“Certainty is the enemy of growth. “
— Mark Manson

When making your decision, focus on personal growth.

By working a job where you can acquire the skills for your future self, the chances are high that you’ll overperform.

Not because you’re smarter than your co-workers. It’s because you have a reason why you chose that career: Growth.

Pick work where you learn what you want to learn.

How to apply this advice

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

Which skills does your future self possess?

Only then think about your current reality and identify the gap from where you stand to where you want to become.

Your future job should, at least to some extent, help you bridging the skill gap.

4) Trust Your Intuition

“The more you trust your intuition, the more empowered you become, the stronger you become & the happier you become.”
— Gisele Bündchen

Intuition is your body’s intelligence at its best. Your brain takes in any given situation, searches its files, matches past experiences, and cues from your self to send you a feeling.

This process happens so quickly that you don’t even register it on a conscious level. That’s why intuition simply points out the way without being in your logical, rational mind.

When was the last time you felt like you just know something?

Intuition exists in all of us. The more we learn about it and listen to it, the more we can use intuition to shape our decisions for the better.

How to apply this advice

Sit down in a quiet environment and ask yourself: What does my gut say on what to do for a living?

Then, listen.

Silence your rational voice.

Don’t start to justify and explain your feelings.

You’ll notice your intuition once you’re really listening.

Does this mean you should follow intuition blindly? No. Factor in common sense and a tickle of rationality, and you’ll find the optimal balance for bold and reach your best decisions.

5) Ask Specific Questions to Your Network

“Nobody can give you better advice than yourself.”
— Cicero

Having a strong network is powerful. So powerful, it can even interfere with your trajectory.

It’s tempting to follow smart people’s general opinions.

“What’s my next career step?” is a terrible question to ask your network.

You’ll find yourself living their imagination of a good life. You might sway into a choice that doesn’t work for you.

Regardless of your network’s size and quality, be very selective and specific with the questions you ask.

How to apply this advice

Instead of asking your network, consult yourself first. Before approaching any friend, colleague, or mentor for advice, be clear about your orbit, your energy management, your future self, and your intuition.

Then, come up with specific questions, like:

Do you know any job in _______ (your orbit) where I can deploy my _______ (activities that give you energy) and expand my ________ (skills you want to grow)?

Once you have a specific question, find the person that can give you the best answers to your questions.

If you aren’t satisfied with your opponent’s answer, finish with: Who else do you know in _____ (orbit) I could talk to regarding this question?

6) Invest In Your Decision

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest”
— Benjamin Franklin

Once you made a decision, it’s tempting to overthink. But the more you think about your decision, the more you talk yourself out of it.

We, humans, love to stick to what we know. Your rational mind doesn’t like big changes and might find ways to question your decisions.

The best way to make a decision is by putting high stakes into your decision.

Once you spend time and money on your decision, you’re signaling yourself that you’re serious about it.

How to apply this advice

Put effort into realizing your decision and invest in the decision you made.

Your initial investment is your time. But don’t just browse through books and articles. Invest time in crafting your application. Ask for intros to your future employer.

Besides, make a financial investment. Get a mentor. Go to conferences. Pay for learning experiences like online courses. Apply what you learn in the form of action.

The further you’re in, the less likely your ego will talk you out of it (because it’s generally afraid of everything new and outside of your comfort zone).

The Bottom Line

Get into a peak state, determine your area, analyze your energy level, focus on personal growth, ask and listen to your intuition, ask specific questions to your network, and invest time and money in your decision.

You’ll be blown away by everything that happens in your life, once you made a bold decision on what you want to do for a living.

Just watch the power of life unfold.

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