The Biggest Waste of Time in Life | Your Next Breakthrough
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89 people had breakthroughs this week. Will the next one be you?
Two things for you to think about
The second biggest waste of time is to try helping someone who asked for help but doesn’t actually want it.
The biggest is to be that person who asked.
The person who asks for help and doesn’t want it, and the person who gives it even though it isn’t wanted, both want the same thing: to feel seen.
Reflect: Then consider sharing this thought with others.
Three things for you to ask yourself
Do you really want help or do you want attention and validation? Do you really want to help or do you also want attention and validation?
How much more time are you willing to waste?
Recommended: Use these as journaling prompts for the week.
Two things for you to try this week
Stop wasting time on people who don’t actually want it. Stop wasting time waiting for someone to give you what you don’t want to receive.
Remember: Small changes lead to lasting breakthroughs. Reply to this email and let me know how it went for you.
New This Week
My Advice for If You’re at Rock Bottom – Our greatest transformations often come from our worst moments. This quick video talks about the lesser-known research behind trauma and how our pain can become some of our most unexpected sources of strength. Check it out.
The Unsettling Truth About Self-Discipline (ft. Rich Roll) – I’ve often wondered if self-discipline is just a way of turning bad addictions into healthy ones. There’s no one better to talk about this with than Rich Roll, former ultra-endurance athlete, recovered addict, author, and podcaster.
We talk about the value of pain as a catalyst for change, the idea that addiction is a spectrum that doesn’t just involve substances, terrible breakups, finding a deeper spirituality, lessons from Rich’s financial struggles, his career running a top podcast, and much, much more. Check it out.
Last week’s breakthroughs
In last week’s newsletter, I wrote about how the only failure in life is to never fail. For if you never fail, you never learn. I then asked you to go fail spectacularly.
For Kirsty, it was her repeated failures that eventually brought success:
At the ripe old age of 49, I decided that I didn’t want to spend the next 18 years until retirement working in my current field. I had no clue what to do instead, but ended up looking into coding.
Elli unexpectedly failed at work, and the outcome surprised her:
I was thrown into a project at work I had absolutely no idea of. I know how to do my job which is completely different but I thought ‘I always figured things out, so I’ll figure it out now, too.’ Boy, did I fail!
Our final reader is ready to fail, and loving every moment:
My big failure? Not sure yet, but I decided to move to New York, as I love the city and was born here. This move is a surefire way to a lot of failures, but at the same time it is a big adventure—the adventure I call life!
As always, send your breakthroughs by simply replying to this email. Let me know if you’d prefer to remain anonymous.
Until next week,
Mark Manson
#1 New York Times Bestselling Author
My Website** — My Books — **My YouTube Channel