What Do You Value?

81 people had breakthroughs this week. Will the next one be you?

Two things for you to think about

Who you are is defined by the values you are willing to struggle for.

Your actions reflect who you really are.

Your words are simply reputation management.

Two things for you to ask yourself

What are you willing to struggle for? What does that say about you?

One thing for you to try this week

When you find yourself struggling with a problem or being annoyed by something this week, stop for a moment and ask: “Is this problem being caused by something I value? If so, is it worth having the problem? Am I happy to have the problem?”

Reply and let me know the answer.

Two Big Announcements

First, a new podcast…

A few weeks ago, I shut down my old podcast because I was sick of running on the “book popular guest” treadmill. I explained that the incentives in current personal development podcasts are to find and placate popular guests rather than share useful or accurate information.

At the time, I announced that we were preparing a new podcast: one strictly based on deep research on single topics, attacking problems from multiple angles, and sharing the full context—history, philosophy, science, experience—behind the everyday problems you struggle with. The result was going to be a super-long-form podcast called Solved.

Today, I’m proud to announce the release of the first episode. Check it out:

Listen: Values, Solved

Second, a new community…

Over my two decades in this industry, I’ve been extremely critical of false promises and empty hopes to “completely change your life” in two days or whatever. I don’t think it is realistic or helpful to sell people on the idea that they can become a completely different person overnight.

And for years, I’ve been hearing from readers that they want something more practical, more manageable, more realistic. So I started thinking on what I could create to actually help people move the needle in their lives—and this is what it came down to:

1. Real change happens gradually. It’s not about getting one huge epiphany. It’s about accumulating small, consistent breakthroughs over a long period of time (i.e., the point of this newsletter.)
2. The only way to accumulate those small breakthroughs is to have accountability and support. This is where community comes in—if the people around you aren’t like-minded and sympathetic to your goals, then you’re going to be fighting uphill the entire way.

So I decided to roll these two concepts into one: a community designed around the idea of small, consistent daily actions eventually producing monumental results. Everything about this community is designed to help you stop overthinking and start doing. It’s about action—not rumination, not more information.

This newsletter is read by over a million people every week. It has generated tens of thousands of breakthroughs—and those are only the ones I’ve heard about.

But right now, this newsletter is unidirectional. It’s you sharing with me and then me sharing with you. There has been no way to share and support each other. No way to help each other achieve breakthroughs.

So that’s why I’ve built a community. To build something where you can all offer that accountability and support to each other. Where you can work on yourself gradually, at your own pace, while still being challenged and kept honest. And a place where I can step in, help out, offer opinions on a more personalized basis.

I’m excited to announce the launch of:

Momentum – The Continuous Growth Community

The premise of the community is simple. Every single day, you’ll get one powerful action to take. No fluff. No endless reading. Just real progress, one small win at a time. And all with a like-minded, growth-oriented community of smart people committed to changing their lives for the better, by just 1% every day.

Momentum is my labor of love and I am very excited to see what we can all achieve together. It is where I will be most active and engaged and I have incredible plans for it in the coming years.

Say “yes” to 10 minutes per day that will (actually) change your life

Last week’s breakthroughs

In last week’s newsletter, I asked you to make time for one thing you want to prioritize in your life, and the replies I received were extremely varied.

Here are some of the things your fellow readers are prioritizing:

Self-care. I’m not making enough time for myself for stretching and exercising and for mental health, relaxation or meditation. I have been prioritizing these things very recently because I have let them go for too long. I’m working on establishing a more healthy work-life balance for my physical and mental well-being.” – M. Muscaro

The truth is after doing drugs for 30 years, then spending the last year clean, I really have no clue who I even am. I spent so long wearing a mask and doping my feelings that it took me a while to get to this point. So I guess the one thing I can prioritize in my life right now is me. Finding out who I truly am, what makes me tick. What I enjoy. What I don’t enjoy. Learn to love the real version of me. Which truthfully I am just now discovering.” – Timothy

I’m a few days into being more mindful of how I use my time and I am happier, more creatively fulfilled and more satisfied. My new motto is ‘do what you can’—specifically what I can do to achieve my creative goals. Chronic illness means my energy and capacity vary daily, but if I do what I can every day, even if it’s a small thing, I’m always getting closer.” – Vicky

One thing I achieved today: I reached out to an old business associate I had been in touch with 3–4 years ago, inviting her to check something of mine out. I had been over-thinking the whole conversation. Lo and behold, I made contact via a message, she responded and said yes to taking a look at what I have to offer. Had I not reached out, I would have once more let myself down. This is a huge win for me.” – Anonymous

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 – My Podcast