no. 013 - the janitor vs the ceo

Hey {{first_name}},

I’ve been getting such lovely feedback from so many of you about these newsletters so I just wanted to say thank you so much for reading along, sending it to your people and replying to these emails. It really means a lot - and it makes writing these each week so worth it!

Last week’s poll results: 100% of you said it takes a few months to figure out the unwritten rules of a new work environment - totally agree. Even if you read a room quickly, there’s always some unwritten rules that take time to understand.

& a quick ad from a newsletter I actually read and enjoy regularly:

The other day, I was with a couple good friends, walking down the street, chatting, and somehow the casual conversation of purpose came up. And not the career, five year plan kind, but more the what is your reason for being kind. What is your soul doing on this earth? You know, a normal conversation on a Friday night. 

I think we all have some sort of purpose (but not everyone finds theirs.) And it doesn't have to be anything super grand either - some people are meant for the big stage and some people are meant to be backstage. I remember my mom telling me when I was a kid that the janitor is no less important than the CEO - we need both in order for the world to go round. And I agree - the stay-at-home mom is no less important than her working husband, the jokester in the friend group is no less important than the person who brings depth. We just tend to glorify one over the other in society. 

This is why I love my friends because when I asked what they thought their purpose was, they both had an answer pretty quickly. One friend said she’s always felt like she’s meant to be a mother - to raise good human beings and take care of those around her. Another friend said his purpose is to bring joy to the people around him - he’s always been the class clown and made people laugh. I said I think mine is to inspire people - get them to act on the idea they've been sitting on,  to lead their lives instead of just letting it pass them by (hence this newsletter). 

I think you’ll know if something is your purpose when it just comes naturally. It shouldn’t feel like pushing a boulder up a hill. Of course, sometimes the job or relationship or project needs some extra hard work, and tension and difficulty I think are really healthy and important. But if it’s a constant struggle, maybe that’s a signal something isn’t working. But don’t @ me here - I’m just thinking out loud and basing this off my own experience. 

So I went looking for someone who has an expert philosophical opinion on this and I came across my buddy Aristotle. Aristotle had a word, ergon, which basically means the particular function something is built to do. A knife's ergon is to cut. An eye's ergon is to see. And he thought a person has their own ergon too, their own specific way of contributing that only they can do quite like that. When you're actually doing it, he called the resulting state eudaimonia, usually translated as flourishing, or "things finally clicking into place". 

The part that matters here is he never meant that as static ease. He thought getting good at your ergon, what he called arete, took ongoing practice. Flourishing wasn't the finish line, it was what practicing the right thing, instead of the wrong thing, actually felt like from the inside.

I think you find a certain sense of peace, fulfillment and ease - no more pushing a boulder uphill for eternity - just some healthy growing pains instead. And maybe that’s the key difference - the healthy tension of growing into something that's actually meant for you vs. the resistance of doing something that was never built for you in the first place.

So, what's your thing? The thing you do really well that just comes naturally to you? Not the thing you're good at because you practiced, but the thing that was there before the practice ever started. What’s your ergon? When do you find eudaimonia? 

I came across this adorable art workshop idea on Instagram. The group went on a nature walk and then went back to a studio to draw, with their eyes closed, what they felt on the walk. Then, with eyes open, had the opportunity to finish their piece. How inspiring and also, so wholesome! Take a peek, I’m sure it’ll make you smile:

I heard from some of you that last week’s tip was really helpful to start thinking of unique ways to use AI. So here’s another one for you: create your own board of directors.

Find 5 experts that you admire, get Claude to do thorough research on each one of them to really capture their philosophies, ways of thinking etc. and then tell Claude that you want to create a skill that you can pull up when you need help making a decision. In the skill instructions, get the board to deliberate each side and angle of the decision and come to you with a final decision (or set it up however you like! Could also be for personal use - some thinkers or people that you admire and would love their input on your decisions/questions.)

As a leader, it can be exhausting constantly having to make decisions, so this is a great way to get a bit of extra support when you need it. And if you don’t know how to set up or use a skill on Claude (or ChatGPT), just ask it to explain it you/give you instructions.

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Poll time!

💌 Hit reply and tell me: what's something you do so naturally and others tell you you’re really good at? (Or just hit reply and tell me what you thought of this letter — I love hearing from you and am always open to feedback.)