no. 014 - nobody’s clapping for you

Hey {{first_name}},

I gotta say, writing these every week and reading your replies has become a highlight of my week. It just feels…right, you know? (did someone say ergon? 👀)

Also, I know that some of you are referring this newsletter to people you think would enjoy it, so I set up a “referral program” where you get something from me when you hit 3 and 10 referrals to say thank you. So here it is:

Last week’s poll results: There was a pretty even split of responses saying you know your ergon, and saying that you’re not totally sure. Fair- I only figured mine out recently.

Last week’s ramble seemed to really resonate with a lot of you - and it really stuck with me too, so I wanted to do a part 2 of sorts. 

So, continuing to talk about your purpose, or ergon, as Aristotle put it (which means, ICYMI: the particular function something is built to do), I think requires a certain amount of trust. Ah yes, that intangible, kind of ephemeral state when you just believe something so strongly that you no longer need to push or control. Because when it’s meant for you, it will flow (like I said last week - no pushing a boulder up a hill!). Like all the inspirational Instagram posts that comfort heartbroken girlies after a bad dating experience saying “don’t worry girls, what’s meant for you won’t pass you by.” If it passes you by, maybe it wasn’t meant for you. (I actually really like that one.)

There was a scene in The Odyssey where Odysseus (Matt Damon) believes so strongly that he needs to return home to Ithaca to reunite with his family, so he gets on a tiny raft and lets the ocean take him, trusting that it would lead him in the right direction because he was protected by the gods. I remember watching that scene and thinking - wow, now that's a lesson in trust and intuition. 

But I know not everyone likes the spiritual approach, so I want to dissect this in a more grounded way. Last week I shared with you that I think my ergon is to inspire people - to get them to act on their ideas and lead their lives instead of letting it pass them by. I’ve started doing mentorship recently and I can tell from the feedback and flow of opportunities there is really something there. 

But here’s the thing - I’m trusting that this is my ergon. Yes, I have some contracts and great testimonials to prove it, but at the end of the day, there is nobody saying “congratulations, you found your ergon!” Sure, if I continue down this path I could win awards, get more strong testimonials and case studies from people I’ve mentored, and make good money from it. But just because you’re good at something, doesn’t mean it’s meant for you, right? 

I recently watched the movie Tony about how Anthony Bourdain started his culinary career. Originally, he wanted to be a writer and then he fell in love with cooking. Eventually, he took his own life because he was deeply depressed. Of course, I can’t claim to know why he did it - it could have been the fame, or so many other things - however, it just makes you think: was he good at cooking but his ergon was actually writing? Was his ergon actually cooking but to be done in a different way?

Why do we think that fame or making a lot of money means that we “made it”? And when your ergon is something less tangible, like making people laugh - does that mean you have to make a career out of being a comedian? When your ergon is to be a mother - you will never receive an award for “best mother of the year” - so how do you know that’s actually your ergon? 

I wanted to see if Aristotle had thought of this. Here’s what I found: essentially, he agreed with me (he told me himself). He tossed out honour (the awards, the recognition) as the marker of alignment because when we chase external validation, like an award or a financial goal, it depends on another person and it’s just a moment in time. Instead, he turned to consistency. 

Ergon is your WHOLE life's purpose, the ease and peace you carry through the whole thing. It's what gets you out of bed with a spring in your step, until the end. The thing you could do forever, with ease, and never get bored of. Truly believing that your ergon is what it is, and when you live in alignment with it, your life will ultimately be more peaceful. And maybe that’s actually what this world needs - more peaceful people. 

Earlier this year I took an AI course with The Uncommon Business and I learned sooo much. I really like their approach to AI - they still believe in human talent but are using AI to automate tasks in the background that would otherwise take up a lot of time or resources that you may not have. I learned how to set up workspaces, skills, automated tasks, run proper prompts and more. I did their whole 12-week course, but I started with their 3 day Bootcamp and that is enough to learn the basics. So if you’ve been wanting to learn about AI but haven’t gotten around to it - I really recommend joining them for their Bootcamp starting Sept 29th. It will give you a really strong base of knowledge, and they share a lot of pre-made prompts, skills and tools with you to make your life easier. Admission starts at $47: Here’s the link!

I believe so much of success is dependent on who you know. So let’s get to know and support each other! Want to be featured in a future newsletter? Fill out this super short form.

→ What do you want people to know about you and what you're working on?

For the past few years I've been working on making and selling the best mushroom coffee the market ever did see at trybloomable.com! It's been such a fun, rewarding journey so far with ups and downs, plus I get to do it with my mom! When I'm not spreading the word of mushroom coffee, I love to be horrible at new hobbies so that I'm always humbled. Salsa, boxing, tennis, are some of my favourites.

→ What's a rabbit hole you've disappeared down lately?

I watched The Odyssey a few weeks ago and it rabbit holed me into two obsessions: 1. Greek mythology, which I didn't really know much about other than the trojan horse and 2. Christopher Nolan's movies. I've seen some of his films but it sparked a week long movie marathon. My new fav is The Prestige but honourable mention to Memento which is one of those movies stays with you for a long time.

→ Finish the sentence: The thing I could talk about until everyone else has left the table is...

Urban planning & livable cities!

Connect with Natalie above if any of this piqued your interest!

Poll time!

💌 Hit reply and tell me if you didn’t already: what's your ergon, if you know it? Or what are you still noodling on? (Or just hit reply and tell me what you thought of this letter — I love hearing from you and am always open to feedback.)