The Spaghetti Method
Sometimes the best way to find purpose anchors is to just throw a bunch of sh*t against the wall and see what sticks.
There are more ways to find purpose anchors than we have previously described here. While I am not going to enumerate each and every one, there is one last method that is worth spending a little time to discuss:
The Spaghetti Method
Maybe both one of the easiest as well as the most difficult methods, the spaghetti method is often overlooked and underestimated. The reason is that most people are looking for some vodoo experty expert to pull their sense of purpose from a magical hat. But, in reality, often we have to just try a bunch of things and see what is more or less pleasing to us.
Remember, Little P Purpose is based on process and not goals. It is both abundant and easy to find. While goal agnostic, it is not goal phobic. It is basically purpose oriented activities that are pleasing regardless of what comes of them.
There are countless examples of people who have used the spaghetti methodt in both popular culture as well as in our personal lives. JK Rowling stumbled on the idea of the Harry Potter books while traveling on a train from Manchester to London in 1990. When she started the journey she had no idea if it would succeed or not. She simply tried something new to see if it would stick. Oprah Winfrey tried her hand at co hosting a talk show for a local Baltimore station.
But if you think it is just famous people who do this, you would be wrong. Charlie, whom I met at a CampFI event in Minnesota, had no interest in personal finance whatsoever. Yet he tagged along with his girlfriend for the weekend in an attempt to broaden his horizons and meet new people. What he discovered, however, was that he really got excited by talking to some of the participants about their success in real estate.
A year later, he has just closed on his first property.
The spaghetti method relies on the concept that when what you are doing is not working, try something different. Say yes to something you would normally say no to (like going to CampFI with a friend). Accept an invitation from a person that you have never spent time with. Put yourself in an uncomfortable situation and see what happens.
The magic of this method is that it is quick and iterative. After a few hours you either find this new activity or person pleasing or you do not. Based on these results, you can then plunge further or throw a new piece of spaghetti against the wall and see what happens.
Our goal here is to find what could be an anchor of purpose to build around. You might enjoy a go at downhill skiing event but eventually build a sense of purpose and community around cross country. The details are unimportant.
I have interviewed several successful and highly purposeful individuals like Scott Trench (Bigger Pockets) and Chris Hutchins (All The Hacks) who spend significant time each month pursuing completely new experiences and activities. The outcomes upon signing up are completely unknown.
And that is exactly the point.
Today’s Poll
Did you catch this week’s episode of Earn & Invest (Click to listen)?
From Facebook (On Dying With Lots of Money)
Which leads to the next question: "What are good best practices or rules of thumb to avoid dying with excessive amounts of money, while presumably not running out of money?"
Paradoxically, although a lot of lip service is paid to "not dying with the most money" these days, the stark reality is that the revealed preference (or most likely outcome) of the personal financial behaviors of most popular personal finance personalities is, in fact, to die at their highest net worth.
So are popular personal finance personalities who espouse "not dying with lots of excess wealth" largely just a bunch of hypocrites?
Path to Purpose Coaching
Over the last year, writing my new book The Purpose Code, I have spent a huge amount of time thinking about, writing about, and discussing purpose. I have offered one-on-one and group coaching to my mastermind group, Wealth With Purpose. These discussions stem from my real life encounters with dying hospice patients as well as the numerous interactions I have had with people after reading Taking Stock.
What I've found is that most of us who listen to the Earn & Invest Podcast struggle with three basic issues:
How do I define purpose in my life?
How do I transition to a more fulfilling career?
What is enough money look like? Enough life?
To help navigate these waters, I have decided to offer the Path to Purpose coaching program. This is one-on-one coaching with me to help you further define purpose, direction, and career. Sessions will be spread over five weeks with a goal to provide a more concrete and enjoyable path to crack the purpose code and start living your life now whether you are broke, pre financial independence, financially independent, or beyond.