Highlights of This Episode:

How the Good Life Project was born

Why Jonathan dislikes the term “lifestyle business”

How to build a business that aligns with the things that matter most to you

What the five areas of alignment are and what questions you need to ask to find them for yourself

Why it’s so important to take consistent action

How to get the data points you need to make aligned decisions

The aspect of Jonathan’s own alignment journey that he still has to work on every day

“Are you going to invest [your time] in somebody else’s worldview of how you should invest your time, which many people do, or are you going to invest it in a way that’s along the line of the essence of who you are and in the manner that allows you to close the gap between your ability to contribute to the world in a meaningful way and the way that you exist today?” –Jonathan Fields

A Note from Charlie:

I’m really excited to publish this podcast episode today. We recorded this conversation a long time ago (over a year), so Jonathan mentions that the Good Life Project was just a year old and that he’s starting a podcast, which he’s already started now. What I love, though, is that since we recorded this conversation, Jonathan has continued to run experiments and follow his own alignment model.

I also like how adamant Jonathan is about not worrying about your “unifying life purpose.” It can be hard to not worry about it, especially when you’re a Creative Giant who knows you have something to offer the world. At the end of the day, it’s okay to not know. That conversation leads us right back to uncertainty, which I highly recommend you read about in Jonathan’s book. It all circles back around.

What we didn’t get to in this conversation, but is worth mentioning, is Jonathan’s past life as a lawyer. It is possible to craft a successful life outside the confines of societal expectations. It’s not easy, but it is possible, and Jonathan is a testament to that journey.

Enjoy!

About Jonathan Fields:

Jonathan Fields is on a mission to illuminate and improve the human condition. He’s a New York City dad, husband, award-winning author, entrepreneur, and strategist, and 800-CEO-READ named his last book, Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt Into Fuel For Brilliance, the #1 personal development book of 2011.

Fields founded and currently runs Good Life Project, a media and education venture where he and his team produce a broadcast-quality web show and top-rated podcast, along with a series of acclaimed events, trainings, and the Camp GLP annual summer camp for grownups. GLP is a movement to bring together people in the quest to inspire the pursuit of life well-lived.

Fields also speaks globally on living a good life, the power of belonging, mission-driven entrepreneurship, and innovation. He’s been featured widely in mainstream and online media, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, FastCompany, Inc., Entrepreneur, USA Today, People, O Magazine, Self, Fitness, Elle, Allure, Outside, Slate, Vogue, CNBC, FoxBusiness, PBS Nightly Business Report and thousands of other places that sound cool, but don’t impress his daughter all that much. When not building ventures and telling stories, he can be found dancing around his living room with his wife and daughter … and writing in the third person.

Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Thanks for Listening!

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