ISSUE 30
5 FEBRUARY 2025 | READ ONLINE
Hi Reader,
If you had told me two weeks ago that I’d be spending eight days in a hospital bed, I would have laughed and said, “I don’t have time for that.”
And yet, the universe doesn’t ask for permission when it decides you need to stop.
For eight days, I’ve had no choice but to pause. No work, no planning, no endless to-do lists.
Just stillness.
And in that stillness, I had to sit with a question I thought I had already answered:
What does purpose really mean?
The Illusion of Forward Motion
I used to think that purpose was tied to doing – achieving, building, moving forward. But lying in that hospital bed, stripped of productivity and distractions, I realized something profound:
Purpose isn’t just about movement. It’s about alignment.
You can be busy and still feel empty. You can achieve milestones and still feel disconnected. You can chase goals and still be misaligned with what truly matters.
So, if purpose isn’t found in constant motion, where is it?
Purpose is Found in the Pause
What if the moments when everything stops – the forced stillness, the unexpected detours – aren’t setbacks but recalibrations?
For eight days, I had no choice but to reflect. No noise (except for beeping machines), no external validation, just me, my thoughts, and a body that needed rest. And what I realized is this:
- If your body demands rest, listen. Pushing through exhaustion isn’t strength. It’s resistance.
- If life slows you down, lean in. There’s wisdom in the pause, but only if you allow yourself to hear it.
- If things aren’t working, trust that they’re rearranging. Sometimes, what feels like a stop is actually a reset.
A New Way to Think About Purpose
Purpose isn’t just about finding the right work or making an impact. It’s also about being in a state where you can receive.
- When you stop forcing, clarity arrives.
- When you stop overthinking, intuition speaks.
- When you stop chasing, alignment happens.
So, instead of asking yourself, What do I need to do? try asking, What do I need to allow?
This Week’s Reflections
As you can imagine, I wasn’t publishing on LinkedIn last week. But here are some of my most popular posts from the past year, that you might like:
💡 “Connecting the Head and Heart”: I explored how to weave storytelling into your leadership strategy. Read it here.
💡 “Insights from Simon Sinek’s The Infinite Game”: I wrote about how to use the five principles to build a winning career. Read it here.
💡 “Imposter Syndrome”: If you’ve ever struggled with self-doubt, this one’s for you. Read it here.
Books I’m Returning To Right Now
Being in a hospital gave me more time to reflect than to read, but I found myself drawn back to these:
🌟 “The Surrender Experiment” by Michael A. Singer – A powerful read on trusting life’s flow rather than trying to control it.
🌟 “Don’t Believe Everything You Think” by Joseph Nguyen – Perfect for when your mind starts running in circles.
Your Turn
Have you ever had a moment where life forced you to pause? What did you learn from it?
If you’re feeling resistance right now, ask yourself – what would happen if you surrendered just a little?
Here’s to embracing the pause, the shifts, and the clarity that follows.
— Megan
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