052 • Evolving my purpose + a whole year of Fundamentalised issues
The other day I talked to a friend - this particular friend has a knack for asking the most deep and sometimes prickly questions of anyone I've ever met.
And he asked me this...
'What's it all for? What do you hope to get out of this work that you're doing learning things and sharing it?'
Now if you'd asked me this a little over a year ago, at the point of beginning my newsletter and just having started earning royalties from the articles I'd been writing, I'd have answered 'to earn money'.
I saw writing as a monetisable skill that I could leverage to gain a life of freedom.
This is still part of the answer I gave him, but another nuance emerged over during the months before this moment...
Since I was very young I've always been inclined towards a handful of the same activities. Photography, time outdoors and sports come to mind.
But more recently I've been looking to round myself out, understanding that a lot of growth can be found in attempting difficult things.
I've become more self-aware and a better critique of my emotions and desires. In a bid for discovery and integration, I've ventured deep into my mind, looking to understand more about how it's wired.
I've learned a lot. And I believe writing to be a great catalyst for this.
There's something about organising your thoughts so that they're coherent and valuable to others that initiates a positive internal feedback loop of learning, introspectiveness, acceptance and improvement.
So instead of just saying 'to earn money', when my friend asked what my reason for writing was, I paused before answering along these lines...
'A lot of what I want to do and be is not yet reality. I believe that building and sharing along the path to changing this and building a future will improve the experience for myself and others.'
And that is the purpose of Fundamentalised. To help you, to help me, to help anyone who reads.
Today, we've hit one year of weekly issues and I just wanted to use this moment to explain why I'm here and to thank you all so much for being along for the ride. I hope I can enlighten and entertain long into the future.
-- Theo
P.S. For the next year, I'm going to experiment with recording videos alongside written issues.
This is because it'll improve my speaking and confidence, and help you get to know me a bit better. I'll put the first one in the issue after next - the written version will still come first.
If you want to prepare then head to my YouTube where you can subscribe in preparation for these videos.
What I've written this week...
Again, nothing of note. I had my first of three summer university exams yesterday, with the others next Tuesday and Thursday. I'm still deep in preparation for these and prioritising success in that area of my life.
Then I'm going to Belgium - keep an eye on the short-form content links below (X and Instagram) if you want to see what I'm doing there.