Personal development for intelligent people! You’re intelligent, you’re capable, you might even have some pretty impressive academic accolades…but does that necessarily mean you know exactly what you want to do with your life? No. Don’t get pulled along on a path you have no real passion for. . an absurdly motivating book. A.J. Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author Don t get stuck on a career path you have no passion for. Don t waste your intelligence on something that doesn t really mean anything more to you than a paycheck. Acknowledgements xi Foreword xiii Preface xv Introduction 1 Part One Why You Need a Purpose 5 1 Make Your Purpose a Matter of Life or Death 7 2 Make Your Purpose an Escape Plan 11 3 Ask Why 15 4 Know Your Needs 21 5 Energize Your Dreams 25 6 Start at the End 29 Case Study: Garett Manion, PharmD 33 Part Two How to Find Your Purpose 35 7 Ruthlessly Evaluate Your Current Position 37 8 Create a Wish List of Actions 43 9 Name Your Future Position 47 Case Study: Garett Manion, PharmD 53 10 Determine Your Core Priorities 55 11 Define Your New Core Priorities 61 12 Set Short-Term Benchmarks 69 Case Study: Aja Davis, MS, MBA 72 13 Tell Yourself an Inspiring Story 77 14 Be the Hero of Your Story 83 15 Re-Write Your Story 89 Case Study: Lindsey Surace, MD 96 16 Question Your Focus 101 17 Create a Personal Slogan 107 18 Start a Meme 115 19 Put a Compelling Vision in Front of You 119 20 Turn Your Vision into a Decision 127 21 Move from Decision to Conviction 133 22 Celebrate Your Progress 137 23 Run the Numbers Behind Your Vision 141 Case Study: Brenda Jones, JD 144 Part Three How to Fulfill Your Purpose 147 24 Pursue Mastery 149 25 Acknowledge the 10,000-Hour Rule, but Don’t Follow It 155 26 Avoid the Life Hack Lie 163 27 Avoid Willpower Depletion 167 Case Study: Matt Giulianelli, DMD 171 28 Develop a Can-Do Mindset 175 29 Think Inside the Box and Move Laterally 181 30 Manipulate Reality 185 31 Build Rome Around Your Safety Net 191 Case Study: Michael Smith, MBA 194 32 Generate Me Capital 197 33 Invest in People, Not Ideas 201 34 Connect Without Getting Lost in the Crowd 205 35 Develop a Personalized Escalator Pitch 211 36 The Only Three Skills that Will Matter in Five Years 215 Conclusion 221 Notes 227 About the Author 239 Index 243