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Dear Reader,

I’m writing this from my hotel room. Just woke up from a two-hour nap.

Tomorrow I’m guiding a cycling trip from Strasbourg to Colmar. Six days on the road.

I needed that nap because I wasn’t feeling well. Yesterday, I ate too much sugar—maybe you know the feeling. When the cravings just take over. And later, I crashed. Hard.

We had plans to go out: it was Fête de la Musique, music in the streets, warm summer air, a glass of wine. But I struggled to enjoy it. I pushed through. Did my best to be present. But my energy was gone.

Today I'm away from my family and I finally slowed down. My body needed it. That’s where I am.

Here’s what I want to talk about today:

Our search for meaning.

I know you’ve felt it. The hunger to find your mission. To know what you’re here for. To do something that matters. And how empty and off-track it feels when you don’t.

I’ve chased that feeling for years. Thinking others had it figured out: some were born to be singers, some found their career early, some discovered the sport or craft that was clearly “theirs.”

Me? I used to believe there was a sport out there that I was the best in the world at, I just hadn’t found it yet. That one thing I’d stumble into and suddenly be great. Yeah. Sounds childish, but I believed it.

But something clicked recently, reading You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero. She writes:

That landed.

What if our desires aren’t random? What if our curiosity is the guide? What if your “purpose” is actually whispering to you all the time, if you just slow down enough to listen?

See, I had mine numbed out for 10 years in the military. I've been put in a box and forced to fit in. Curiosity was on pause. But these last 7–8 years? I’ve been catching up. Exploring. Trying. Playing again.

And then this morning I watched a video by Alex Hormozi. He told the story of the guy who wrote Jingle Bells. Apparently, that guy wrote a ton of songs, none of them successful. Until one day, Jingle Bells came out. The rest is history.

Hormozi’s point? It’s okay to work for 20 years without hitting anything big. Just keep going.

But I’m not sure I agree.

What if the point isn’t to have a lucky break?

What if the purpose isn’t to create the next Jingle Bells… but to enjoy the freaking ride?

What if life is less about performing, and more about building a life you actually like living?

A life worth sharing. A life you’re proud to look back on.

That’s what I’m thinking about.

The waiter at my favorite café in Colmar always asks “Qu'est-ce qui vous ferait plaisir?” when someone sits down to order. It literally means: "What would bring you pleasure?" or "What would you enjoy?"

It’s such a good question.
What would bring you joy right now?

Not someday. Not after the breakthrough. Now.

Maybe it’s a walk. A laugh with your kid. A meal without rushing.

And if you’re not sure how to hear that inner voice, whether you call it God, Spirit, Guidance, Intuition, here’s something that helped me:

You build connection the same way you build it with your partner. By spending time. By listening. By learning the tone. So when you hear it, you know what it is.

You can improve this relationship through something as simple as going to your favorite café. You may get the feeling that you shouldn't sit at the table your waiter wants you to. If you don't dismiss that feeling as "stupid" and act on it, you will get more of it.

That’s how intuition grows.

And speaking of growing...

Did you know there’s a part of your brain called the anterior midcingulate cortex that gets stronger when you do the things you don’t want to do?

That part of the brain grows when you show up for the gym even though you don’t feel like it. When you face the conversation. When when you say no to the snack.

And the more you use it, the stronger your will to live becomes.

Not just willpower. But your desire to be here. Alive. Engaged.

So maybe that’s the invitation.

Not to chase some big purpose. But to build one. Daily. Through small acts of courage.

Maybe an exceptional life isn’t about doing something extraordinary.

Maybe it’s about enjoying who you are, how you live, and how you spend your days.

And I know you’ve felt that, too. That sense of I’m really living when you follow your own rhythm, even if no one else understands it.

So here’s your reminder:

You’re one of one.
There’s never been anyone like you.
There never will be again.

Your only job is to follow that voice inside. And trust that it knows where it’s going.

Let me know what landed.

It always helps me keep going.

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Stay rooted,
​Mihai

Wake Up. Live Fully.

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