The theme for the Purpose Club this month is ‘productivity as a superpower’.

If you want to find out what your superpower is, you can answer ten questions to find out here.

I used to confuse prod…

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Hello Friend!

As we welcome the Lunar New Year, we aren’t just changing a date on the calendar—we are changing our energy. We are entering the Year of the Horse.

In a world that often demands we rush, …

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“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
— Aristotle

What’s your New Year’s resolution?

How many people have you asked about their New Year’s resolutions—or been ask…

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A curious question hit me this week: If you measured your life in weeks, not years, how would you spend the next one?

We get reminders for everything—project deadlines, birthdays, subscription renewals.
But the one thing we don’t get a reminder for is the end of life.
We have roughly 4,000 weeks.
That number isn’t meant to paralyze you with fear. It’s meant to clarify with urgency.

I learned this the hard way. After my second episode of Bell’s palsy, I was determined to be the “tough” leader, powering through the office with half my face paralyzed. I thought I was setting an example. I was actually setting a time bomb.

My boss saw through it. “No one is going to look after you,” he said. “You gotta look after yourself.”

It felt like a betrayal. It was a liberation.
I had confused running fast with running far.

A tool for you this week: The 3-Way Health Audit.
Ask yourself these questions about any major commitment (job, project, habit):

1. Does it make me a better or worse person? (Does it leave me drained, cynical, and impatient, or energized, kind, and clear?)

2. Is it sustainable for my current life stage? (Can I do this while protecting my sleep, my relationships, my sanity?)

3. Does it serve my purpose? (Does it align with my core “why,” or am I just chasing someone else’s definition of success?)

If you answer “no” to any, it’s a warning sign. Your body and mind are giving you data. Listen to it.

Protecting your health isn’t selfish. It’s the most responsible thing you can do for everyone who needs the best version of you.

With purpose,
Aaron

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Unstuck Chapter 6 - Four Narratives

You’re keeping all the balls in the air. But at what cost? What if the relentless hustle is costing you the very things that make success meaningful?

Success and fulfillment are not the same thing. You can be “successful” by external standards and feel utterly empty. Fulfillment is an internal scorecard measured across the holistic health of your HOLO narratives.

We’ve been taught to glorify the grind. To wear burnout as a badge of honor. We treat our health, relationships, and inner peace as negotiable—things we’ll get to “after the launch,” “after the promotion.” We treat these glass balls like they’re rubber, assuming they’ll bounce back. Until one day, they don’t.

Last week, we talked about building your purpose. This week, let’s talk about the four-part blueprint for that construction.

I call it the HOLO Framework. It stands for the four non-negotiable narratives you must actively write for a fulfilled life: Health, Opportunistic mindset, Learning, and Others.

It’s the antidote to one-dimensional “success.” When you audit your life through this lens, you immediately see what’s being neglected.

A quote for you today

“No health, no wealth.” - Dr. Allan Zeman. A simple, profound truth from one of Asia’s most influential leaders. He prioritizes his gym time so fiercely he almost missed a meeting with a former U.S. President. That’s prioritizing a glass ball.

A question for you today

Look at your past month. Which of the four HOLO narratives (Health, Mindset, Learning, Service) received the least amount of intentional “authoring” from you?

Unstuck Chapter 5: Discover Your Transformative Purpose

Your purpose isn’t something you find; it’s something you build and practice daily through your choices, mindset, and actions.

Does the question “What’s my purpose?” make your stomach clench? What if you’ve been asking the wrong question? The real source of fulfillment isn’t a what... it’s a how.

We’re conditioned to believe purpose is a giant, glittering trophy at the end of a linear path. So we look at our messy, non-linear lives—with their detours, failures, and mundane Tuesday afternoons—and feel lost. “This can’t be it,” we whisper. That disconnect is where anxiety lives.

In my latest work, I make a distinction that changed everything for me: Purpose vs. Transformative Purpose. Purpose is often static and self-oriented.

Transformative Purpose is progressive and others-oriented. It’s the how. It’s the daily commitment to becoming better through a framework I call HOLO (Health, Opportunistic, Learning, Others). Your purpose isn’t a hidden treasure; it’s the person you choose to become while digging.

A Quote for You Today

“Transformative purpose is about waking up every morning doing the thing you love, which motivates you to become a better you each and every day. And by focusing on becoming a better self, you should also commit to making positive impacts for the betterment of others.”

A Question for You Today

Look back at a defining challenge in your life. If you view it not as an obstacle, but as essential “data,” what is it trying to teach you about the person you’re meant to become?

Evolve Together,

Aaron

Read time: 5 minutes

Topics covered: Transformative Purpose

Hello!

For years, I thought purpose was a finish line. Something I would eventually cross after enough soul-searching, and then—poof—I’d be fulfilled. I looked at successful people and assumed they had found their one big thing, and I was behind.

This thinking kept me stuck. It made my ordinary, daily life feel insignificant compared to the grand destiny I was supposedly missing.

Then I discovered the power of a single shift: from looking for a Purpose to living a Transformative Purpose.

The difference is everything.

Purpose is a noun. It’s static. It can be self-oriented.

Transformative Purpose is a process. It’s progressive. It’s your daily engine.

It’s the powerful intersection of three things: doing something you love, getting better at it each day, and using that growth to add value to someone else’s life. It’s not about one radical moment, but a thousand small, incremental improvements.

Reflective Question:

What is one small thing you love to do that, if you got 1% better at it each day, would positively impact your life and the lives of others?

Evolve Together,

Aaron

Read time: 5 minutes

Topics covered: Your Dormant Kid

Hello!

Think about the last time you felt truly, effortlessly creative. Not for a work project, but just for the joy of it.

For many of us, that memory is from childhood. A time when our primary job was to ask “why,” to imagine, and to explore without a fear of being wrong.

Somewhere on the path to becoming capable adults, we were told to “grow up.” We started believing that competence meant having all the answers and that professionalism meant shielding our curiosity and vulnerability.

But what if the most innovative leaders and fulfilled people are those who have done the opposite? What if they’ve intentionally reawakened what I call their Dormant Kid?

This isn’t about being immature. It’s about reclaiming the innate human superpowers of curiosity, creativity, and courage that we’ve let go dormant. It’s the difference between managing what is and creating what could be.

A book excerpt from Chapter 3 of Unstuck

Here are five reminders for you today:

1. Your Greatest Teacher is Your Younger Self: The qualities you naturally possessed as a child are the foundational skills for modern leadership and fulfillment.

2. “Growing Up” Often Means “Giving Up”: We trade curiosity for certainty, creativity for conformity, and vulnerability for a protective ego.

3. Vulnerability is a Strategic Advantage: Showing you don’t have all the answers builds trust, fosters psychological safety, and invites collaborative problem-solving.

4. Innovation Lives in “Why?”: The most transformative ideas come from questioning assumptions everyone else takes for granted, just as a child would.

5. Parenting is a Leadership Laboratory: The way we communicate with children (e.g., rewarding effort over outcome) is a masterclass in managing and motivating adults.

A question to reflect on today:

What is one thing you loved to do as a child that you’ve forgotten how to enjoy?

See you in the next letter!

Your positivity alchemist,

Aaron

PS. For deep-dive, you can consider upgrading to be a paid subscriber to access the new episode on the Unstuck Podcast

Upgrade

Read time: 5 minutes

Topics covered: Asking Questions, Third Thought

Hi,

How often do you find yourself reacting defensively to a problem or immediately looking for someone to blame? If you’re human, the answer is probably “often.” Our brains are wired for efficiency, which means they love shortcuts and autopilot responses.

But what if the key to a clearer, more positive mindset wasn’t about finding better answers, but about asking better questions?

In my book Unstuck, I explore the concept of “unwiring” our autopilot brain. When faced with a negative stimulus, our first two thoughts are usually unproductive:

• First Thought (Defensive): “It’s not my fault.”

• Second Thought (Accusatory): “It’s your fault.”

The real magic happens when we pause and consciously begin with our Third Thought. This is where we shift from being reactive to being reflective and curious.

Here’s a simple framework to intercept your autopilot brain:

Scenario

• A colleague gets a promotion.

First Thought (Defensive)

“I’m just unlucky.”

Second Thought (Accusatory)

“They must be related to the boss.”

Third Thought (Empowering)

“In which areas did I fall short? What can I improve?”

Scenario

• Your partner says you’re selfish.

First Thought (Defensive)

“No, I’m not! Remember when I...”

Second Thought (Accusatory)

“You are selfish too!”

Third Thought (Empowering)

“What did I do to make them feel this way? How can I give more?”

My challenge for you this week: The next time you feel a surge of negativity—frustration, jealousy, anger—catch yourself. Acknowledge the first two thoughts, and then consciously ask a better, third-thought question.

• Instead of “Why is this happening to me?” try “What can I learn from this?”

• Instead of “Who’s to blame?” try “What am I responsible for here?”

This small shift can create a powerful positive feedback loop in your mind.

Together, Aaron

Read time: 5 minutes

Topics covered: Forgive Your Younger Self, Narrative Audit

Do you ever feel like you’re following a script you didn’t write?

That automatic defensiveness when receiving feedback...
The hesitation before taking risks...
The specific situations that trigger disproportionate reactions...

These aren’t character flaws. They’re protection strategies designed by your younger self—and they were once brilliant solutions to real challenges.

What most people discover:

• Their “perfectionism” was once perfect protection against criticism

• Their “risk-aversion” prevented painful failures

• Their “people-pleasing” maintained crucial harmony

The most transformative personal work begins when we stop fighting these patterns and start understanding their original wisdom.

In this week’s private podcast episode, I reveal:

🔍 The Narrative Audit - a simple way to uncover your core operating stories

💡 The framework used by thousands to update their personal operating system

“Your younger self wasn’t incompetent—they were designing brilliant protection strategies with the tools they had.”

What’s one belief from your younger self that might be limiting you today?

Evolve Together,

Aaron

Listen to the Unstuck Podcast for deep-dive