What You’re Really Working Toward - Help Wanted

Summary

Podcast Summary: Help Wanted – "What You’re Really Working Toward"

Podcast Information:

Title: Help Wanted
Host/Author: Money News Network
Episode: What You’re Really Working Toward
Release Date: July 3, 2025

Introduction to the Episode

In the episode titled "What You’re Really Working Toward," hosts Jason Pfeiffer, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur, and money expert Nicole Lapin delve into the deeper motivations behind our professional pursuits. Moving beyond conventional goal-setting, they explore the concept of a "State of Being" as the true driver of our daily actions and long-term satisfaction.

The Problem with Traditional Goal-Setting

Jason Pfeiffer opens the discussion by challenging the traditional notion of setting specific goals. He posits that while goals provide direction, they often fail to address the underlying desires that drive us.

“If someone asked you, what are you working towards? You might struggle to answer...” [02:01]

Jason observes that many individuals chase after successive goals without ever feeling truly satisfied, leading to a perpetual cycle of striving without fulfillment.

Introducing the "State of Being"

To address this, Jason introduces his theory of "State of Being," a concept that emphasizes maintaining a consistent emotional and psychological condition rather than achieving specific milestones.

“A state of being is not a goal you achieve. It is a feeling you want to maintain consistently.” [02:30]

He explains that this state dictates how we experience our daily lives and serves as a more sustainable foundation for personal and professional growth.

Personal Revelation and Insights

Jason shares a pivotal conversation with a successful friend who expressed perpetual dissatisfaction despite achieving her financial goals. This encounter led him to introspect and uncover the essence of his own happiness.

“I realized that there are two types of happiness. Number one, spikes of happiness. Number two, everyday happiness.” [04:00]

He distinguishes between fleeting moments of joy and the consistent, accessible happiness that defines our regular day-to-day experiences. For Jason, everyday happiness is paramount as it is within our control and significantly impacts our overall well-being.

Defining His Own State of Being

Through self-reflection, Jason identifies his personal state of being as a combination of physical movement and intellectual stimulation.

“I am happiest when I am physically moving and intellectually stimulated.” [05:15]

He elaborates on activities that fulfill this state, such as engaging in dynamic discussions, traveling for speaking engagements, and managing a bustling career in Manhattan. This realization underscores the importance of aligning daily activities with one's fundamental desires to avoid monotony and foster continuous growth.

Steps to Identify Your Own State of Being

Jason outlines a practical approach to discovering one's state of being:

Self-Assessment: Reflect on what consistently brings joy and fulfillment.
Prioritization: Determine which activities and relationships support this state.
Implementation: Align daily actions and long-term plans with maintaining this emotional and psychological environment.

“When you are clear about your state of being, you stop chasing arbitrary milestones and you start building a fulfilling life.” [08:10]

Practical Applications and Benefits

By focusing on a state of being, individuals can:

Enhance Decision-Making: Choose projects and relationships that support their desired state.
Increase Satisfaction: Create conditions for happiness in the present rather than deferring it to future achievements.
Optimize Time and Energy: Allocate resources to activities that maintain their preferred state of being.

Jason emphasizes that this approach helps in building a fulfilling and balanced life, shifting the focus from external accomplishments to internal well-being.

Conclusion and Call to Action

Jason encourages listeners to identify their own states of being and make conscious decisions to support them. He reiterates the importance of everyday happiness and maintaining a consistent emotional and psychological environment.

“Ask yourself, what are you actually working towards? Find it, pursue it, and make the decisions that help you maintain it.” [08:50]

Additionally, he invites listeners to share their reflections on their state of being by replying to his newsletter, "One Thing Better," fostering a community of individuals striving for meaningful and sustained happiness.

Additional Resources

Listeners interested in further exploring these concepts can subscribe to Jason’s newsletter, "One Thing Better," which offers weekly insights on building a successful and satisfying career or company.

For personalized assistance, the hosts encourage reaching out via their helpline at helpwanted@moneynewsnetwork.com, offering a chance to have work-related questions addressed on future episodes.

Notable Quotes:

“A state of being is not a goal you achieve. It is a feeling you want to maintain consistently.” – Jason Pfeiffer [02:30]
“I realized that there are two types of happiness. Number one, spikes of happiness. Number two, everyday happiness.” – Jason Pfeiffer [04:00]
“I am happiest when I am physically moving and intellectually stimulated.” – Jason Pfeiffer [05:15]
“When you are clear about your state of being, you stop chasing arbitrary milestones and you start building a fulfilling life.” – Jason Pfeiffer [08:10]
“Ask yourself, what are you actually working towards? Find it, pursue it, and make the decisions that help you maintain it.” – Jason Pfeiffer [08:50]

This episode of "Help Wanted" provides a transformative perspective on personal and professional development, encouraging listeners to seek deeper fulfillment by focusing on their inherent states of being rather than transient goals.

Transcript

Nicole Lapin (0:00)

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Jason Pfeiffer (1:39)

This is Help Wanted, the show that makes your work work for you. I'm Jason Pfeiffer, editor in chief of.

Nicole Lapin (1:45)

Entrepreneur magazine, and I'm money expert Nicole Lapin. On Tuesdays, Jason and I answer the helpline and help callers solve their work problems.

Jason Pfeiffer (1:52)

And on Thursdays, I give you one way to improve your work and build a career or company you love.

Nicole Lapin (1:58)

And it starts now.

Jason Pfeiffer (2:01)

You're busy. Really busy. You're juggling projects and chasing goals. But if someone asked you, what are you working towards? You might struggle to answer, and here's why. Because specific goals are not what we really want. They're just what we think will get us what we want, even if we have no idea what that is. So what are we actually working toward? I have a theory. I call it State of Being a State of being is not a goal you achieve. It is a feeling you want to maintain consistently. It's how you want to experience your daily life. Today, I will help you identify your state of being and then use that clarity to transform how you spend your time and energy. But first, I'll tell you about a conversation that led to this revelation. I was recently catching up with an old friend who runs a thriving business. And she told me, I used to dream about earning the amount of money that I earn now, but now I just dream about earning more and I'm not sure what's enough or why I can't be satisfied. I hear versions of this from so many people. They achieved a goal and then they just moved on to the next one and it made them feel guilty and lost. Well, good news. I do not think this is a problem. I mean, what is the alternative exactly? To just sit still forever? To stop wanting? Imagine a world in which we really did stop after reaching a goal. Okay, so what goal do we stop at exactly? Is it the goal we set as teenagers? Our first really big goal? What does big even mean when the original big goal was one day going to feel really small anyway? You get the idea. Like, it just doesn't make sense. It's okay to keep wanting. Our problem isn't wanting more. Our problem is understanding what we want. That is what I told my friend. And then she asked me, so, okay, what do you want? And I'll be honest, I did not have a good answer to this. But then it hit me. I needed to find my everyday happiness. I realized that there are two types of happiness. Number one, spikes of happiness. Number two, everyday happiness. Spikes of happiness are one time delights. They're a big accomplishment, a cool experience. Everyday happiness is the brightest part of your normal regular day. And everyday happiness, I think is more important because it's more accessible and more within our control and also is really the thing that defines our lives. So. So what is it? What matters? I thought about it for myself and I came to a weird revelation. I am happiest when I am physically moving and intellectually stimulated. Physically moving and intellectually stimulated. I love walking with a friend and discussing a big idea or traveling for a speaking engagement while doing career counseling or business, advising on Zoom or moving through appointments across Manhattan. Why? Because I hate sameness and routine. I love new ideas and experiences. I am restless and curious. So this combination works for me. And it is what I am always trying to maintain. Which means this is my state of being. A state of being is the emotional and psychological environment that you want to live in every day. It is not a goal to achieve. Once it is, it is a feeling to maintain. Therefore, it is the reason you do other things like taking on projects or relationships or whatever. They help you move towards or help you maintain your state of being. So I started to ask myself what is necessary to achieve my state of being? And I realized that the answer is this. To achieve my state of being, which again is to be in physical motion and engaging in big ideas, I realized I needed a couple things. Number one, I needed to be in demand. Number two, I needed to control my time. And number three, I needed access to interesting people. And this basically explains everything that I do. Why do I write my newsletter or make this podcast or whatever? It's because it achieves all those things. When I make a newsletter or make podcasts, people often hear it or read it and then reach out to me for partnerships and relationships and connections. And then also that creates more control because the more I earn, the more I can control my time. And then it engages interesting people with whom I've built partnerships and friendships. So it is time to now ask yourself, what is your state of being? Maybe it's to have creative fulfillment or to pursue deep connections, or to have impact, or find security and stability where. Or to chase adventure and novelty. As I say all this, I realize I am tipping dangerously into cliche right now. I know I'm basically saying some other version of it's the journey, not the destination. But you know what? Eh, I really don't think that I'm saying that because I don't relate to the journey idea at all. It's too abstract. Like what journey? Just any journey. To me, a journey is something that you only see in retrospect once you're able to look back and. And trace the path you took. A state of being is different. It is a defined goal as well as an accomplishment. It is something you can work towards every day. When you are clear about your state of being, you stop chasing arbitrary milestones and you start building a fulfilling life. You choose the projects and relationships that work and discard the ones that don't. You stop waiting for some future achievement to make you happy and and create the conditions for satisfaction right now. So ask yourself, what are you actually working towards? Find it, pursue it, and make the decisions that help you maintain it. And that is how you find what you're looking for. And that, as you may know if you listen to the show regularly, is something from my newsletter. My newsletter is called One Thing Better each week. One way to be more successful and satisfied and build a career or company that you love. I write it. It comes out every Tuesday morning and then I tend to read it on this podcast a couple weeks later. So if you want it early and in your inbox some other way to get this stuff and really think through it, then all you have to do is go to One Thing Better email. That is a web address, so just plug it into a browser. One Thing Better. And if you spend time thinking about your state of being, well, please tell me about it. All you have to do is reply to any email that you get from my newsletter. It goes straight to my inbox. I promise I will read it and get back to you. Help Wanted is a production of Money News Network. Help Wanted is hosted by me, Jason.