We love to talk about purpose, passion, and vision. (Me included!)
But we don’t talk nearly enough about what it costs to actually bring those things to life.
Pursuing a new path, launching a side project, and changing careers, aren’t just creative exercises. They’re full-body investments. And if you’re not mentally prepared for that, you’ll interpret normal challenges as signs that you’re doing something wrong.
Here’s what you need to actually build something meaningful:
⏰ Time
Growth doesn’t happen overnight. You need space to learn, try, fail, and try again. If you’re cramming your vision into the leftover margins of your day, it’s no wonder you feel stuck. You have to carve out real time for what you say matters.
⚡ Energy
Not just physical energy, but also emotional energy. The energy to advocate for yourself, to stay curious, to face rejection, to keep going. Your energy is a currency. Be mindful of where you spend it and who drains it.
💸 Money
This doesn’t mean you need a huge budget, but some investment is usually required. Whether it’s a course, travel to an event, software, coaching, or childcare to free up your time, growth often comes with a price tag. It’s not about spending recklessly, it’s about investing wisely.
🛞 Systems
You can’t build a life of intention on a foundation of chaos. Systems create structure. Whether it’s time-blocking, automating tasks, or managing your goals in a planner or digital tool. These systems turn ideas into action. Without them, burnout is inevitable.
🎯 Focus
Your attention is one of your most valuable assets. And yet we scatter it across distractions all day, everyday. To grow, you need sustained attention on fewer things. Focus is how you go from dabbling to mastering.
🤹 Skills
Whatever you’re stepping into likely requires new or sharpened skills. Don’t let that intimidate you, let it excite you. Skills can be learned. But you have to be willing to be a beginner again, to practice in private before you perform in public.
🤔 Curiosity
Curiosity is what keeps you exploring when results aren’t immediate. It’s the mindset that asks, “What else is possible here?” instead of “Why isn’t this working yet?” Curiosity keeps the journey playful instead of punishing.
💓 Passion
Yes, you need passion. Not in the romanticized sense, but in the resilient sense. The kind of passion that fuels you to keep showing up when no one’s clapping yet. Passion reminds you why you started. It grounds you in your “why” when the “how” feels unclear.
Growth isn’t just a mindset shift, it’s a lifestyle shift.
The people you admire didn’t just “get lucky.” They found a rhythm with these eight elements. They made trade-offs. They stayed in motion even when it felt slow.
And that’s your reminder: when it feels hard, it doesn’t mean you’re failing. It often means you’re building.
Keep showing up. The foundation matters.
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