Finding Your Purpose, Solved

SOLVED with Mark Manson

This is the episode I’ve been waiting to make. Purpose has been at the core of everything I’ve written and done for over a decade—and in this episode, we go all the way down the rabbit hole. From Viktor Frankl surviving Auschwitz to the myth of “finding your one true purpose,” we break down what purpose really is, why you feel lost without it, and how you can build it into your life—no inspirational fluff, just psychological, philosophical, and practical depth.

We also get uncomfortable (in the best way) and talk about the dark side of purpose—how it can burn you out, trap you in toxic ambition, or become an excuse to ruin your life. I even open up about launching a second company this year, what it cost me, and why it still mattered. If you’ve ever felt aimless, stuck, or like something important is missing… this one’s for you.

We also put together a free companion guide for this episode with all the takeaways, references, and tools to help you get your sh*t together once and for all. Download it here: https://solvedpodcast.com/purpose

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Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:39 Victor Frankl and Finding Purpose in the Darkness

17:19 Chapter 1: Foundations: What Is Purpose?

25:44 Myths

32:50 Definition

34:55 Health

39:22 Resilience and Purpose

45:34 Chapter 2: Philosophical & Historical Perspectives on Purpose

52:47 Religion and Purpose

58:31 Descartes

1:00:11 Hume

1:04:51 Nietzsche

1:17:43 Kierkegaard

1:22:50 Ernest Becker

1:30:16 Picasso

1:31:26 Chapter 3: The Psychology of Purpose

1:36:38 Relationships

1:45:45 Ego Identity

1:49:19 Social Aspect of Purpose

1:52:32 Religiosity

2:05:14 Going back to Religion

2:08:13 Chapter 4: The Four Stages of Life

2:19:41 Trade off to Purpose

2:23:48 Transitioning in Purpose

2:31:33 Chapter 5: The Dark Side of Purpose

2:40:38 Purpose App

2:51:36 Burnout

2:54:29 Toxic Purpose

3:07:25 Chapter 6: Finding and Cultivating Purpose

3:27:04 Breakdown on finding Purpose

3:36:56 Chapter 7: Finding Purpose in Work (or Not)

3:52:55 Parenting

4:01:00 Contributing to your community

4:04:05 Hobbies

4:09:14 Chapter 8: Practical Tools and Frameworks

4:20:18 Purpose Setting

4:22:17 Finding the right tool

4:24:48 Chapter 9: The 80/20 of Living with Purpose

4:34:24 Takeaways

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