The Meaning Path (NEW NAME)

The evolution continues to a new movement.

It’s funny…

I feel called to change things up here. (Again!)

It’s hard when you start something new. You have a vague idea of what you want, but here’s the reality:

The path unfolds as you walk.

So the best thing you can do is start walking. Use this insight as ammo to move beyond overthinking and procrastinating to just start the damn thing you are putting off.

Why?

Because it’s going to change anyway.

Those details you are stressing about, such as the brand name, the logo, or the theme pillars, will seem silly in the grand scheme of things.

Things are going to change anyway after you get started. You’re too early in your journey right now to know it all.

Embrace the clunky unknown start.

Get moving. Build something meaningful!

I can’t believe I’m now ten months into this project. Ten! And I could never have predicted this was what I would be doing ten months ago — The Meaning Path? That certainly wasn’t on the radar. It’s incredible what can snowball. As you take those baby steps forward, your vague vision takes a life of its own.

Right, so what’s going on here?

I’m excited to announce I’m changing the newsletter name to “The Meaning Path”.

Why?

Meaning

I don’t know about you, but I’m seeing a tremendous lack of meaning and purpose in the world right now:

• People feel lost

• People hate their jobs

• People are overwhelmed

• People want ‘something bigger’

• People crave connection and community

I would love to play a role in helping to make some people’s lives a little bit better, and gently nudging them towards their version of what is meaningful.

I’ve been doing some serious thinking, analysing my content, and having conversations with my audience and peers. Do you know what I have uncovered?

All my work online has been centred around meaning

Yep, for whatever reason, I have some inbuilt interest in exploring what is meaningful for humans in work and life.

But I got confused along the way…

My other newsletter, the Matt K. Head Letter, was previously called “My Creative Calling”, as I thought my story was all about moving from being an accountant to becoming more creative. This was true, but it wasn’t the whole picture. At the root, I was building a more meaningful life, and at that time, my path to meaning was through creativity.

This was confusing as people thought I was all about “creativity”.

But no, the real story was doing what is meaningful. So, where creativity was driving me, something else may drive your sense of meaning.

More evidence appeared as I created this newsletter, which began as my explorations in “Poetry & Purpose”, again exploring themes of meaning and purpose while being creative.

So, after almost four years of writing online, I can confidently say that this field inspires me. I seem to have a never-ending thirst to keep exploring here. That interest and combined with my strengths becomes a comparative advantage for me. The well is deep, and I want to dive deeper.

Here, I invite you to consider what your comparative advantage is.

Not just a newsletter — A community, a movement

I’m excited by the possibilities of Substack. It’s not just an email platform; it’s essentially a community with some really cool features.

The ability to comment and network on newsletters is powerful. The longer form format, beautiful minimalist design, and community vibes attract heart-centred creatives and deep thinkers, which inspires me to devote more time and energy to Substack!

And so I had titled this newsletter “Head Full Of Purpose”, which was a more personal name given my last name is “Head” and “purpose” was on the agenda. But it’s a bit of a mouthful. And I want to build something bigger than me. I want it to be also about you, about us.

That’s where The Meaning Path comes in. I think you get the picture from the title. It’s all about choosing to follow our own meaningful path, whatever that is for you.

So, I will continue with the weekly newsletter and see where things go.

I’ve been a bit ad-hoc with my rhythm lately around holidays and kids, but I aim to post 2x weekly newsletters (mostly short-form) on Wednesday and Saturday.

“Cool, but what else?”

I would like to incorporate the Substack features around voice notes for sharing more intimate “off the cuff” thoughts and podcasts for deeper conversations with others who are charting their meaning path.

Also, I would like to do a monthly Q&A / deep dive / chats over Zoom to bring that connection we’re all craving. I’ve had the privilege of being involved in a few private groups like this and find them enormously fulfilling in a way that I didn’t even know I needed.

Down the track, I want to pivot my work as a leadership coach into The Meaning Path.

I find this whole thing ridiculous in the sense that here I am in 2024, suddenly building something off the backbone of writing and an obsession with meaning. The number-crunching accountant of 15 years inside me finds that fact unbelievable, haha!

Before I get ahead of myself with all these ideas…

Let’s pause.

It’s easy to get carried away dreaming. But let’s take this one step at a time. Let’s focus on what we are doing right now.

And for now, the next step is changing the name here to The Meaning Path.

I hope you will join me on this ride as we build something special.

And as always, if the journey no longer resonates, feel free to unsubscribe. I don’t check unsubscribes or my list. This long-term mission is about something deeper than playing to the numbers. I encourage you to follow what is meaningful for you.

Cheers!

Reflection

• Where do you have a comparative advantage? Where do your interests, skills and strengths converge on a theme where you can be a superpower?

• In what ways are you getting ‘carried away’ building a future inside your head?

• How can you pull back and focus on the ‘one step at a time’ in front of you right now?