There’s a strange little myth most of us carry in the back of our minds.

It goes something like this:

“One day, I’ll have it sorted.”

The business will run itself.
The kids will stop losing their shoes in the fridge.
I’ll wake up at 5am and journal and meditate and eat something green.
I’ll finally feel like I’ve made it.

​
Sorted.

Complete.

Fully actualised.

​

But here’s the truth—there is no finish line. There’s no magical “arrival” point where you become the perfect version of yourself.

Even the Stoics knew that.
They had a word for the ideal human: the Sage.
And they openly admitted… they weren’t one.
They just tried to be.
Every day.
Through action. Through reflection. Through the mess.

That’s the point.

You don’t rise to the level of your dreams.
You fall to the level of your habits.

I don’t write these newsletters because I’ve figured it all out.
I write them to remind myself too.

Because even now—after a decade in business, a couple of kids, some wins, some spectacular failures, and more than a few existential meltdowns—I still forget the basics.

I still snap at my kids when they spill orange juice right after I mop the floor.
I still have days where I question everything.
And I still chase the feeling of “finally arriving” … even though I know it’s a lie.

But I’ve learned this:

The work is the thing.
Not the reward.
Not the applause.
Not the perfect morning routine.
Just the daily showing up.
The being good.
The doing your best.
The choosing kindness when you want to scream.
The sitting with discomfort.
The slow, unglamorous work of becoming a better human.

That’s the real journey.
And you’re already on it.

Keep going.

—Broden

PS. If this resonated, you might like the weekly newsletter I send out. It's free, it's real, and it's been one of the most meaningful projects I’ve done. I started it after writing my book—five years in the making. Originally it was just for me, a way to navigate hard things. Now it’s grown into something more.

I’m calling the book Don’t Be a Dick… or maybe The Unconventional Guide for Life.
Haven’t decided yet.
But either way, if you’re into this kind of thing—thoughtful, honest, slightly irreverent reflections on life—join here.