Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.
Table of Contents
Stop Forcing, Start Fitting
You know how exhausting it feels to keep knocking on doors that never open? You show up with your best effort, your best ideas, your best intentions, and still the response is silence. That is not failure. It is feedback.
Remember Netflix DVDs?
Netflix once faced the same situation. They built their business on mailing DVDs. It worked for a season, but it was not the future. People did not want to wait days for a single movie or TV show season. They wanted it all at once, in an instant. They wanted to stream entire seasons, discover new shows, and binge their favorites on their own schedule.
When Netflix pivoted to streaming, everything changed. They stopped forcing a model that had run its course and leaned into what people were already ready for. That one shift unlocked unstoppable growth.
Finding the Right Audience
I heard this in church, and it wrecked me: Purpose will often require making a pivot from those you want to help toward those who want your help.
Think about that for a moment. Most of us start with a picture in our mind of who we want to reach, serve, or impress. We imagine the audience, the client, the friend, or even the family member who we think will finally validate our effort. But often, those very people are not ready. They may not see the value. They may not even want the help.
That is when frustration sets in. You can spend years knocking on the wrong doors and wondering why it feels so heavy.
But purpose is not unlocked by trying to convince the uninterested. It comes alive when you pivot toward the people who are leaning in, the ones who are already hungry for what you bring.
How to Apply This:
Stop pushing so hard: If every step feels like resistance, it is worth asking if you are chasing the wrong fit. Closed doors are not always a sign to work harder.
Pay attention to where you are wanted: Notice the people who ask for your input. Notice the projects where your energy multiplies. Those are signals.
Pivot when necessary: Pivoting does not mean you gave up. It means you chose alignment over exhaustion.
Plant your effort where it grows: Impact comes from serving where the soil is ready.
Did You See This?
Nike recently reintroduced its iconic “Just Do It” slogan through a new campaign called “Why Do It?” The campaign speaks directly to young athletes, reframing greatness as a choice rather than an outcome. (Click image to learn more)
Instead of chasing someone else’s definition of success, it challenges this generation to define their own path, to show up authentically, to collaborate rather than compete, and to keep moving forward with courage.
If you’re reading this far…
I hope this message finds you well. I’m sharing from my heart in hopes that you will be inspired to unearth and live out your God-given purpose. Hopefully, something I said resonated. I would love to hear from you if so. Please feel free to reach out to me on social media. FYI: I’m mostly active on Instagram these days. If you were forwarded this message, you can subscribe here to receive thoughts like this directly in your inbox. And don’t forget to check out the latest episode of my podcast, ConvoRoom with Mark Allen Patterson.
See you next week,
