How to Catalyze Your Destiny

Update December 23, 2022: You can now read this book for free.

You can’t be your best self unless you understand yourself. In his book Catalyze Your Destiny!: Discover Who You Are, Reveal Your Purpose, and Launch Into Action, Jordan Ring discusses many approaches to finding your strengths and then putting them to use to build a fulfilling life.

If you need motivation, there’s plenty of it here. Jordan also includes many examples and stories from his own experience of self discovery.

The book is divided into three parts. The first part introduces tools for uncovering your strengths. The second part describes strategies for finding a purpose in life. Finally, the third part shows you a framework for taking action toward your purpose. The three parts are tied together with the theme of finding your “ikigai,” which is the intersection between passion, usefulness, talent, and utility.

Here are my twelve favorite takeaways from reading the book:

1. “Growth occurs when you get outside the door and get walking. We build memories when we seek change and adventure. We fully live only when we choose pain over comfort. Choose to live outside of your comfort zone and thrive.“
2. Take the CliftonStrengths Assessment so you can double down on what you’re good at and get help with your weaknesses. “View your top five strengths as the things you can’t not do. When you take the test, invest in the resources Gallup provides to further your strength development. Use what you learn to decide what action steps to take on your goals, what books to read, and how you format your daily life.”
3. Complete an audit of how you spend your time. “A time audit will answer an important and potentially painful question; Does where you actually spend your time match with the core values you determined above? Do you spend enough time with family and friends, too much time working, or not enough time on your own personal growth?”
4. One effective way to choose your life purpose is to ask yourself the question, “what is the one thing I can’t stand?”
5. The four parts of your Ikigai are: What you love to do, What the world needs, What you’re actually good at, and What you can get paid for. You need to find a purpose where all four parts intersect.
6. “Action Step: How can you contribute to the world’s needs? First, pause and remember what you can’t stand. What makes your blood boil and your fists pumping with rage? On your Ikigai make a list of 5-10 ideas of world problems you want to solve. And then, today, do a small good deed for someone else.”
7. To brainstorm ideas of exactly what you’re good at, start with a five minute brain dump. Then use self-discovery tools like MBTI and CliftonStrengths to find more strengths. Ask your friends what they think you’re good at. “Think of three to four of your major life points (wedding, college, high school, etc.). What were you good at then? What did you most enjoy about those times?” Finally, “Think about what you’re good at in school, at home, at work, when hanging out with friends, when you’re happy, or when you’re sad. Think about what you’re doing when you’re in the flow and time passes by like a lightning bolt. Imagine the moments of sheer joy and consider why you experienced that emotion.”
8. Quickly work through these questions… What worldly needs can your passion meet? What will someone pay you for that involves your passion? What do you love to do and are good at? What does the world need that you can get paid for? Do you have a skill or talent that fits a bigger world need? What are some of your highest-paid abilities?
9. An effective 90-day plan has one major goal, a purpose statement, tasks, positive habits to keep doing, required resources, and weekly review of goal and progress.
10. “Action Step: What’s something you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t? Go do it right now if possible, or plan a weekend trip. It doesn’t matter if it’s silly. What matters is taking action on something new and exciting.”
11. “if the item on your to-do-list takes less than five minutes to complete, do it now, don’t wait!”
12. “Make your 90-day plan a living, breathing document. Either print it out and keep it with you at all times or keep it up as a tab on your browser. This will keep you motivated and force you to keep thinking of it, updating it, and setting weekly tasks that relate to what you want to get done. Make time to check in every week with yourself about your plan… All you need do is pick a time on Sunday afternoon and check your goals and set your most important tasks for the coming week.”

If any of these takeaways are helpful to you, you’ll find much more in Catalyze Your Destiny!, by Jordan Ring.