Trapped in a Rat Race?

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Morning friend! ☕️ 

Hope you had a good rest.

You probably needed it.

I mean, do you ever feel like you are trapped in a rat race?

In the Wolf of Wall Street, the true story of Jordan Belfort’s rise‑crash‑rebirth shows where that road ends.

In today’s post, we are diving into how the Ikigai model can help you find your purpose and mitigate that Rat Race effect.

Joining us for some quips is Leonardo Di Caprio who played the role of Jordan brilliantly in the movie.

Grab your coffee.

Let’s chat!

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Ambition on Overdrive

In the early 1990s Jordan Belfort rapidly scaled his brokerage, and pocketed millions.

His mantra was “More money = more meaning.”

Yours might be “Work harder = more security.”

Different scripts, same treadmill.

Belfort’s mantra eventually led him into burnout, scandal, and prison.

This is a vivid warning that raw ambition without alignment can suffocate even the most “successful” career.

When The Hustle Turns Hollow

Soon Belfort was popping pills to stay sharp.

He preached: “Winners use words that say ‘must’ and ‘will’.”

But endless “musts” and “wills” carry a tax.

Exhaustion, cynicism, and questionable ethics crept in until finally,

He snapped.

The wealth remained, yet all joy evaporated.

SEC raids, divorce, and jail followed.

In his memoir he confessed, “When you live your life by poor standards, you inflict damage on everyone who crosses your path, especially those you love.”

Burnout isn’t just fatigue. It’s purpose debt collecting interest.

Gallup’s 2024 report found 76 % of middle managers feel “frequently” or “constantly” burned out.

So, what can you do about this?

The Ikigai Epiphany

Behind bars Belfort wrote, “I hope my life serves as a cautionary tale to anyone who thinks there’s anything glamorous about being known as the Wolf of Wall Street.” 

Stripped of everything, he confronted the question we all avoid in our work busyness:

What is all this for?

The answer lies in Ikigai—the Japanese idea of a reason for being.

How do you find your reason for being?

It’s the intersection of these four domains:

1. Love – activities that energise you

2. Skill – what you excel at

3. Need – a problem the world cares about

4. Pay – value others will fund

Where they overlap, lies your true purpose.

Belfort’s post‑prison life (author, speaker, coach) finally combined his love (teaching), skill (sales), need (ethical persuasion), and pay (seminars).

Ikigai is the compass that keeps your ambition from becoming a cage.

It’s a way to align your purpose with your work and find meaning.

With that meaning and purpose attached/aligned to your work,

It feels less of a rat race…

Check out this short video from the real Jordan Belfort on his insights from writing the book about his life:

How to use the Ikigai model?

To discover your ikigai, you can use a four-step process:

Identify what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.

By understanding these 4 elements, you can find the intersection where your passions, talents, and purpose align. 

This will enable you to bring more meaning to your work.

Key Takeaway

Jordan Belfort learned the hard way, money without meaning burns you out.

Align the two, and work stops feeling like survival. Like a rat race.

Take action - start your Ikigai exercise now.

Future‑you will thank you.

That’s it for today ☕️ 

Till next week!

Vaugan

PS: Once you complete your Ikigai exercise, check out this comprehensive and practical guide to help escape the rat race: Justin Welsh: How to Escape the Rat Race (And Live More Intentionally).

Today’s Chess Puzzle

Black to mate in 2 moves…

Work out the solution here.