In partnership with
He he, “sponsored.” ^
Hey Friends,
Two things:
I moved the Ascent Life Podcast hosting from Podbean to Beehiiv. This way my Newsletter & Podcast are both under one publishing platform and one landing page. The podcast is still available on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts. So, little change on your end. 🙂
There is a sweet Kalshi ad at the bottom of this email. Each click pays me a dollar something. Feel free to hit the ad and we’ll see if it actually works. Ha! No need to create a Kalshi account, just a click of the ad should do it. We’ll see. Thanks for your support. 🙏🏻
What is this life all about?
How do we find meaning in everyday life?
Life is funny in that sometimes it throws things at you, you didn’t necessarily know you needed. For instance, my family knows I like to read, and in early June, I was reading a book on meaning, How To Live a Meaningful Life by authors Bill Burnett & Dave Evans, and it was a bit dull.
Then, for my birthday, my family gifted me the book The Meaning of Your Life by the professor of happiness, Arthur C. Brooks. Brooks literally studies and teaches how to be happy. In recent years however he noticed his students questioning more about the meaning of life, and why does any of this matter?
Good question—why DOES any of this matter?
Why have meaning? And, how do we find meaning?
Brooks’ book The Meaning of Your Life was much more interesting, so I switched to reading his book immediately. Solid gift, fam.
Brooks lays out the following:
Happiness = enjoyment + satisfaction + meaning
Meaning = coherence + purpose + significance
Purpose is the existence of goals and direction in your life. This belief that you are alive in order to do something. Think of purpose as the map of your life, telling you where you are in your journey and where you want to go.
Using Emerson’s “Self-Reliance,” 7 steps to rebel against a psychogenic epidemic:
Reclaim your privacy. “My life is for itself and not for a spectacle.”
Stop conforming to others’ thinking. “Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist.”
Be true to yourself. Make independence your goal. Walk alone when necessary.
Defer gratification: choosing to pursue long-term purpose with passion and perseverance, even when doing so is arduous. Set long-term goals and make progress toward them each day.
things that are trivial, immoral, or silly—the ridiculous distractions keeping you hooked—are not even worth condemning.
Be willing to change your mind and say you were wrong.
Make your own decisions and form your own beliefs.
Three questions to ask yourself about your life’s meaning:
Why do things happen the way they do in my life? (Coherence)
Why am I moving in this direction? (Purpose)
Why does my life matter? (Significance)
Love is about being not doing. The more you obsessively do to earn love, the more you run around trying to earn it, the less you will simply be as a person, and the less love will be able to find you.
Lift your attention to the divine and develop your spiritual nature. Look outward and serve others with compassion
And, my personal fave…
Become a student of beauty, and it will reveal the meaning of your life.
There’s so much more in The Meaning of Your Life from Arthur C. Brooks. I found the book insightful, motivational and introspective. Great read. High recommend.
Here’s my quick video review of The Meaning of Your Life on YouTube: Feel Lost in 2026? Arthur Brooks Has the Answer
🔥
HEALTHY, WEALTHY & WISE ARTICLES
ASCENT LIFE PODCAST
Do It Scared: How Skiing Big Mountains Builds a Meaningful Life | Wynter McBride, Ascent Life Ep. 33
In this big mountain episode, I sit down with Wynter McBride — Freeride World Tour rookie standout and one of America’s top female freeride skiers — to explore how adventure sports like skiing help us live more meaningful, purposeful lives. Fresh off her breakout rookie season, Wynter shares raw insights on identity beyond skiing, facing fear in the start gate, traveling the world, and finding joy.
We cover topics like:
What it’s really like competing on the Freeride World Tour (Alaska spines, Verbier, Georgia, France, Austria + canceled comps)
Balancing passion for skiing with mountain biking, art, yoga, family & summer adventures
Defining success, purpose, and who you are when you’re not skiing
Moving through fear, building confidence, and skiing with a smile at the gate
Lessons from big mountains on humility, discomfort, and breathing through challenge
How yoga, journaling, and reflection fuel performance and personal growth
My Mission: help one million people a day become the best version of themselves through living an Ascent Life. Please share…
ASCENT LIFE PODCAST WITH R. BRANDON LONG
Do It Scared: How Skiing Big Mountains Builds a Meaningful Life | Wynter McBride, Ascent Life Ep. 33
The only merch that reminds you to live your best life!
More Ascent Life:
Past Articles: https://ascent-life.beehiiv.com/
Merch Store: https://ascentlife-shop.fourthwall.com
Podcast: https://linktr.ee/AscentLife
Every Day Is a New Jersey. Every Entry Builds Toward Messi.
Each day through July 7, Kalshi gives away one signed, authenticated jersey from a World Cup icon. Miss a day, miss that jersey. But every day you check in earns you another entry toward the grand prize: the Messi jersey, game-worn from the match he scored his 800th career goal. Di María, Ochoa, Dempsey, Modrić, Falcao, Varane, Ferdinand, and Villa are all in the lineup. Download the Kalshi app and enter today's giveaway free. Share with a friend to earn a bonus entry toward Messi.
Free to enter. App required. No purchase necessary. 18+, U.S. only (excl. NY & FL).
Cheers, and here’s to living an Ascent Life! 🚀
- R. Brandon Long
