(#018) A Dynamic Pursuit: Balancing Fulfillment, Public Resonance, and Financial Independence
When it comes to theories and protocols for navigating the complex relationship between career and life—and finding ways for the two to complement each other rather than compete as a zero-sum game—there’s no shortage of books, ideas, and trends.
Some say you should shut down your heart and focus entirely on achieving excellence at what you do. Whether it’s your true calling or your most dreaded chore, happiness lies in superior competence. You have to become so good they can’t ignore you. Others argue the opposite: that you must listen closely to your heart and build routines to regularly check in with where it wants to lead you—you have to follow the artist’s way. And then there are those who claim none of that matters. What truly serves you, they say, is the subtle art of not giving a f*ck.
I’ve genuinely enjoyed exploring each of these perspectives—and many others. In my opinion, they all have a point (although, amusingly, each is often presented as if it were the only valid point out there).
Personally, I don’t believe in a single, universal framework.
I see these theories as tools.
You learn about them, apply them, maybe tweak your habits or adjust your agenda—and then you carry on with your life, ideally a little better off than before. The best tools might even earn a permanent place in your toolbox.
But your life is unique. Your tools require regular review, refinement, and renewal. And it takes time to craft a few that truly work for you.
What I share below is one such tool—one I developed myself—that’s worked exceptionally well for helping me track how close (or far) I am from the kind of career and life I want: one where the two blend, enhance, and elevate each other.
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The Central Balance Diagram
The framework begins as a simple Venn diagram plotted across three areas, each representing a key quality: Fulfillment, Financial Independence, and Public Resonance.
The name of the game—as you might have guessed—is to understand which area, or combination of areas, you currently occupy.
To help with that, I’ve outlined three sets of questions (they’re not rigid or absolute; there’s wiggle room). You belong to a given area if your answers in that category are, by and large, positive. Not all have to be a firm “yes,” but a general lean in that direction counts.
Fulfillment:
Do you get out of bed each day feeling motivated?
Do you feel you’re expressing your true self in what you do?
Are you naturally curious about your work—drawn to explore and expand it rather than just doing the bare minimum?
Do your daily activities nourish your soul, leaving you feeling a little more whole by day’s end?
Public Resonance:
Do people find genuine value in what you do?
Are you sought after for your skills, talents, or contributions?
If you’re an entrepreneur, does your business spark real customer engagement, satisfaction, and possibly even strong sales?
Do your community—friends, family, colleagues, neighbors—see you as a positive presence?
Financial Independence:
Can you afford your lifestyle of choice?
Are you able to purchase the things you find essential to your contentment?
Are you in a position where you don’t need to constantly worry about money or unexpected emergencies, at least for the foreseeable future?
If you answered “yes” to most questions in each of the three areas, then congratulations—you’re in central balance.
Why this is ideal should be self-evident. You’re expressing your true self, the world values what you do, and you have the resources to sustain the lifestyle you desire.
It’s hard to argue against this being a desirable place in life.
But before we explore the more thought-provoking (and more common) zones outside of that sweet spot, let me say this:
There is no such thing as a permanent state of central balance. Balance is always dynamic.
No matter how firmly you land in the center, life continues to evolve. Circumstances shift. Priorities change. And sooner or later, you’ll drift into adjacent, less-ideal zones—prompting a new search, a new chapter, a new pursuit.
If you feel this doesn’t apply to you—if you believe you’ve found that rare place where your career, purpose, and lifestyle are perfectly intertwined and self-reinforcing—you might truly be an exception. Or perhaps you’ve just been luckier than most... so far.
But that’s precisely the point: this framework recognizes the fluid nature of life—the constant motion between aspiration and reality.
It reminds us that life isn’t a straight path with a finish line. There’s no merit in labeling people as those who “made it” and those who didn’t.
The real illusion is expecting that life is “strive” until, one day, it’s finally not.
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What Lies in Between
Now, to the juicy part.
Where do you stand when you're in the overlapping areas between two qualities—but not at the core? That is, when you answer positively to two of the three areas (but not all three)?
The names should be mostly self-explanatory, but here's a short breakdown:
The “Success Trap” is the quintessential zone where many of the people we label as “successful” find themselves.
Most likely, they chose a career path early on—perhaps right after their studies, or barely a few years into their professional life. They’ve built up competence, a track record, and a valuable network. They’ve made it relatively easy for themselves to be productive members of society. They can generate economic value quickly. Everyone wants to partner with them, hire them, or even be hired by them. They're praised for their excellence.
But over time,
Their very success makes it difficult for them to identify with anything else—anything that could offer even a fraction of the same self-respect, self-worth, or identity.
Nothing else brings the same sense of pride or accomplishment.
What one can hope for is that their original passion and self-truth continue to lie in the same direction, in the same field, with the same goals as when they were younger.
Possible? Yes. Probable? Not really.
With the exception of a lucky few, those caught in the Success Trap must fight against comfort and vanity, and summon the courage to steer their trajectory towards the life they were meant to live.
The “Unpractical Dream” describes those who are pursuing a life they’ve consciously chosen—one that fulfills them daily and is appreciated by others (customers, colleagues, community)—but who haven’t yet figured out how to monetize it. Or perhaps, it simply can’t be monetized.
Full-time philanthropy, for instance, can be deeply soul-nourishing and generate abundant goodwill, but unless it's channeled through a commercially savvy model, it’s unlikely to sustain one’s lifestyle (unless that lifestyle is drastically frugal).
Another example: someone running a business aligned with their passion and talent, with growing traction—but unable to cross the threshold into sustainable profitability.
There are too many permutations in the framework to cover them all in one article (maybe in a book, one day). But here’s one key insight: to move from the Unpractical Dream into Central Balance, one can work not only on increasing the commercial viability of their pursuit, but also on reimagining their lifestyle itself. What if a different city, a more minimalist wardrobe (vs. expensive labels), a taste for raw and adventurous experiences (vs. costly vacations), or a curiosity towards home-cooking (vs. fine dining), could help bridge the gap—or bridge the gap temporarily?
The “Lonely Pursuit” is a different kind of in-between. Here, the person enjoys Financial Independence (often from past work or an inheritance), and is following a path that feels authentic and fulfilling—but without any meaningful resonance with others.
Their pursuit doesn’t yet (or perhaps never will) make ripples in the world around them.
This might seem like a decent place to be. After all, their lifestyle is supported (unlike the Unpractical Dream), and they’re doing something that reflects who they truly are (unlike the Success Trap).
But there’s a deep ache in being engaged in something that finds no significant traction in extended society.
Something that leaves no mark. Something that stirs no curiosity, no recognition, no need in others.
It’s hard to imagine someone being truly happy when what they do is of no use, value, or interest to anyone but themselves.
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In the Periphery
And finally, what happens when you find yourself in only one area?
Before diving in, let me repeat—yes, for the third time—that this is not a still image. It’s a movie. And not just any movie: think of it as an action film, where both our efforts and external forces are constantly shifting the scene.
Anyone can land in any one of these states—sometimes briefly, sometimes for extended periods—and move to another through deliberate work or sheer chance.
The key lies in recognizing this ongoing seesaw, gathering your tools, and staying focused on the meaning behind your pursuit.
These peripheral conditions are unlikely to last long, as each is both materially and mentally straining—albeit for different reasons.
The Fantasist is someone so enamored with their own pursuits that they push forward despite their work being of little relevance beyond themselves, all while struggling to sustain a satisfactory lifestyle.
This is where a bit of reality check, discipline, and even external guidance can be vital.
More often than not, the Fantasist eventually accepts a compromise with their passion and pivots toward more productive endeavors—ones that can also support their livelihood.
The Burnout is someone stuck doing something that drains their spirit—with nothing to show for it financially.
This is not unthinkable, and it can happen in many ways: perhaps driven by vanity, someone is willing to sacrifice both their emotional wellbeing and financial security in exchange for validation. Or perhaps they're forced into it by external obligations—legal or otherwise—that keep them tethered to a path they would otherwise abandon.
The Inertial is the least intuitive condition, and often the one that draws the least sympathy: this is someone who can afford the lifestyle of their choice thanks to personal wealth—since there's no Public Resonance to sustain them—but has chosen to engage in a pursuit that brings neither inspiration nor meaning to themselves or others.
To remain in this state for long one has to be affected by an extreme fear of change.
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Where You Find Me Now
During my previous endeavor (started around 2018 and concluded in 2023), I spent several years caught in what I now recognize as a “Success Trap.”
I had a comfortable salary, and my work left a meaningful mark on large-scale infrastructure projects across several geographies. At one point, I was leading a team of over 50 people—a company I had co-founded with just one partner and a shell corporation in Hong Kong.
But I was miserable. (Still, better than in my previous cycle, circa 2014–2017, when I was more of a Fantasist—if even on the framework at all… yeah, that bad.)
I eventually managed to disentangle myself through a long and painful process (you can read more about that transition here) and have since worked hard to ensure that my new ventures align more deeply with my soul.
I’ve been fortunate enough to set aside sufficient sustainment to carry me through this chapter for a while—but not forever. That’s why, for now, my pin has moved out of the Fantasist zone and into the realm of the Lonely Pursuit.
I don’t yet have tangible, material proof that my new adventure (take a look: Jam Nation) resonates with the public to the extent that I could consider it a success larger than myself.
But I’m working hard to dial in the right product–market fit, and I feel blessed to be drawing all the inspiration and fulfillment I could ask for from a relatively sober lifestyle.
My framework certainly tells me that I need to drive my business toward commercial success. But truthfully, I’ve always known that—I didn’t need all of this to remind me.
What the framework does constantly remind me, though, is this:
If I push my business into Public Resonance by compromising my own Fulfillment, I’m still nowhere near the center.
More than once in the very recent years, I have been confronted with moments of doubts where my new business and my newly found fulfillment in life were in apparent conflict. Hard choices buried deep into the uncertainty typical of a start-up adventure.
To be able to capture and visualize all these elements has proved very insightful and helpful.
My life will continue to move—fluid—and this framework is part of my toolbox and set of coordinates, helping me adjust the sails along the way.
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If any of this resonates with your current moment—or if you find this framework off the mark in some way—I’d truly love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. I reply to every one.
L.F
