Becoming You with Suzy Welch

Accidents Happen; You Just Don’t Want Your Life to be One

Apr 22, 2025

Explore the journey of living intentionally versus drifting through life. Listeners share stories of ambition deferred and the struggle to realign with their true passions. Discover the 'four horsemen of values destruction' and how they impact career decisions. The conversation dives into the pressure of societal expectations, personal values, and the quest for authenticity amid life’s challenges. Reflect on what it takes to course-correct and find a clearer sense of purpose.

23:27

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Quick takeaways

Living intentionally requires recognizing personal values, which guide decisions and help navigate life's complexities authentically.

Four primary obstacles, or 'horsemen,' such as economic security and societal expectations, hinder alignment with true passions and desires.

Deep dives

The Call to Live Intentionally

Living intentionally is a vital focus, underscored by Mary Oliver's poignant question about how to approach one's 'wild and precious life.' The podcast delves into the hesitations that often prevent individuals from seizing their lives fully, illustrating this with the stories of two listeners, Madeline and Lori. Both expressed a desire to take control of their destinies but faced the daunting challenge of making choices aligned with their true passions. This discussion about living intentionally is framed as a quest to conquer the 'accidental life,' setting the stage for the deeper exploration of values that follow.

Intro

5min

Navigating Career Decisions: The Risk of Settling

4min

The Influence of Economic Security and Cultural Expectations

2min

Breaking Free from Societal Expectations

6min

Reclaiming Authenticity Amidst Life's Challenges

7min

We’re told to live intentionally — to take the reins, to choose boldly. But often, without realizing it, we drift. Titles accumulate, opportunities knock, life happens. And suddenly, the path we’re on isn’t one we meant to choose.

In this episode, two listeners — separated by decades — unknowingly echo the same story: ambition deferred, then redefined. Alongside them, four saboteurs of intentional living: a framework for examining how and why we lose direction, and what it takes to course-correct towards a clearer sense of purpose.

This is a conversation about decisions, drifts, and recalibration to get to a better answer to the question, “What should I do with my life?” A candid look at how people find themselves far from where they wanted to go — and what it might take to begin again.

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