Inside the episode
Creating purpose, not finding it
Many of us feel pressure to know our dream, or what we want to be known for. Will turns that on its head. He believes nobody finds their purpose - you create it. Finding is what you do with your keys when they've fallen down the side of the sofa.
His North Star is a life mission, the equivalent of trying to empty the sea with a spoon. People tell him that's impossible, and he says that's the point. You still have goals, but they become milestones on what he calls a North Star trajectory, and knowing the mission lets you reverse engineer the steps.
From money to meaning
Will grew up believing money equalled happiness. His dad worked long hours in a job he hated, while two wealthy uncles seemed happy. So he became the kid at school buying and selling, then worked in a designer clothes shop and went into broking, where personal development was simply a tool to sell more.
Then, at a Tony Robbins event in May 2013, he had his lightning moment. He realised his real driver had nothing to do with money. It was about his dad, and not wanting anyone else to go through what his family went through. Two years later, a book on holiday reminded him he didn't need to wait to start - so he posted one motivational quote a day, and the journey began.
When-then syndrome and the power of gratitude
Will calls it when-then syndrome: when I get the money, the car, the relationship, then I'll be happy. The trouble is that the happiness is fleeting, and then you're straight on to the next thing.
Instead, he talks about be, do, have. Choose how you want to feel first, and operate from that place while you're doing and having. Gratitude is a practice, not a list - if you write ten things down and don't feel any different, it hasn't worked yet. There are two ways to get grateful: get what you want, or want what you have.
Getting directionally correct
So many people are focused on speed - the new tactic, the quicker route. But if you want to see the sunrise, it doesn't matter how fast you run west. Will, who is also a pilot, explains that if you know your destination, you can adjust for wind and weather and still get there.
It's why he takes intelligent action - action aligned with your values and your goals - so seriously, and why he sees real value in a strategist helping founders get clear on where they are and where they want to go. No sat nav can plan the journey until it knows both.
Values, fear and smaller steps
When people have a clear plan but still don't act, Will usually sees one of a few things. The action isn't aligned to their values, the step is too big, or they're living by someone else's rules. True values aren't labels like trust and honesty - they're what you do that gives your life meaning, and they're as unique as a fingerprint.
If recording five videos a week feels terrifying, make the step smaller: just record one, and don't post it. When you can link what you're doing to what you value, the resistance dissolves - something Will demonstrated live by reframing Claire's own morning of mum guilt.
Alignment in, inauthenticity on ice
For his word in the success shaker, Will chooses alignment - being aligned with your values, your partner, your business and your goals. For him, success is being, doing and having what you desire while you're in pursuit of it.
On ice goes inauthenticity, which he sees as living to someone else's values. Be 100% you, and be really good at being you. As he puts it, amateurs compete, professionals create.
