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It’s Not a Goal—It’s the Thing You’ll Get Done Before You Die

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Welcome to the Latest Newsletter
of Playing to Win!

My newsletter is designed specifically to help business owners like you grow your companies with tried & applied bits of business knowledge, all communicated in actionable, bite-sized chunks. I will share insights and advice aimed at enhancing your business operations, boosting your success, and allowing you to focus more on what truly matters. Let's work together to achieve your goals and make your endeavors a reality.

Key Points of the Newsletter

  • Your true North Star isn’t a lofty goal.
  • Too many people mute their calling to make others comfortable.
  • When your soul feels pulled toward something, stop postponing and start building.

It’s Not a Goal—It’s the Thing You’ll Get Done Before You Die

There’s a moment in every entrepreneur’s life when something shifts. A realization hits—not softly, but with force. Suddenly, you’re not chasing some abstract “goal.” You’re locked onto something deeper. Something non-negotiable. It’s not a dream, not a hope, not even a strategy. It’s the thing you know in your soul you’re here to do. That, my friend, is your North Star.

We throw that term around like it’s poetic—our North Star. But I want to challenge you to see it for what it really is. It’s not a vision board fantasy. It’s not a “big, hairy, audacious goal” you stick on a slide deck to impress people. Your true North Star is the filter for your decisions, the lens through which you see your life, and the energy source that refuses to let you coast. When you’ve found it, you don’t need motivation. You don’t need to hype yourself up. You feel compelled.

There’s a very different energy that comes with this kind of clarity. You stop asking, “Should I do this?” and start asking, “How fast can I build this?” It doesn’t feel optional anymore. It becomes the thing you will get done before you die. Period. No disclaimers. No half-measures. No approval needed.

And here’s where a lot of people get stuck: they feel that drive, but they mute it. They water it down so it doesn’t make others uncomfortable. They shrink it to fit into environments that feel safer, more familiar. They talk themselves out of their soul’s calling to maintain some illusion of balance or control.

But let me ask you—how long can you keep that up?

How long can you keep dimming that light just to maintain comfort, both yours and everyone else’s?

You’ve probably already felt it. That edge. That inner tension that comes from knowing you’re built for more but settling for less. It’s not a productivity issue. It’s a purpose issue. And the only way to resolve it is to stop muting what you know deep down to be true.

Let yourself feel the full weight of what you’re meant to build. Stop labeling it a “stretch goal” or a “someday project.” If it’s your North Star, call it what it is: your life’s work. The thing you’re here to finish. Not in theory. In practice. In reality. Before it’s all over.

Now, does that mean your North Star never changes? Of course not. We grow, evolve, and shift through seasons. What drives you at 30 may not be what drives you at 50. But when you’re in the thick of it—when that mission grips you—you owe it to yourself to honor that intensity. To build around it. To move toward it. And to trust that it’s not just okay to be obsessed with it—it’s necessary.

Because if you don’t bring it to life, who will?

This isn’t about legacy in the grandiose sense. It’s about alignment. About integrity with yourself. About knowing you didn’t just live, but you built, created, contributed—and did it with your full heart behind it.

So if you’re reading this and you’ve got that one thing in the back of your mind—something you’ve been pushing off, minimizing, or “planning to get to someday”—I’m giving you permission to stop playing small. Stop treating your calling like a convenience. Make it the priority.

Let your North Star pull you forward. It’s not just something you might do. It’s the one thing you must.

Stay tuned for more insights in our next newsletter. Remember, it's the small adjustments that often make the biggest impact on your business's profitability. Here's to your continued success!

Stay driven to push your business forward,
Ryan Niddel