Missed last week’s insights on A New Era for Sugar(s)? Here’s the link to catch up before diving into this week’s edition.

Why True Balance Comes from Within, Not from External Adjustments

This week I shared a hard post about the nature of work-life-balance. It may have raised a few eyebrows on Linkedin, but the reality (and problem) is deeper than that and the next 3 articles are my attempt to 1) try to connect the dots between the most relevant science and what the ancients know since the beginning of time and 2) try to lay the foundation for more “spiritual” discussions I will touch in coming articles. Hope you’ll enjoy!

Let’s start with the first problem. We’re told to aim for work-life balance as if it’s a formula: work hard, then rest harder. Yet, no matter how many hours we spend on self-care, vacations, or “unplugging,” true balance often remains elusive.

What Are We Made Of?

For years, I chased external balance, thinking a better schedule or a perfect holiday would fix the chaos. And believe me when I tell you I spent, unknowingly, more than 10 years in chronic states of stress, some peaks of depression, and general unease as if there was always something missing…

It wasn’t until I started meditation that I was exposed to Eastern philosophies and ideas on the nature of the world and universe. At first, I looked at their teachings with a curious, yet skeptical eye, and for many years I just listened without “feeling” too much inside.

Then I had a realization. It was during my wedding in the jungle of Colombia. We spent 3 days with a shaman and he told us all about his model of reality, the difference between matter and energy, as well as the 3 distinct elements we are made of. At our core, we are a combination of body, mind, and soul—each with its unique needs.

(By the way, this is the core teaching that EVERY single religion and mystic wisdom in the world has since the beginning of times. Language and terms are clearly different for each of them, but the essence of the message is clear. Hence my mission to reconnect the dots 😉 )

Our body demands physical care: movement, rest, and nourishment. Our mind craves clarity and focus, but without training, it becomes our worst enemy, driving us toward distraction and burnout. And our soul? It’s the quiet driver of purpose, often ignored but critical for true alignment.

Forgetting Our Nature Gets Us Into Trouble

I remember a time in my life when I completely ignored these three parts of myself. My body was exhausted, running on caffeine and adrenaline. My mind was racing with unchecked worries, pulling me in ten directions at once. And yes, back then I didn’t even know I had ADHD!

And my soul? I couldn’t even tell what it needed; I was too disconnected to notice. Actually, I have been trained all my life not to listen to it! My mantra was work till you can’t make it any longer, then repeat. Feeling like you want to quit? Only losers do! Do you want to be a looser?

Until you begin to question the hustle culture so deeply embedded in our collective psyche, true transformation remains elusive. This isn't just about tweaking your schedule—it's about dismantling beliefs that have become your identity. As I explored in my article on The Power of Habits, these patterns run deeper than behavior; they're reinforced neural pathways that resist change.

Gabor Maté's groundbreaking work in The Myth of Normal illuminates how we've normalized dysfunction, mistaking survival mechanisms for success strategies. The irony is striking: only when we reach our breaking point—physically, mentally, or spiritually exhausted—do we finally become receptive to alternative perspectives.

What's fascinating is what happens next. Once you permit yourself to question these limiting beliefs, you discover an entire universe of knowledge from thinkers past and present who arrived at similar conclusions through their own rock bottoms. Scientists, physicians, and rational thinkers who initially dismissed these concepts as "new age nonsense" often become their most ardent advocates after experiencing personal collapse. Their scientific training, which once served as a filter against challenging established truths, transforms into the very tool that helps them articulate these deeper realities with unprecedented clarity.

This journey, your journey toward authentic performance doesn't begin with simple optimization—it begins with permission to question everything you've been told about what success should look like.

The Missing Ingredient: Purpose

Once I began dismantling my limiting beliefs and opening myself to timeless wisdom, I discovered the real reason for my imbalance: I had aligned with the wrong purpose. I mistakenly believed that working relentlessly on my companies meant I had purpose, treating every challenge as merely an engineering problem to solve. I was profoundly wrong. Purpose cannot be an act of self-destruction—it fundamentally contradicts why you're alive!

Purpose is foundational, especially for founders. It fuels your ambition, keeps you grounded during chaos, and provides clarity for difficult decisions. But here's the truth: purpose isn't static. It evolves as your life and business grow. The challenge isn't just finding it but ensuring it remains aligned with your current stage and expansive enough to inspire action.

Most importantly, purpose must be yours. Nobody can dictate which purpose to adopt or where to find it. Purpose is the very reason your soul chose to manifest in this reality (more on this in future articles)—it's the life experience you're here to have. You may share aspects of your purpose with a cofounder or many others (like employees and clients), but this alignment is inherently impermanent. Both you and those around you will evolve, recognizing different facets of their purpose that may eventually diverge from the previously shared mission. Acknowledging this natural evolution and nurturing inner trust in your path is key to avoiding what Buddhists call "negative attachment" to feelings, things, and people.

This wasn't an easy realization. Defining authentic purpose takes time and proper techniques—it's not something you solve by simply reading Simon Sinek's "Start with Why." But once I did, everything transformed. Remember this: your purpose doesn't need to appear grandiose by Western standards—it simply needs to be meaningful and authentic to you.

Re-Learning How to Desire

Why do we keep believing purpose must come from the outside? Because we live in a world that bombards us with external expectations. You’re told what to want—more success, money, and rest. And that’s ok! This is not the place where I convince you of the opposite, I’m a founder too! But true balance requires relearning how to desire from within.

For me, this meant stripping away societal noise and rediscovering what I truly wanted. I used tons of different techniques, from complex meditations to psychedelic therapy, breath-work, ice-bathing and all other mild-altering experiences.

(I started approaching psychedelics as probably many others did in the West. During parties with friends. Fortunately, I immediately saw the bigger reality of these medicines, which go much further than simply having fun at the club. When I lived in Colombia I worked with shamans and their ancient plant-medicines, and lately I discovered the power of guided micro-dosing in combination with bioneuroemotional therapy. If you are curious to learn more details about these yet “hidden” methods, reply to this email and let me know if I should set up an article to go deeper into it. I’m always happy to share more and I have no fear of disclosing anything!)

Last Things Last for Today: Balance Comes from Alignment

Work-life balance isn’t a myth because it’s unattainable; it’s a myth because we’re looking for it in the wrong place. Balance isn’t something you achieve externally—it’s something you create internally by aligning your body, mind, and soul.

Start small. Reflect on what your body, mind, and soul need. Listen to their signals. Reconnect with your purpose and authentic desires. True balance doesn’t come from working less or resting more—it comes from being aligned with what you are.