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INFLECTION POINTS

      How to Work and Live with Purpose

       Matt Spielman

Copyright © 2022 by Matt Spielman. All rights reserved.

      Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

      Published simultaneously in Canada.

      No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone], or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permission.

      Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Further, readers should be aware that websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read. Neither the publisher nor authors shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

      For general information on our other products and services or for technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at [phone], outside the United States at [phone] or fax [phone].

      Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic formats. For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at www.wiley.com.

       Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

      Names: Spielman, Matt, author.

      Title: Inf lection points : how to work and live with purpose / Matt Spielman.

      Description: Hoboken, New Jersey : Wiley, [2022] | Includes index.

      Identifiers: LCCN 2022007593 (print) | LCCN 2022007594 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119887386 (cloth) | ISBN 9781119887409 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9781119887393 (epub)

      Subjects: LCSH: Satisfaction. | Success.

      Classification: LCC BF515 .S65 2022 (print) | LCC BF515 (ebook) | DDC 152.4/2—dc23/eng/20220303

      LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022007593

      LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022007594

      COVER DESIGN: PAUL MCCARTHY

      COVER ART: © GETTY IMAGES | AERIALPERSPECTIVE IMAGES

This book is dedicated to those who want to get more out of each day.

FOREWORD

      Matt Spielman and I met in 1997 in one of the first meaningful exchanges I ever had over email. I had been accepted to business school, found an apartment, and was looking for a roommate. He, in turn, had recently been admitted and was looking for a place to live.

      Not long after, I remember sitting on the steps of Harvard Business School's Baker Library with Matt in the days before our first year. We looked out onto the sparkling Charles River and wondered aloud where the journey we were about to embark upon would take us.

      A few years ago, my career hit a bump in the road. I had left an investment partnership and was struggling to figure out what would come next. I tried taking a step back to ponder the existential question of my “why,” but I couldn't figure out the answer. I began wondering if, as Matt describes, I had been living a professional life of quiet desperation all along.

Without a clear direction, I worked on consulting projects, started a podcast on the side, and day after day racked my brain to find important answers to big questions.

      In my quest to move forward, I thought about asking Matt to coach me.

      I had some reservations. I had already tried working with coaches in my transition, with little success. Matt had spent years training across disciplines to be a coach. But I questioned what he could offer that those other coaches hadn't.

      At the same time, I believed that Matt was in his element as a coach. He has always been driven to help others achieve greatness. He is a dreamer who is in awe of others with vision. He is a feeler in a world of thinkers.

      So, I asked if he would take me on as a client.

      He said, “No way.”

      Matt's coaching practice is predicated on listening and reflecting. He believed