Duty 🫡

Author

Damon Brown
February 19, 2025

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Hi reader,

I’ve been thinking a lot about duty.

It feels different than obligation, as that’s driven by guilt.

It also hits different than law, as that’s motivated by shame.

Perhaps it is how we show up, even when other people aren’t looking. Even when others will never find out.

Especially when others will never, ever know 🤫

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Seth Godin defines culture as “This is how we do things here.”

Duty is a kind of inner culture. The interior of your ethics. The quiet map of your purpose.

It is following through - in being your best - no matter what other people are doing.

Yes, it is sometimes upstream.

It is also more lonely than not.

But you save energy, as you don’t have to worry about switching up whenever the wind blows.

Or trying to remember how you acted around so-and-so because you put on a show.

Or forgetting your true values because they got mixed up with their values and family values and society’s values like some type of bouillabaisse 🥘 

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The biggest reward of duty is to yourself.

You know you showed up, no matter the encouragement otherwise.

Others see you for who you are — and can be mad, sad, or glad to know you — but they are connecting to the real you.

And the world is getting served an authenticity, a consistency, an unadulterated pride that you and only you can provide by doing your duty.

Besides, running from our duty, shirking our responsibilities, and avoiding the inner work may initially feel like freedom, but the bill always comes due.

And the pangs of regret when you weren’t being true to who you are cut deeper than any knife can dig 🔪

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🙋🏾 I’m Damon! (http://www.damonbrown.net) I help side hustlers, solopreneurs & others like yourself bloom. As a bestselling author, 2x startup founder & 4x TEDTalker, I co-founded the popular connection app Cuddlr and led it to acquisition within a year while being a stay at home dad with my infant son.

🫱🏼‍🫲🏿 Today, my boutique coaching business Bring Your Worth supports hundreds through one-on-one virtual and in-person support, as well as behind-the-scenes services for TED, HEROIC, and other impactful organizations. You can catch this free weekly newsletter as well as the 18,000-subscriber strong television show BringYourWorth.tv.

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