CHAPTER 2 BEGINS THIS WAY Many of you have read a draft of Chapter 1 already. You have met Caleb, the main character for the book, Profit Seeks Purpose. Caleb is a very successful entrepreneur. He has a lovely family, a nice house, a business that has grown beyond his imagining. You meet him in…
Six Out of Seven: A Writing Update from the Journey I’m excited to share a milestone in the writing journey of Profit Seeks Purpose—I’ve now completed drafts of six out of the seven chapters. To be honest, I was stuck on Chapter 3 for what felt like forever. But something shifted this past week, and…
MY SHIFT FROM PREACHING TO PUBLISHING June 21, 2025 MY SHIFT FROM PREACHING TO PUBLISHING Writing for preaching is not the same as writing for reading. I was listening to a podcast recently—an interview with a screenwriter who works in film. He reflected on how different it is to write a screenplay compared to writing…
I will be glad to send you a copy of this draft in PDF format. Send your request to harland.merriam@gmail.com Here is a way to view or download the PDF for this draft. If you can, please send me comments: To keep it simple and respectful of your time, I’m asking you to answer just…
HARD TIME WRITING I have been having a hard time writing this book. BUSY. Some of the difficulty is being so busy with other important things in my life. THE LEARNING CURVE. Although I have been writing thousands of words every week for five decades, writing a book is different. At least it seems that…
WORKING WITH AI I am having a significant struggle with AI (Artificial Intelligence). I want to write this book, with my own style, my own vocabulary, my own thoughts, … I don’t want AI to write it for me. And yet, AI can be so helpful. It can spell check. It can suggest ways to…
SOMETIMES IT SURPRISES YOU Caleb thought he was joining a mastermind to grow his business. And he is growing his business—refining strategy, solving problems, sharing wins. But something unexpected is happening too. In this business fable I am writing, Caleb is meeting people—– Like Grace, a startup founder and aerospace engineer who shared a question,…
MEET NATHAN – THE FRIEND WHO INVITES WITHOUT FIXING Nathan is not the loudest voice in the story, Profit Seeks Purpose, a short business fable I am writing to answer the question many of us ask, “Is there more?” He’s not the hero of the story. But he plays a role some of us are…
SUCCESS HAS BROUGHT COMFORT, BUT I AM STILL RESTLESS My name is Caleb. I am the main character in the book Harland is writing. He is calling this business fable, Profit Seeks Purpose. It is my story. Fifteen years ago, I set out to build wealth. I poured everything into this business—late nights, high risk, hard choices.…
WHEN SUCCESS FEELS HEAVY — A note to high achievers who still feel something’s missing. — You’ve built a thriving business. Hit your targets. Checked all the boxes. Yet something still feels off. This is how Caleb feels. He receives an invitation from a friend that introduces him to others who are experiencing a similar situation.…