Surfers and poets, and lives to be lived.
Jindy Mann
There are 4 billion ways to be a man. | Men & masculinity | Leadership coach | Organisational Consultant | Advisor
What do Hugh Jackman, Zadie Smith, Mary Oliver and Kelly Slater have in common?
An accomplished actor & performer. A bestselling author. A Pulitzer Prize-winning poet. And an 11-time world surfing champion.
There’s no obvious link. Their lives, careers and work are of passing interest to me.
So why have I recently listened to podcast interviews with each of them? An hour or two with each of them?
These sort of podcasts are a small obsession of mine, the ones with the host speaking to a well-known guest who is notable for something. I don’t know how you’d describe the genre. Maybe 'mastery lessons'.
I wonder what it is that I (and millions of other people) enjoy about these conversations?
It’s the power of listening to someone who is in love with their craft.
Someone who has found their life purpose and is living it.
Someone who is wholly and unreservedly committed to being who they are.
These are people who are living life on their terms. That’s why they shine with a type of deep joy and fulfilment.
What I also get to hear in these conversations is the behind-the-scenes truth of their journey: the self-doubt, the failures, the people who told them they couldn’t do it, the barriers they had to overcome, the many moments they thought about quitting. And yet this was an essential part of their journey.
To witness this energy flowing through a person is uplifting. It shows that life can be lived this way - that it is possible to do work that matters, has meaning for us personally and allows our truest selves to flourish.
For those who wish to find true fulfilment, it also shines a light on the road that needs to be travelled and all the challenges that it entails. The unvarnished truth rather than a fairytale.
You may have met people like this in person. There’s an intangible quality about them, an inner peace and energy that seems to flow from inside without them saying a word. It’s special.
You can find that quality too.
#fulfilment #lifepurpose #mastery #craftsmanship #craft #selfdoubt #innerjourney #startwithyou