The Good News and The Bad News
Welcome to Episode 2 of Forging Fortune, an inspirational podcast for visionaries, activists, and future-focused entrepreneurs anywhere between the poles on the life experience spectrum.
I have never been so consistently sympathetic with a character as I’ve been with Jack Skellington. Have you seen Tim Burton’s, The Nightmare Before Christmas? Jack, the undead hero of Halloween Town, becomes tired of living in his Zone of Excellence (as author Gay Hendricks would describe it) and begins to search for something more. He finds Christmas Town, gathers countless artifacts, and hauls them home to share with his people and study. Unsatisfied with their lukewarm reception, Jack locks himself in his tower laboratory to study his artifacts, shunning sleep, food, and helplessly chanting, “what does it mean, what does it mean?!”
As visionaries, seekers, people who strive for meaning and purpose, we’ve all been guilty of blinding ourselves with exhaustion in our desire to understand, “what does it mean.” And, when it comes to making change, when it comes to your life’s purpose at a time like this, I have good news and bad news.
The good news is, fulfilling your calling feels good. Why does it matter? Because you matter, because the whole, full you is the best you. The good news is, you get to fulfill your potential and fully express yourself because it’s good for you.
The bad news is when it comes to why it matters to everyone else when you wonder if anything you do is going to have the effect you hope for, the bad news is, you don’t get to know. Creating change means materializing the unknown. And, in most cases, you don’t get to know how impactful your work will be. And that’s ok! Because while impact, while change is the hope, it doesn’t have to be the only goal. Joy is a form of activism. Rest is a form of activism. Wholeness, integrity, being are all forms of activism worthy in their own right.
So when the trouble of the bad news begins to weigh too heavily, refer to the good news: mastering your potential, fulfilling your purpose, challenging the “impossible” matters because it’s you, it’s who you are, and you matter.
You’ll have no trouble gathering proof of impact as you follow your callings and touch the lives of others through your work. And, I will tell you this - when you let your being be enough of a reason to live life to its fullest, something else amazing happens. Distractions start to fade away. The need for validation begins to wane, and that makes you less vulnerable to misdirection. It makes you stronger, more capable, more likely to succeed against all odds.
This episode is packed with personal insights and realizations so I encourage you to go back and listen as many times as you need - it’s a tool for you. I also invite you to reach out to me via email at hello@minaraver.com. I want to hear from you. To get updates on episodes, tools, and events, visit www.forgingfortune.com to join the email community. And, if you have been inspired by the podcast, please share it with someone you know. This is more than a podcast - it’s a movement.
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