Purpose

As detailed in Part 1 of this interview yesterday, Dr. Danny received the news that he has terminal cancer, a grade 4 glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive form of primary brain cancer. This interview is meant to shine the light on the lessons Danny is experiencing in the 30+ days since he received his diagnosis as, while it’s impossible to predict his end of life, averages would suggest 15 months.

Dr. Daniel (Danny) Friedland is a guest faculty member of MEA and the author of “Leading Well from Within,” which focuses on the science of practice of Conscious Leadership. He’s one of the most delightful humans I’ve ever met and a real mensch.

Finding our life’s purpose can feel “just out of reach.” A “maybe someday” idea that we hope to fulfill in the future. But, what if your purpose is within your reach today. From the minute we awaken in the morning, we get to choose our attitude.

“When you are younger, you get blamed for crimes you never committed, and, when you’re older you begin to get credit for virtues you never possessed. It evens itself out.” I.F. Stone

Let’s keep the Japanese theme going from yesterday. When I joined Airbnb, CEO Brian Chesky told me he was obsessed with the Japanese documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi.” Then, three months later, we moved into our enormous new headquarters and there was a “Jiro” meeting room designed after the subway sushi bar depicted in the film.

Meaning is fuel. I learned that from Viktor Frankl the first time I read “Man’s Search for Meaning.” And, I cracked open that book twelve years ago in a St. Louis hospital after having gone flatline that day. I penned an Emotional Equation that night: Despair = Suffering - Meaning.

Rumi said his life could be summed up in three phases, “I was raw. I became cooked. Then, I burned.” Learn, Earn, Burn. It’s the way many of us see the progression of life. But, what if, instead, it was, “Learn, Earn, Yearn, and then Learn again”?

I recently did a podcast with RadSeason focusing on my fascination with festivals, which led me to create Fest300 in 2013. During the span of one year, I went to 36 festivals in 20 countries. I was curious that the more digital we became as a society, the more ritual we seemed to need.

Chip: Separated at birth. That’s all I can say about me and Shelley Paxton. As former Chief Marketing Officer of Harley-Davidson, she knew how to make her way around a pretty macho culture and, of course, she learned how to ride a hog.

How many coats of paint have your body gathered? How could you live an unvarnished life? These were the questions that arose for me when I watched this short video about Alex Raza and his second act as a violin maker.