Last time, in his first installment of a very cool, very new column, David shared some documentaries that had been piquing his interest. This time, he shifts media to investigate a podcast episode that happens to do a whole lot with our theme of burnout.
This weekend as I was going for my morning walk, I-Heart Radio somehow switched from my Beatles channel to the On Purpose with Jay Shetty Podcast. The episode was entitled Tom Hanks: #1 Theory Tom Uses to Live a Balanced and Fulfilled Life. Tom talks about the importance of finding purpose and meaning in his work, the joy of collaborating with others, and always staying curious. Although Tom had a difficult childhood moving from place to place, he accepted his hardships and never let them drag him down. Though he was quite content being alone, he felt the importance of what he called the “Hang”. He felt that 90% of people are good and it was important for one’s mental health to hang out around people. He also emphasized the benefits of being around people of different ages, cultures, and backgrounds.
The story that resonated with me the most was when Tom talked about a trip in Japan. Once in Japan he observed his guide at a Shinto Shrine write on wooden sign and place it on a tree. Tom asked what he wrote, and his guide responded, “I will never know all I need to know.” Tom took from this his philosophy, “So the ongoing education of we’re never going to know what we need to know more is always going to be revealed. And this too shall pass, That governs absolutely everything. If you are having the greatest time in your work, this too shall pass. If you are successful, that this too shall pass. If you are sick, if you are experienced, and great tragedy and great drama, great difficulty, this too shall pass.”
This is just a brief part of the podcast because the complete podcast is 103 minutes long. The complete podcast and a transcript of the conversation can be found here.