EPISODE · Feb 13, 2024 · 23 MIN
Risk, Adventure and the Search for Meaning
from Purposeful Planning Podcast · host Purposeful Planning Institute
John Graham lived a life of risk and adventure—from wars and revolutions to dangerous mountains and sinking ships. But at a certain point—and it began in the war in Vietnam—he began to realize that a life focused just on satisfying his own need for adventure was lacking any real meaning and that emptiness began to torment him. John finally found that meaning in service—in helping people solve tough public problems, in making life better for others. Some of that service has been as a global peacemaker. And much of it has been with his work with the Giraffe Heroes Project, a global movement that moves people to stick their necks out for the common good and gives them tools to succeed. What John found is available to everyone. It doesn’t matter what your station in life is or the station of your clients. We all face the same challenge. There is no deeper human need and no more powerful yearning than to live a life we know is meaningful. And the most stable, long-term source of that meaning is service. BIOGRAPHY John Graham is an author, adventurer, former diplomat and citizen activist. No guru and no saint, he's repeatedly sought the meaning of his life in many places where it wasn't. He finally found the purpose he sought in service—in helping solve significant public problems, and in making life better for other people. Making and implementing this discovery hasn't only brought him enormous satisfaction—it's been the adventure of his life. For the last 35 years Graham has been a leader of the Giraffe Heroes Project, a global movement inspiring people to stick their necks out to solve public problems and giving them tools to succeed. He’s helped end apartheid in South Africa, avert a major strike in Canada, save what’s left of the Everglades, settle a war in the Sudan, find long-term environmental solutions in the Pacific Northwest and build bridges between the Muslim world and the West. His books include Outdoor Leadership, Stick Your Neck Out–A Street-smart Guide to Creating Change in Your Community and Beyond, It's Up to Us, and a memoir, Quest: Risk, Adventure, and the Search for Meaning. He’s done TV and radio all over the world. For more information, see johngraham.org
What this episode covers
John Graham lived a life of risk and adventure—from wars and revolutions to dangerous mountains and sinking ships. But at a certain point—and it began in the war in Vietnam—he began to realize that a life focused just on satisfying his own need for adventure was lacking any real meaning and that emptiness began to torment him. John finally found that meaning in service—in helping people solve tough public problems, in making life better for others. Some of that service has been as a global peacemaker. And much of it has been with his work with the Giraffe Heroes Project, a global movement that moves people to stick their necks out for the common good and gives them tools to succeed. What John found is available to everyone. It doesn’t matter what your station in life is or the station of your clients. We all face the same challenge. There is no deeper human need and no more powerful yearning than to live a life we know is meaningful. And the most stable, long-term source of that meaning is service. BIOGRAPHY John Graham is an author, adventurer, former diplomat and citizen activist. No guru and no saint, he's repeatedly sought the meaning of his life in many places where it wasn't. He finally found the purpose he sought in service—in helping solve significant public problems, and in making life better for other people. Making and implementing this discovery hasn't only brought him enormous satisfaction—it's been the adventure of his life. For the last 35 years Graham has been a leader of the Giraffe Heroes Project, a global movement inspiring people to stick their necks out to solve public problems and giving them tools to succeed. He’s helped end apartheid in South Africa, avert a major strike in Canada, save what’s left of the Everglades, settle a war in the Sudan, find long-term environmental solutions in the Pacific Northwest and build bridges between the Muslim world and the West. His books include Outdoor Leadership, Stick Your Neck Out–A Street-smart Guide to Creating Change in Your Community and Beyond, It's Up to Us, and a memoir, Quest: Risk, Adventure, and the Search for Meaning. He’s done TV and radio all over the world. For more information, see johngraham.org
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Risk, Adventure and the Search for Meaning
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