Men’s Mental Wealth
A few observations from my internal quests
This post is for men. If you are a woman, you are not allowed to read beyond here.
(If you did read beyond here, I am already smiling :)
I have a singular belief about mental health:
Men Need Quests to Build Mental Wealth
Leaving school & dropping out to travel the world, kitesurf the wildest seas & find the best entrepreneurs on the planet has been absolutely wild.
Over time I have honed my craft as a designer, explored the possibilities of the ocean, helped some of the best entrepeeneurs, encouraged some of the most beautiful creators, and had a lot of fun.
Where I have suffered, is in labelling myself as an entrepreneur.
This label was applied by others: Family, Friends, University & The Universe
You can see how unhappy it made me here:
On paper, it all looked great. But it was a false label & incorrect identity.
I just wanted to quest.
So I did
Kiting Quests
Dedicating the most energetic years my body & brain will ever have to the pursuit of kiting is something I will never regret. Nearly drowning many times, always destroying my gear, and travelling more than a rock star was insane.
But it built mental wealth: memories, bonds, ideas & resilience.
Fighting Quests
Violence came to me from a place I least expected it: old school friends. After that, I trust no man who cannot stop drinking. It sent me on one of my toughest quests:
Learning how to defend others.
Fighting for yourself is one thing. Protecting others is another. These feelings come from different parts of men’s souls.
The more I test myself in the environment of sanctioned battle, the deeper I go on my own experience with physical pain.
I feel much more comfortable with injuries & infinitely less fear that I will fail my loved ones if violence comes to them. When it comes to my own personal safety, I am calmer than I have ever been.
Silicon Quests
Silicon Valley is where all the biggest quests start. There is no denying its hold over the shape of the world. I have plundered its depths & benefitted from its generosity enormously.
There was so much there to explore. I collected so many identities along the way:
But—at times—the suffering was extreme. Turning off your comparison engine in a place where worst person you know makes the most money ever is hard.
If you want to manage your mental wealth in the Bay Area, you are going into hard mode.
Identities will be thrown on you by every entity: the government, the Twitterati, the startup bros. It is hard to avoid!
But my goodness:
THE QUESTS ARE THE BEST
When you find a true Creator. A pure soul. An architect of the future. Prepare for magic.
What is your quest?
It really is this simple:
lift heavy stone
make sad head voice quiet
My two quests:
- build a digital bank / wealth organisation that has a materially positive impact on the later lives of people.
- compete in the world triathlon championships at Kona.
Fuck that hit home BruVva LuVved it and have forgotten that you write well as the rest of the other shit you do 👊!
Off to lift some heavy stones