I grew up catching native brook trout with my hands from a small creek across the street from my house.
I would be gone all day, walking along the stream, until I found a pool and then carefully, oh so carefully, sneak along the bank trying to catch a glimpse of a trout before it disappeared beneath an undercut bank or a tree root. Once I knew where the trout was, it was simply a matter of reaching underwater, both upstream and downstream from the fish and pinning the trout to the streambed. Wiggling and thrashing before becoming still, I would take a picture in my mind and let the poor fellow go!
I did and still do love fishing, all types, but the more unorthodox or challenging the better…be it ice fishing or fly fishing with a tenkara rod. It’s not like fishing isn’t hard enough already, but I have to find a “new to me” place, method, or quarry. Optimization is just not interesting to me when compared to innovation!
It was this realization about what aspect of fishing I truly love that led me to a personal discovery…
I need everything in my life to have a little bit of adventure!
Be it cooking a new dish or using an unusual ingredient, or taking a different route when going out on a run. For me, there is something so intoxicating about discovery, creation, and synthesis. But, I have also learned that it isn’t enough to simply have an adventure; I need to be able to share the story of what I learned with those close to me. I’ve thought that, perhaps, this is a very primal function; to search for a resource, tool, or method and bring it back to the tribe to improve the life of all. This is my universal “Why” and it can be found in almost everything I do with my discretionary time.
It also applies to my profession. Check this out…my job is literally to SEARCH for candidates! To discover talent that will transform some aspect of my client’s company and an opportunity that will transform someone’s career. Sometimes you just have to laugh regarding how simple it all is!
I would encourage you to take a step back from the things you love to do and try to understand the meta. What common theme runs through the things you love to do?
It took a while for me to make this discovery, but it has been so worth it! I know me, at least a part of me, it is immutable and brings me such joy and purpose. I can intentionally apply this filter to my decision-making process and trust that if I can’t find the adventure in something, then it probably won’t be a good fit for how I want to spend my time. What a gift to give myself!
I hope this short article resonates with you and I would love to hear about your “Why”!
Written by: Austin Meyermann, Founder and President of Hunter Crown, LLC
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