Moe and Jason Garner discuss the journey from being on Fortune magazine’s list of the top 20 highest-paid executives under 40 to being a Master of body, mind, and spirit.
Living a Life That Matters
Have you ever wondered why most great change is preceded by a crisis? Whether it’s personal or professional, an illness or a job lose, it takes a shock to your current reality to force you to admit that something is out of balance. Growing up, we’ve been conditioned to believe that change is tough; largely because it challenges old habits, and as the poet, John Dryden has said “we make our habits, then our habits make us.”
To everyone around him, Jason Garner seemed to have it all – working his way from a trailer park to the height of business stardom. As the CEO of concerts for Live Nation, he worked with A-list entertainers and professional athletes, lived a lifestyle reserved only for rockstars, and was amongst the 20 highest paid executives under 40 in America, until with one phone call from his sister, he learned that his mother was dying of cancer. That was the moment of serendipity that put life in perspective for him. He sat by her bedside, cried and started to read the last letter that he would ever write to her – “I spent my entire life trying to be a good boy. I worked so hard, achieved so much, all of it to make my mommy proud. And now, surrounded by so much stuff, a fancy title, a nice house, a great job, everything I thought I always wanted …. I realize I would trade it all…. every last bit… for one more day with my mom.”
In his book, …. And I Breathed: My Journey from a Life of Matter to a Life That Matters, Garner shares a tale that’s all too familiar for those of us who are driven to achieve. Like his book, my conversation with him was mesmerizing because it was real, and so timely.
Here’s a glimpse of what we discuss:
- What happens on the outside when you’re true to what’s inside
- The philosophy of dealing with and accepting the voice in your head
- Finding peace in silence
- Finding enlightenment through your ordinary mind
- How much of your self-worth is derived through sympathy
- Radical self-acceptance and self-love
- Leading with compassion and kindness