54 Comments

YAY! I think it was Joseph Campbell who said, “the privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.” For me, being who you are is “becoming” who you discover yourself to be, through time. And when I don’t, or I resist, I slowly suffocate.

I honor and admire your courage and commitment Jack. And most of all, your heart.

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Wow, I love that Campbell quote and your perspective on "becoming who you discover yourself to be." Thank you for sharing that with me and for your ongoing readership, encouragement, and support. I feel very lucky to have you in my circle of writers and friends. It's a blessing.

Tip of the hat to you for the "wholehearted" wording that I am striving to deliver in my writing. You used that word to in an email you sent to me and it stuck. Thanks for being here and for showing up in such an honest, wise, and kind manner, James.

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Wow, this was a surprising and refreshing read! I'm so excited for you, Jack, and relieved that you extracted yourself from a path that wasn't serving your whole vibrant self. (What a great Dad you have, too!) I'm looking forward to reading your words going forward and learning what happens next. With your bravery and self-awareness and willingness to pivot and clear values, I can't even imagine the limit of the incredible life you will have ahead - and have already had. Thank you for sharing this with us and being honest about the twists and turns of life. Cheering you on!!

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Brianne, it's so nice to hear from you :)

You kind words have lifted my spirit and given me confidence in the direction I'm taking my work. I cannot thank you enough for that. I'm honoured and awkwardly not sure what else to say here besides thank you for reading and for this incredible comment.

I hope all is well with you and that writing is still giving you the same experience of joy and learning, though heavily laden with struggle and challenge, that it gives me.

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Exciting news Jack. Like Emerson said, those who refuse to change their minds have little minds… or something like that.

Love to see this shift and you bring more of who you are into your writing as a whole human and love that you’re keeping storytelling at the core. Man is a storytelling creature and he forgets it at his own peril.

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Thanks buddy, for you unwavering support. You have inspired me more than you know in my writing and in life and I'm not sure I would have changed as I did without you introducing me to Write of Passage and acting as a beacon for what true, authentic writing looks like.

As you eloquently point out, there is something special and deeply human about stories and their ability to teach and entertain us at the same time.

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Love this line: "I want storytelling to be at the core of what I do. Stories from my life that you can’t find anywhere else. Stories that I hope you find interesting and insightful. Stories that help us both live better with the short time we have here."

I think there is a resonance that moves between people, and it's why the people we spend time with we often become. I find it fascinating that we have both landed on storytelling as a means of making sense of our journeys and inviting others to come along for the ride with is. Not a coincidence at all from my perspective -- our journeys have been intertwined since we met almost a year ago. Honored to be on this journey with you and can't wait to one day be sitting by a campfire sharing stories in real life. From your brother from across the border 🙏

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Thank you for this comment, Jeremy. You have been a massive part of my writing since October, challenging me and pushing me to improve with each essay you edit. It is absolutely no coincidence that we've both landed on storytelling as the best means to understand ourselves and the world around us, and to share what we've learned with those who read our writing. Publishing your ideas on the internet does an incredible job at ensuring you're spending time around the right people, and growing in the right direction.

The honour is all mine and I very much look forward to that day too. Thanks for being here, brother.

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I'm looking forward to the shift. I applaud you for being willing to embrace the discomfort of change to be true to yourself and not falling into the trap Nancy Sinatra sang about when she said, "You keep samin' when you ought to be a-changin"

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Thank you so much for your support and wise words, John. I've felt this change coming for a while and as soon as committed to making it, I knew, in my gut, it was the right thing to do. I will be a-changin' and embracing discomfort til the day I die.

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A great realisation and an excellent read. Well done on turning things around. Wishing you the very best on the journey ahead. Regards Richard

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Richard, thank you for reading and for your kinds words. Being told something they wrote was "an excellent read" is enough to make any writer's day, and it certainly made mine. Your support and well wishes mean a ton to me.

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Hey, Jack! I discovered this essay at the perfect time because I'm going through a similar shift. Thanks for sharing your thought process and the backstory!

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Bud, great to hear from you. I'm glad it found you at the right time and hope it can be of some use. Best of luck in your shift!

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Yess! I love this new direction and so happy to see your publication grow with you. Onwards! 💪

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Zan, thank you so much! Appreciate you reading and sending some love.

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I'm so thrilled for you, man. As you told Miche and me way back when, people respond to your stories more than anything else you post. You're such a gifted storyteller, so it's great to see you doubling down on that. I'm also very heartened by your focus on living well—enjoyment over optimization. Like you, I spent so much time trying to find the perfect morning routine, the most optimal nutrition, etc... and what I found was a constant sense that I was missing something that was just out of reach. I'm thrilled that you're making this change, and look forward to all the wonderful stories to come. Love the logo, too. It has just the right spirit. 💪

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Rob, thank you so much for your kind words :)

I'm excited to double down on storytelling because humans are wired to love stories. It's how we passed on generational wisdom for thousands of years. There's a theory that Homer didn't write The Iliad & The Odyssey but that he simply recorded what were long standing verbal traditions passed down for generations. There are monks that can recite, from memory, unbelievably long passages: stories that, at one time, were essential to the being of humans. Stories -- buying into one collective narrative that we can use as the basis of collaboration -- are one of the things that separates us from animals. And these are merely a few examples that come to mind. Everything in our culture points to the importance and humanness of story telling. I'm very excited to continue honing my skills as a storyteller week by week.

I know we've talked about this before, but I can certainly relate to the constant feeling of feeling that something is missing. Enjoyment over optimization is the way to go. Though it's never discussed, you can get pretty close to what's "optimal" if you focus on enjoyment. That period of optimization served me, but I'm happy to be onto the next stage of my life.

Thanks again, my friend, for reading and showing up in support. I appreciate you greatly. Oh, and thanks for letting me know you like the logo -- the spirit within feels right to me too!

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The biggest observation at 72 years and in near perfect health is a balance of diet and exercise. Moving sideways in either - too much or too little which I have done - leads to mixed results. Thus finding the right balance has been an ongoing project… but wiorth it long term. That is to say / not too hot - not too cold - not too hard - not too soft… ☮️❤️…

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Thank you for this beautiful comment, Tom. I love this philosophy: it's the crystal ball approach. If you hold a crystal ball in an upturned hand too loosely, it will roll out of your hand and smash on the floor. But if you grip it too tight, it will shatter in your hand. It's about finding that happy medium, as you so eloquently shared here.

I greatly appreciate you reading and sharing some love and wisdom in the comments. Thank you :)

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Appreciate your vulnerability Jack. This resonates with me big time.

I used to think I needed to have a well defined niche to let readers know exactly what to expect. But I couldn't disagree with that more now.

Your stories will inspire (and already have inspired) me more than any how to post ever could. Keep doing your thing man. I'll be here enjoying your ride!

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Thanks so much, Arman. I’ve gone through a similar change in beliefs. I used to think a a niche was critical but really, your niche is you.

I know that’s true for me. When I show up to read your work, or the work of any of the other great writers here, I’m there for your unique way of looking at things. Your unique stories and perspectives and insights.

Again, thanks for the kind words and showing up in support here. Means a lot to me. Excited to keep learning and growing alongside you.

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I'm always on the hunt for interesting perspectives and good stories. Both of which you deliver with regularity :)

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Thanks, Arman -- means a lot brotha. Happy to have discovered your writing and honoured to have you read mine.

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I want to commend you Jack for having seeing clearly what you're seeking and being willing to make a change. I really like your final bolded sentence in your essay: "wholehearted stories about living well before I die." It cuts to the point, doesn't it?

Also, though this doesn't seem like your original intention behind "Longevity Minded", I think of the term as "staying in the game of living well". Longevity not as years of life and health, but as being able to balance your present and future self. Less optimizing, more navigating. In that sense, I think the term still captures what you're trying to do here, but I do feel in your words that this new framing is warranted. I can't wait to hear more stories!

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I love that the tagline of “writing wholehearted stories on living well before I die” resonates with you! Thank you for letting me know that :)

I think you’re the first person who has ever picked up on that. Or at least the first who’s ever told me. I chose “Longevity Minded” because I liked the conscious, self-awareness behind it. “Minded” brings to centre a calm, intentional way of being. Like you mentioned, navigating over optimizing. Though all you said is true, the name and logo change feel right to me. A nice shakeup for the next stage.

Thank you for reading and for being here, in the comments. I appreciate you!

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Excited to see where this new journey takes you Jack!

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Thank you so much, Ava! Your support means a lot :)

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As you know, I’m a big fan of your storytelling and excited for your announcement Jack. The tagline is awesome. And speaking of storytelling, Shantaram is one of my all-time favorites.

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Shantaram is incredible, Rick! Tommy put me onto it and I am tearing through. It has quickly become one of my favourite books ever alongside Neverwhere and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.

Makes me so happy to hear the tagline sits well with you. You have been a massive conscious and subconscious influence on my shift to storytelling, which I cannot thank you enough for.

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We're on the journey together!

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...dude i would give this an infinity heart sign if i could...congrats on your growth...looking forward to everything you might find, see, experience, become and share...life is for living...congrats...

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Thank you so much, CansaFis. Reading this comment made my morning. I owe a great deal to you for editing a number of my essays in Write of Passage and playing a massive role in teaching me how to be a better writer (which is a continuous and never ending process). Appreciate you being here and being so real, means a ton to me.

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...you're killing it man...keep running...

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Exciting news Jack! I've been enjoying following your writing so far and I'm confident in will only continue to improve with this change. Looking forward to seeing what you've got in store for us. Cheers buddy!

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Thanks so much, Bennett. Really appreciate the support, pal. I'm looking forward to finding out what's in store too... it's a constant state of exploration and discovery!

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