Book 116 - A Year of Magical Learning

Reflection Title: If you have to ask, you’ll never understand!  

Book – Mud, Sweat, and Tears: The Autobiography of Bear Grylls by Bear Grylls

Book Description: Bear Grylls has always sought the ultimate in adventure. Growing up on a remote island off of Britain's windswept coast, he was taught by his father to sail and climb at an early age. Inevitably, it wasn't long before the young explorer was sneaking out to lead all-night climbing expeditions. As a teenager at Eton College, Bear found his identity and purpose through both mountaineering and martial arts. These passions led him into the foothills of the mighty Himalayas and to a karate grandmaster's remote training camp in Japan, an experience that soon helped him earn a second-degree black belt. Returning home, he embarked upon the notoriously grueling selection course for the British Special Forces to join the elite Special Air Service unit 21 SAS—a journey that would push him to the very limits of physical and mental endurance. Then, disaster. Bear broke his back in three places in a horrific free-fall parachuting accident in Africa. It was touch and go whether he would walk again, according to doctors. However, only eighteen months later, a twenty-three-year-old Bear became one of the youngest climbers to scale Mount Everest, the world's highest summit. But this was just the beginning of his many extraordinary adventures. . .

Reflection:

Why do we do what we do?

For most of us in this world, this is the hardest question to ask and the one answer we all desperately want to seek to understand. After a while of searching, I feel like most of in this world resign to believe that purpose is just a myth we tell ourselves to keep moving in this world and doesn’t really exist.  

Then, we see someone out there like Bear Grylls and we wonder, what does he know that we don’t? What drives this guy to do all this crazy stuff? Where does it come from, and why can’t I capture just a little of that magic?

The truth is, and as Bear says himself in his book, “If you have to ask, you’ll never understand!” This is a quote that resonated with me immensely as I learned more about Bear’s amazing life in his autobiography.

We don’t understand, and we aren’t supposed to understand why he does what he does. Only Bear needs to understand this! After reading his book, it is clear that Bear has a purpose, and he is doing his best to live it as much as he can every single day of his life. That kind of stuff is inspiring to all that come across his path.

That’s the truly special thing about purpose, we often don’t know where it comes from, but when you have it…you have it, and the world just seems to make sense. That is when the real magic begins, and people begin to conquer this world in ways we’ve never thought possible with this invisible purpose guiding their actions and beliefs.

As we learned back from the book The Alchemist, “When you truly want something, the whole universe seemingly conspires to make it happen!” The universe doesn’t begin to work its magic until the day that you understand your own unique purpose. Once connected…watch out.  

For Bear Grylls, I think he found his purpose laying in a hospital bed thankful that he was alive and wondering if he’d ever walk again. That fight back changed his perspective on life and helped him to discover what truly mattered to him most in this world. That is when the Bear Grylls that we all marvel at today was truly born and he began to take on the world in his own unique way powered by his unique purpose. Fast forward 20 years later, and we all get to see what he’d been doing the whole time in secret now out in the open for all to witness. To us, it doesn’t make sense, but it is fun to watch. To Bear, this is his life and the only thing that makes sense.

For me, the story of finding my own purpose was similarly found in the pain and struggle of losing my daughter at only 39 days old. I don’t even recognize who I was before this event occurred in my life at this point in my journey. I’m a different person and on a mission to live for 2 in memory and in honor of my courageous daughter. That is all I know, and primarily all I think about from the moment I wake up until I go to bed.

I don’t know what my journey will look like in 20 years, 40 years, or 60 years from now…but I know what I’ll be doing and why. That is all that matters to me, and I’ve never felt more inspired to give everything I have to this one life I’ve got.

Question: What pushes you to make the most of your unique existence?

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Links:

What is The Year of Magical Learning? An Introduction

YOML Podcast Discussion - Coming Soon

YOML Bookstore - Mud, Sweat, and Tears: The Autobiography of Bear Grylls by Bear Grylls