In today's episode, Michael McRay and Harris III dive deep into how we define success and failure, exploring whether our culture's focus on mental health has inadvertently reduced our resilience. Their conversation examines the pendulum swing from necessary trauma awareness to potentially over-labeling every difficulty as trauma, and how this impacts our ability to navigate the inevitable failures that come with building a business or pursuing meaningful goals. Harris shares insights from his work with purpose-driven entrepreneurs who often struggle when their well-intentioned efforts don't yield immediate results, while Michael reflects on Jordan Geary's concept of "failure as origin story." Drawing from Michael's upcoming book "The Wild Way," they explore how success might be better defined as "any action in service of the story you want to live" rather than arrival at predetermined destinations. In this episode, they also discuss:
- Why increased mental health awareness may be unintentionally reducing our capacity to navigate ordinary challenges and setbacks
- How redefining success as maintaining "integrity of direction" rather than perfect arrival can transform our relationship with both achievement and setbacks
- Why the journey toward goals creates the character and capacity needed to handle the responsibility that comes with achieving them
- The distinction between nurturing children and affirming everything they think or feel
Coming Up Soon
- STORY 2025 - Oct. 9th and 10th in Nashville, TN at the Schermerhorn (use code PODCAST100 for $100 your ticket)
- Experiential Narrative Practice certification training - October 6th-8th
- Michael's book "The Wild Way: Navigating the Space Between the Old Story and the New" releasing in October
Resources Mentioned
- Jordan Geary
- @TheJordanGeary on YouTube and Instagram
- Becoming Restoried
- Join The Circle
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