✍ Background
Sean is a designer, focused on asking better questions and having better conversations that nudge people towards a more reflective and fulfilled life.
His current goal is to turn this focus into a meaningful source of income and knowledge sharing.
Beyond this, Sean is also mad about rugby, cars, and macroeconomics.
🎤 Interview
What is one big challenge you have faced and overcome?
At the end of 2018, I had a personal and professional crisis. It was a destructive time: I felt isolated and trapped at work to the point I had random panic attacks just sitting in the office. I worked out extra hard to compensate but then broke my body in multiple ways.
These fears and frustrations spilled over into my personal life and I lost a few good relationships along the way. Then, as I’m sure other children of immigrant parents know all too well, there was the suffocating layer of expectation and performance on top of this too. At the deepest pits, I had a mental breakdown, curled up crying on my therapist’s floor.
I didn’t know what my needs were back then, but I knew this wasn’t it. With the help of some friends, I took 3 days to make sure my finances were in order, that I’d have enough money to last 18 months of not working, and I quit. That single moment was the most liberating feeling I’ve ever had, even beating the times I’ve skydived or ran down a deserted beach. I didn’t know what would happen next, there was no safety net of a career path anymore, but it felt great!
I took most of 2019 to just get to know myself again. What got me started was a series of workshops run by The School of Life (https://www.theschooloflife.com/), that got me to reassess what I truly believed and valued.
Since then I’ve explored new career paths, found love amongst tons of new connections… I know that ultimately, I want to help people reflect on their own lives and the world around them. I’m working out how I can do this.
It’s still an ongoing experiment on what it takes to live my life to the fullest, but hey isn’t that why we’re all here?
Share a fun fact about yourself
I’m perfectly capable and happy to karaoke for 5 hours straight. Totally sober.
What’s one thing that excites you?
I’m convinced that our world is undergoing some fundamental structural changes right now.
It’s terrifying, and I’m fairly certain there’s going to be a lot of misery for a lot of people.
BUT… it is also an amazing opportunity for us to look at how we could live better if old rules no longer applied. What would this world look like?
If you could go back 10 years ago, what advice would you have given yourself?
It’s not your job to try and save people who don’t want to be saved.
You never know what those two things may do and help inspire others.
What one challenge would you like to offer our community?
Take 1 full day, and think very carefully about what things in your life you can personally verify and know to be “true” (e.g. I love my wife and I love my family), and what things are “true” because you’ve heard them so often you might have just accepted it as truth (e.g. a Tesla is the best choice of self-driving car).
At the end of it all, what truths do you end up with, and what have you discarded? And why? Were you surprised?
Links
- Twitter: @sean_ahd
Huge thanks to Sean for sharing his story! Making a change starts with realization. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for Sean.
Don’t forget to reach out and say “Hi”! 👋
