The Journey
Life is a journey, and this journey has something to tell us about who we are. What shall we learn from the great adventure that is our lives? The Journey is my conversations with people from all walks of life, exploring their life’s stories, and their precious insights about life’s meaning and purpose.
In this conversation, I speak with Adam Liu, a Taiwanese American who has been living and working in Los Angeles California for most of his life as a financial advisor for big financial services firms. This episode is about what brought him a sense of meaning and purpose in life from his teenage and adult years, as well as his challenge of being lost at mid-life. This episode was recorded in person at Lake Arrowhead in California in 2022.
In this conversation, I speak with John Shen, a middle class Taiwanese American who is happy in his marriage, comfortable financially as a dentist, and content with his life at 46 years old. John is a childhood friend of mine and a role model of “action speaks louder than words”. Because John is someone who checks all the boxes for being “successful” as defined by our society, I wanted to find out what does he have to share about his approach to a life of meaning and purpose.
Have a listen to this episode where John talks about embracing the tasks that have met him at every stage in his life, and how knowing oneself and one’s ultimate goal helps to drive a life of simplicity and clarity.
This podcast was conducted in Mandarin Chinese。 這次關於人生意義及生命方向的對話是與我父親作的。我父親李德宣於一九四六年在上海出生，與他父母及五個姊妹在國共戰後遷移到了台灣，是台灣的最後一代的外省人。我父親在他的一生中碰到了許多不可思議的事情，也曾經遊走死亡邊緣多次。因為他有志做出一些可以看得到的結果的事，決定走上做生意這條路，曾涉及建造遊艇，檀香木貿易，及開發房地產等等不同的生意，並在全世界各地都有留下他的足跡。在多次面對老天所給他帶來的種種挑戰和面對道義抉擇的十字路口上，我父親分享了他對人生意義的看法和他一生之經歷所給他帶來的感想。我熱情邀請大家來聽這次的播客 (podcast)！
“I just can’t find an existing narrative; I have to live into my own narrative” thought Chuck Peters. Having always sought and excelled at external validation and measures for the meaning of his life, Chuck eventually realized a basic truth that has always guided his life, even if he was not conscious of it.
Currently engaged in the pioneering work of generative education at Springhouse Community School in Virginia USA, and supporting learners to live into their own wholeness and agency through literacy across the US, Chuck has lived a life full of twists and turns, not the least of which was a handstand that literally turned his life upside down.
Listen to this episode of The Journey and find out what happened to a successful media and manufacturing business veteran who had sustained a head injury so serious in his 20s that he had to drop out of Harvard Law School because he could no longer read and understand a paragraph, and how a mystical experience turned his life around.
“No, work like you do. NEVER. Dad !” was the response Vincent received from his children at the dinner table. Thus at the age of 39, Vincent turned down a career opportunity to become CEO in a thriving company in Belgium. He turned away from his 50~70 hour work weeks in order to spend more time with his family, and live life in a way that is different from the automatic pilot mode he has been on for the previous twenty plus years.
Eleven years later, Vincent de Waele left the corporate world completely to support companies and its employees to have the governance and the inner space to be able to explore a more meaningful existence. Vincent has (co)founded projects such as EcoTeal (https://nautealus.be/ecoteal/ ) and SensPlus. (https://www.senseplus.eu/) to help society make the shift towards the next order of values in our collective evolution.
What does Vincent de Waele, a humble former corporate executive and changemaker in Belgium, have to share with us regarding how to approach the question of life meaning and purpose? Listen to this episode of The Journey and find out how Vincent has explored this question in a down-to-earth and simple manner. Among others, we also talk about the state of mind that is required in order to allow purpose to emerge; and, how do you know when you are aligned with your purpose?
I hope this conversation will light up the insights that may have been hibernating in the recesses of your consciousness.
This podcast was produced in January 2025 in Belgium & California
Episode Notes & Quotes
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“Life is beautiful. Really. You see differently. You feel it on the inside.” (around minute 23)
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“In order to go deep inside, [one] shouldn’t have objectives, plans…” (around minute 25)
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“Purpose Is not professional or private. Its always combined.” (around minute 37)
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“[Purpose] is a feeling of ‘yes!’, ‘yes!’, ‘that’s it!’…you feel it deep inside you.” (around minute 37)
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“Its the journey that’s interesting. Its not the outcome.” (around minute 47)
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“[If] its right for you, and you get so much energy out of it. You don’t have to force yourself. Its not about making a plan. No. Its about going forward, because you have this energy.” (around minute 47)
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“The energy comes from alignment with your purpose…and when you don’t feel it anymore, you know its time to move on” (around minute 48)
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“Society is pushing all the…hedonistic aspects of life, what you need to be happy, but that’s not necessarily what’ll give you purpose.” (around minute 59)
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“Contentment requires work, to get away from all the influences.” (around minute 63)
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“If you create contentment for what you have, you create space for something different. You create space for ‘What can I give?’ (around minute 63)
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“If you don’t have contentment, [then] you continue to strive to buy things, to try to be things…whatever society makes you think happiness is.” (around minute 63)
Questions for awakening your connection to your purpose according to Vincent:
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What do you like in life and work?
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What kind of personality do you have, how does it fit with what you like?”
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What are your beliefs?
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What are your competencies and values?
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What creates tension in you?
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What don’t you like?
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What are your limiting beliefs?
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What is constraining you [from] going forward?
This podcast was conducted in Mandarin Chinese. 在這一集關於人生意義與目的的訪談，我和中醫徐裕博聊他對人生裡未知和社會是如何運作的探索。從作「乖孩子」有規劃的人生，到以興趣為導和過一天算一天的生活，徐的人生之旅其實是他面對內心心魔的過程。從台灣到美國到中國大陸的工作，流浪，和學習讓徐越來越樂觀，越自信。我和徐的對話或許平淡無奇，但是隱隱約約可以感受到他對活出可以與道合而為一的嚮往之心。生命的大道如果不是為了擁有，也不是為了完成大業，那是為了什麼呢？讓我們從徐裕博的人生旅程來汲取他的智慧與經驗吧！
此博客為三月二零二五在台灣製作
This podcast was conducted in Mandarin Chinese. 台灣人林孟勳在讀大學時為了混學分而去拿了一堂法文課，但是卻引發了她對法國文化和飲食的興趣並驅使了林去法國Tour讀語言學校。十幾年後，林孟勳的人生發展完全在她的意料之外：從一個只在愛家裡玩電玩的人變成什麼都願意去嘗試並且時常旅行的人。目前居住在比利時，就職於網路科技業的林孟勳是如何從想逃避人生的不確定性變成可以去面對和接受並且擁抱人生的未知數和無常性呢？讓我們來聽聽林分享她的人生經驗和生命之旅吧！
此博客為四月二零二五在比利時製作
Hans Sen (aka Hassen) is a story-teller. His name holds two stories: One of a young man that died a long time ago. An old soul that cherishes freedom and justice more than life itself.
The second story is that of another young man, who survived the call of his old friend, and grew up to become a poet; a seeker of love and beauty. Born in Tunisia, and raised in an extended family of teachers, he cultivates a natural talent for complex topics, and loves to share his guidance and inspirations.
He aims to build a supportive community sharing the same language of love and understanding, and cultivating the right environment for inner exploration, shadow work and self growth. Gene Keys & Human Design are among his favorite toys. He would happily offer you a reading of your chart, or perhaps, of one of his poems. Feel welcome to ask.
Hans Sen's website
About Gene Keys
This podcast was produced in April 2025 in Belgium
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Podcast audio notes
2:15 Decision point in Hans’ life
6:00 About Gene Keys; the full spectrum of human consciousness
10:40 How does Gene Keys help at a practical level for your inner journey and life decisions
15:00~19:00 Hans Sen’s current purpose in life
19:00~20:00 Working with those with whom you have a soul contract
20:20 How Gene Keys help a person connect to their highest purpose
27:45 A helpful mindset in giving and receiving
36:40 Relationship between detachment and purpose
43:00 Distinguishing between inner resistance and wrong direction in life
46:30 How the universe uses us to open new frontiers in the world
50:30 The mystery of why “bad” things or disappointments happen to us in life
67:30 Hans’ story of following signs from a higher power which saved his life
84:00 What is the “bigger” story and ways to look at it
Quotable Quotes from Hans
“If you can see your next step, then you are never lost”
“Goal is the driver, the purpose is what gives you the [end] direction…your ambition will show you what’s the next step to take. If it is a healthy ambition, it will be [about] taking care of your tribe or family or a group of people or those you care about; or those you don’t know anything about, but just the fact that you are here to serve. So that gives a direction that will eventually lead to your purpose. I don’t see purpose as a destination that you will arrive to at some point, but the right direction you need to keep driving towards.”
“You don’t have full control of your reality. Its not a single player game, its a multi-player game. This reality is being created in a [participatory] manner between all these individual differentiated consciousnesses feeding into the field of human consciousness.”
“The Spirit speaks in signs. The human speaks in actions.”
“Your spirit will clearly say “this is the right direction, keep moving that way, and I will keep feeding you energy.”
“You have to distinguish [between] two aspects..there is you saying “no” to yourself inside of your head before acting; that is the one you need to dismiss. That is inner work. The other aspect is when Life says “no” to you.”
““Be thankful for what we receive, and give also from a point of gratitude. Be happy when you are lucky to be the one giving, and also be happy when you are the one receiving. Otherwise, there is no exchange, there is no dynamic. The energy is dying.”