Shine
25. Being Wholehearted: Listening to the Wisdom of Love and Suffering with Mark Nepo
Mark Nepo is a poet and spiritual adviser who has taught in the fields of poetry and spirituality for over 30 years. Nepo is best known for his New York Times #1 bestseller, The Book of Awakening. He has published 12 books and recorded six audio projects. A cancer survivor, Nepo writes and teaches about the journey of inner transformation and the life of relationship. In this powerful interview, Mark Nepo and I speak to how we can cultivate deeper levels of love and resilience in this time of disruption, transformation, and division. We are at a precipice of creating a whole new world that moves away from “othering” by a simple mindset shift of seeing that we are more together than alone. Being wholehearted is living with more truth, kindness and meaning amidst the suffering in the world.
Key Takeaways:
[:01] Carley Hauck introduces Mark Nepo and the topic of inner resilience to lead with more meaning, truth and kindness.
[8:35] How can we live and lead in these difficult times with love and kindness? It starts with inner resilience.
[11:25] Mark shares his cancer journey and the grief and loss that he had to process in order to move forward.
[14:53] Surrender means cooperating with the truth as we meet it, and suffering makes clear what we need to see most in the moment we need to see it.
[21:00] Our inner hierarchy of needs requires that we take time to develop and shine our inner light. Deepening our roots and widening our trunks will allow us to weather the challenges of our time.
[26:46] Mark shares how he learned to discern fear and pain in his cancer journey so that he could surrender and cooperate with the truth as needed.
[31:07] Fear has its place in our lives, but we cannot allow it to overinflate in our lives during difficult times. Mark teaches how to face your fears in a manageable way.
[37:50] What tools are in your toolbox to help you right-size your sense of things to help you overcome pain and fear as it comes?
[44:42] How do we embrace the dark so that the light can shine through, allowing us to build a better world? Consciousness is darkness made light and quiet bravery in the face of fear.
[49:49] Carley shares her practice of embracing a heightened awareness in the triggering interactions that she shares with others.
[55:11] Mark shares the details of his upcoming webinar that will speak to the power of togetherness, what gives him hope in the future of our world today, and a stanza from his powerful poem.
[59:03] Carley shares an ingestible resource for developing resilience in today’s constantly changing landscape.
Resources:
Four Sigmatic — discount code SHINE
Mark Nepo Webinar — More Together Than Alone
The Book of Soul: 52 Paths to Living What Matters by Mark Nepo
More Together Than Alone: Discovering the Power and Spirit of Community in Our Lives and in the World by Mark Nepo