Into The Wild

As coaches, we often work people who want to reorganize their life around a dream. First we get clear about the vision, then we get it to sink in deep, until finally it takes hold and irresistibly draws people forward. Along the way we brainstorm a variety of creative strategies and give people empathy as they struggle through the tough spots. At its best, coaching empowers people to transform their lives into new creations. Every time it happens, it's a true wonder to behold.

You can imagine, then, my fascination with the story of Christopher Johnson McCandless, who graduated from Emory University with honors in June of 1990 only to give away all his possessions and to pursue his own path of self-discovery and self-sacrifice. Few people will share his vision of finding himself through losing himself, but all people will appreciate his sense of being pulled forward by something larger than himself. The story is compelling, tragic, haunting, engrossing, riveting, and sensational. And it contains plenty of universal life lessons, such as his conclusion, after four-months alone in the Alaskan wilderness, that happiness is not complete until it's shared.

McCandless' story was first told as an article in the January, 1993 issue of Outside Magazine by Jon Krakauer, author of the best-selling book Into Thin Air. You can read the article online in the archives of Outside Magazine. Last year, in 2007, Krakauer developed the article into a book called Into The Wild which was then made into a movie with the same name by Krakauer and Sean Penn. Although the movie takes some liberties with the story, it nevertheless captures the essence of the story in moving and dramatic ways. I encourage you to rent or buy the DVD and watch the movie. It will make you think about your own life, what's important, and what's pulling you forward into the wild of your own future. One can't ask for more than that from a film.

Coaching Inquiries: What vision of life are you holding right now? How could you make it more wonderful? What transformations have to happen in order for your vision to be realized? With whom could you share the journey? What's stopping you from starting right now?

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