Mark Nepo is a poet, teacher, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have, which sold over one million copies. Mark, who has written twenty-two books translated into over twenty languages, was deemed one of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People by Watkins: Mind Body Spirit and writes regularly for Spirituality & Health Magazine. His work focuses on topics surrounding inner transformation, and his accomplishments include being interviewed by Robin Roberts on Good Morning America and being featured on OWN TV’s Super Soul Sunday.
Mark joins me today to discuss how nearly dying of cancer opened him up to the miraculous aspects of life. He shares the role of inner discovery in book writing, and why you should be open to receive, rather than merely “making use” of writing material. Mark also highlights the power of expression, creativity, artistry, staying close to the pulse of life, and why what you perceive as artistic failure may be something to lean into.
“Always ask the heart to absorb and integrate, not sort and choose.” – Mark Nepo
This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:
- How Mark’s cancer survivorship has impacted his perspectives on life and destiny
- The necessity of expression and different ways that it can present itself
- The “two noble intentions” of all expression and the role of metaphor in human expression
- Mark’s philosophy on how the heart inhales and exhales
- How to approach both seeable and unseeable truths and the importance of bearing witness
- Mark’s inspiration for Drinking from the River of Light
- The moment Mark realized he is a poet and how he defines poetry
- The concepts of getting attention versus giving attention and celebrity versus celebration
- Changing your focus when met with insecurities and lack of self-worth
- The mass shooting epidemic and how we can help heal the “social body”
- The importance of distinguishing between tools and codes to live by
- Mark’s perspective on the gift of teaching
Resources Mentioned:
- The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have by Mark Nepo
- Drinking from the River of Light: The Life of Expression by Mark Nepo
- I’m Explaining a Few Things by Pablo Neruda
Connect with Mark Nepo:
Subscribe, Rate & Share!
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the School for Good Living Podcast, with your host, Bryan Miller. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave us a rating and review.
Don’t forget to visit our website, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And be sure to share your favorite episodes with your friends and colleagues on social media to inspire others to improve their lives and reach their full potential.
Watch the interview on YouTube.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Spotify!
Visit the Mark Nepo guest page right here on goodliving.com!
