Editor’s Letter – Sep/Oct 2020

Being a magazine with a broad content base means that we get to profile people from a wide range of industries and perspectives. In this issue for example, we profile a Kiwi rugby star, a Kiwi actor, a Kiwi tech entrepreneur and a US voice artist who plays Thor in the latest Marvel Avengers game. This voice over artist, Travis Willingham also has a Dungeons & Dragons show that gets millions of views per episode. His day to day life and his journey would be entirely different to that of Damon Kelly, Cameron Jones or Beauden Barrett, but regardless of this, there are always universal human themes that inevitably pop up regardless of who we talk to, particularly those that are trying to do something out of the norm.

If I can use these three latest interviews as a prompter to reflect on some of the key themes that bubble away under the surface of all of our interviews, I would say that some of the key lessons would come down to three main points:

1. A dream is worth making a leap for. Decisions are sliding doors moments. You might be able to fool yourself into taking the safe option for the short-term, but your subconscious is pretty damn good at storing away the seeds for regret later on in life.

2. If you do take the big leap for your dreams, expect that it won’t be a walk in the park. Failure and rejection are all part of the bargain.

3. If you do take a leap for your dreams and become super successful, it doesn’t mean you can be a dick. Life always finds a way to test your humility, especially when you least expect it. Oh and one more bonus lesson…

4. Regardless of how much of a mission you are on, you can always make time for your family.