Creating the Ubunto in Yourself

You are the first villager in your village, so you have to start to treat yourself. A lot of it is cutting away the pretence of what we're told to want. And once you work out what you need, you can start to open the door to creating it.

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[After talking to the brilliant string of guests the past several weeks, Patrick’s brain needed a rest—oh and a concussion didn’t help matters. To hold you over until next week, here is one of the most interesting but less well known conversations from the invest like the best archives.]

This week’s episode is the most unique to date. My guest is Boyd Varty, who grew up in the South African Bush, living among and tracking wild leopards. The main theme of our conversation is tracking, and how the same strategy for pursuing animals in the wild can be applied to all aspects of our lives. Boyd’s family has been tracking animals for four generations, and he is bringing what they have learned to a larger audience around the world.

The episode includes the best answer I’ve ever heard (which comes when I ask Boyd to describe his most memorable experience). We also discuss the dangers of an achievement or goal oriented mindset, and what he learned from spending time with Nelson Mandela as a boy.

This episode is one I hope you share with those you love, because I think Boyd’s ideas will have a profound impact on many who are thinking about what to do with their lives—whether they are young or old.

Please enjoy.

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0:00 – Exploring Boyd’s childhood through a story about a black mamba

3:13 – Looking at the early history of Boyd’s family and their foundation in the bush of South Africa

7:00 – The launch of their safari business

8:06 – How they connected with an ecologist that encouraged them to “partner” with the land and how that led to the leopards of Londolozi

14:25 – Expanding their model to other areas and creating an economy of wildlife.

15:12 – How Boyd discovered what he wanted to do with his life in healing

15:20 – Cathedral of the Wild: An African Journey Home by Boyd Varty

20:49 – The concept of Ubuntu, the African value “I am, because of you.”

25:18 – How Patrick got to meet Boyd

26:15 – Exploring the idea of building your villages and some of the forces that combat that in our daily lives.

31:23 – The difficulty in following your inner compass

32:06 – Mr. Money Mustache

36:55 – Looking at Boyd’s early experiences in tracking and how he applies those principles in his current life.

42:23 – Exploring the two different types of confidence and why there’s a benefit to throwing yourself into difficult situations, especially as a tracker.

47:13 – Identifying the places where you can be relentless in life

49:56 – The single most memorable tracking experience for Boyd, which is an incredible tale of tracking lions. (Also one of the best answers to a question yet)

1:01:49 – What can people do to get the holistic experience of the African bush

1:02:20 – The PResencing Institute

1:04:15 – Ways that people can learn more about Boyd.

1:04:31 – Ted Talk

1:04:43 – The book

1:04:48 – Workshops/Tracking Retreats

1:05:05 – Seminar in Deer Valley

1:05:13 – Martha Beck’s work

1:05:15 – Finding Your Way in a Wild New World: Reclaim Your True Nature to Create the Life You Want

1:05:36 – Website

1:06:56 – When Nelson Mandela stayed with his family after getting out of prison

1:13:34 – Kindest thing anyone has ever done for Boyd