Meaning is not something you stumble across, like the answer to a riddle or the prize in a treasure hunt. Meaning is something you build into your life. You build it out of your own past, out of your affections and loyalties, out of the experience of humankind as it is passed on to you, out of your own talent and understanding, out of the things you believe in, out of the things and people you love, out of the values for which you are willing to sacrifice something. The ingredients are there. You are the only one who can put them together into that unique pattern that will be your life. Let it be a life that has dignity and meaning for you. If it does, then the particular balance of success or failure is of less account.
-John W. Gardner
Meaning is not something you stumble across, like the answer to a riddle or the prize in a treasure hunt. Meaning is something you build into your life. You build it out of your own past, out of your affections and loyalties, out of the experience of humankind as it is passed on to you, out of your own talent and understanding, out of the things you believe in, out of the things and people you love, out of the values for which you are willing to sacrifice something. The ingredients are there. You are the only one who can put them together into that unique pattern that will be your life. Let it be a life that has dignity and meaning for you. If it does, then the particular balance of success or failure is of less account.
-John W. Gardner
Hi, I’m Tyler Storm, and I want you to live a good life.
For the last six years, I have been working in experiential education, leading trips for children of all ages – in the outdoors, on service projects, and international trips. I love working in the outdoors, and the travel doesn’t hurt either, but what I find the most fulfilling is connecting people with moments that matter, from facing fears to learning life skills.
I want to fill my life with more of these experiences, and help others do the same. Experiences where we can:
- Explore our curiosities and discover our passions.
- Learn new skills and knowledge.
- Find positive uses for our leisure time.
- Challenge ourselves physically, emotionally, and intellectually.
- Be playful.
- Connect with and do good for others.
- Express ourselves creatively.
- Reflect on the kind of people we want to be.
In short, the things that I believe contribute to a life well-lived.
How do we create a world that encourages and empowers individuals to live the lives they want to? How can we as individuals structure our lives around the aspects of our day to day experiences – the people, places, and activities – that add direct and lasting value to our lives.
For my part, I want to create opportunities for people to discover and further pursue what matters most to them. I want to help individuals connect with these aspects of life by creating and facilitating meaningful experiences, spaces, and conversations, and giving them the tools to do the same for themselves. In doing so, I hope to help create a world where we do more of the things that matter, and actively pursue The Good Life.
The Land
So, how do we create these opportunities to achieve personal fulfillment and well-being? The Land is the first of what I hope to be many experiments that explore this question.
I think a good place to start is with a conversation, or perhaps a question: What is essential to a life well-lived?
We are, presumably, all looking to live a good life, but we all have different ideas of what that means for us. What is good for me may not be good for you. What brings you joy may not do the same for me.
Unfortunately, there is often an attempt to convince us otherwise, and we don’t always give ourselves the time and space to answer this question for ourselves.
We say, “I’m too busy.” We pack our schedules with meetings and appointments, deeming any down time as frivolous. We make an effort to make our lives look glamorous online, and invent words (FOMO) to describe the feeling of dread that someone is experiencing something that we aren’t. We measure our lives by our bank accounts and the number of social media followers we have. “I’ll be happy once I have x.”
But how do we know when we have enough? And what happens then? If we are to create the lives we want to live, occasionally, we need to take a moment to think about what that life looks like.
My hope for The Land is to encourage people to have this discussion.
The Land is a traveling, all-ages event that I want to make available publicly in community spaces. It asks people to slow down, and think about what aspects of their lives are intrinsically rewarding. Participants will take on the identity of The Traveler, searching for The Important. Framed as an adventure story, each “chapter” introduces a new character, and a life theme that they consider part of The Important, or the building blocks of a good life. Visitors are invited to explore these themes – such as connecting with our fellow humans, a love of learning, and living by a personal philosophy – by participating in a series of activities, accompanied by theme music and background art At the end of the event, they will be asked what The Important means to them, and how they can make more time for it.
I have several goals for this event. First, I hope to get people thinking deeply about what they are really working towards, and what brings them true joy and fulfillment. Second, I want to use it to crowdsource ideas for future projects. I hope to learn what kinds of experiences people are looking for. This is a work in progress. If you have questions or want to learn more, contact me here.
Hi, I’m Tyler Storm, and I want you to live a good life.
For the last six years, I have been working in experiential education, leading trips for children of all ages – in the outdoors, on service projects, and international trips. I love working in the outdoors, and the travel doesn’t hurt either, but what I find the most fulfilling is connecting people with moments that matter, from facing fears to learning life skills.
I want to fill my life with more of these experiences, and help others do the same. Experiences where we can:
- Explore our curiosities and discover our passions.
- Learn new skills and knowledge.
- Find positive uses for our leisure time.
- Challenge ourselves physically, emotionally, and intellectually.
- Be playful.
- Connect with and do good for others.
- Express ourselves creatively.
- Reflect on the kind of people we want to be.
In short, the things that I believe contribute to a life well-lived.
How do we create a world that encourages and empowers individuals to live the lives they want to? How can we as individuals structure our lives around the aspects of our day to day experiences – the people, places, and activities – that add direct and lasting value to our lives.
For my part, I want to create opportunities for people to discover and further pursue what matters most to them. I want to help individuals connect with these aspects of life by creating and facilitating meaningful experiences, spaces, and conversations, and giving them the tools to do the same for themselves. In doing so, I hope to help create a world where we do more of the things that matter, and actively pursue The Good Life.
The Land
So, how do we create these opportunities to achieve personal fulfillment and well-being? The Land is the first of what I hope to be many experiments that explore this question.
I think a good place to start is with a conversation, or perhaps a question: What is essential to a life well-lived?
We are, presumably, all looking to live a good life, but we all have different ideas of what that means for us. What is good for me may not be good for you. What brings you joy may not do the same for me.
Unfortunately, there is often an attempt to convince us otherwise, and we don’t always give ourselves the time and space to answer this question for ourselves.
We say, “I’m too busy.” We pack our schedules with meetings and appointments, deeming any down time as frivolous. We make an effort to make our lives look glamorous online, and invent words (FOMO) to describe the feeling of dread that someone is experiencing something that we aren’t. We measure our lives by our bank accounts and the number of social media followers we have. “I’ll be happy once I have x.”
But how do we know when we have enough? And what happens then? If we are to create the lives we want to live, occasionally, we need to take a moment to think about what that life looks like.
My hope for The Land is to encourage people to have this discussion.
The Land is a traveling, all-ages event that I want to make available publicly in community spaces. It asks people to slow down, and think about what aspects of their lives are intrinsically rewarding. Participants will take on the identity of The Traveler, searching for The Important. Framed as an adventure story, each “chapter” introduces a new character, and a life theme that they consider part of The Important, or the building blocks of a good life. Visitors are invited to explore these themes – such as connecting with our fellow humans, a love of learning, and living by a personal philosophy – by participating in a series of activities, accompanied by theme music and background art At the end of the event, they will be asked what The Important means to them, and how they can make more time for it.
I have several goals for this event. First, I hope to get people thinking deeply about what they are really working towards, and what brings them true joy and fulfillment. Second, I want to use it to crowdsource ideas for future projects. I hope to learn what kinds of experiences people are looking for. This is a work in progress. If you have questions or want to learn more, contact me here.