Finding Clarity in Your Own Story with Jonathan Pool -EP75

In this episode of the Dad Spotlight we interview Jonathan Pool about the process he went through to find clarity within his own story to then be able to help others to do the same. He currently works with people on a daily basis to assist them in tapping into  and realizing their potential, and making purposeful decisions for their future. 

Jonathan Pool first got married at 50 years of age into family, which he desired for a long time. Jonathan Pool stated that it took him that long to find the path for his life because he was misaligned in the life path that he was on. He stated that he is an engineer by training and grew up in a situation that really never taught him how to deal with conflict in life.

He developed limiting physical pain after a few years of work that did not allow him to work in his field again. As an engineer he figured out what he could do to work within him limitations. He spent time figuring out his next path and so he stayed in engineering developing a niche (but still felt a sense of unrest).

The wake up call for him was when someone would ask him what he did, he felt that he was apologizing for what he did. It was this that showed him that he needed to take a sabbatical from his work. When he took this sabbatical he went through a 2 day process to find clarity.

In going through this process he was able to step back and look at his life as a whole. He basically put his life up on a wall and as he looked at this he made connections to see places in his life that help him and made him feel stuck. He had a pattern of relationships and a disdain of authority. He learned to ask a question – what is the logical outcome if we run this situation out into the future. This process allowed him to look at the patterns of his own upbringing and leave those patterns behind to be able to find the success and the happiness he was looking for. Now, he helps others to find that healthy emotional balance to harness a healthy rebelliousness and bring clarity to work and life.

The statistics for western culture is that most talent is left untapped within people and most decisions that we make lack purposeful direction. This recognition allows Jonathan Poole to the point where he now can help others as well as being a father and a husband.

 

When you think about finding your true self, Jonathan Pool says that he works on “uncovery” through a process of stepping back and reflecting. When he started this process he called up and invited people to come out and tell him what they saw in him. By the end of the night he had a white board full of sticky notes that offered clarity. Now he tries and helps people discover what things in their life give them purpose and meaning. He is helping people see the forest through the trees. So being able to capture your story so you can be connected to it is key to your future success.

As a parent, the misalignment that he felt in his life impacted him. He started the rediscovery for himself at age 46 after over 20 years of working in the field. He recognized that he did not have the tools to be able to chart his own path well, nor did he invite others in to help him chart his pathway well. Now, he has a burning desire to help his kids to not feel the same as he felt.

If you find that you are not aligned in your own life Jonathan Poole says that you can turn this around and help your kids. He states that as parents if we are invested in our kids we are going to know them really well. There is a level of familiarity that we have that even the kids themselves do not have. We also can see the gifts and passions that they have as well as how they interact with others and how all of these come together to make them who they are.