Ep 73: Sparked with Jonathan Fields
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Ep 73: Sparked with Jonathan Fields
Episode 73: Show Notes
The guests on this show become the change they want to see in the world. Sometimes, they start movements, other times they create films, they write books, or, in the case of this week’s guest, they create Sparketypes. This term was coined by author, speaker, podcaster, and wellness entrepreneur, Jonathan Fields, to describe the unique imprint for the work that makes you come alive and fills you with meaning, joy, purpose, and possibility.
In today’s episode, Jonathan shares the life experiences that led him to develop the concept for Sparketypes, from his time as a DJ to his time as an attorney, and how it took hitting rock bottom physically, emotionally, and mentally for him to start pursuing his true passions.
You’ll learn about the genesis of the online assessment that Jonathan created and how it led to his recently released book, Sparked, which is a comprehensive guide filled with case studies, stories, and real-world applications to help you discover what you are meant to do and how to get started. We also touch on his experience of opening a yoga studio the day before 9/11, what Jonathan has realized about work and meaning, and the creative moments that he feels have ‘sparked’ feeling within himself, as well as why he describes himself as spiritually curious and optimistically skeptical.
Tune in today to hear all this and more from Sparketypes creator, Jonathan Fields!
Key Points From This Episode:
Jonathan’s upbringing and his favorite activity as a child: building and riding bicycles.
Where he inherited his creativity from and how play and art were encouraged in his home.
Learn why he referred to his father as a ‘mad professor’ who worked with rats and pigeons.
What Jonathan learned about errorless learning and devotion to work from his dad.
Philosophies echoed in his family and why his childhood would be described as ‘free-range’.
What Jonathan saw himself becoming when he grew up and why it wasn’t a lawyer.
Where his early entrepreneurial ventures stemmed from as a ‘lemonade stand kid’.
Find out what he learned about human and social dynamics from his experience as a DJ.
The way he viewed success as a college student and how it related to money.
How law school gave him the opportunity to gain transferrable skills (and make money)!
What he learned about himself from working at the Securities Exchange Commission.
His transition into a career as a high-paid lawyer and how it negatively impacted his health.
Jonathan credits his support system as he went from six figures to $12 an hour as a trainer.
Hear about his drive to learn more about the fundamental points of contact between humans.
The competitive advantage that his experience as a venture capitalist and a lawyer gave him.
Jonathan shares his journey into the world of yoga and the story of opening his own studio on September 10th, 2001, the day before 9/11.
The powerful experience of playing a part much bigger than what he could have conceived.
The dissonance between the fellowship he experienced following 9/11 versus the hostility it created for Muslim and Middle Eastern communities.
When Jonathan developed the concept for Sparketypes and his realizations about work.
Hear the story of the creative moments when he felt that ‘sparked’ feeling within himself.
What finding a state of flow in yoga and living in the moment taught him about himself.
Where the name ‘Sparketype’ originated and why Jonathan says he is spiritually curious and optimistically skeptical.
How he balances building businesses while maintaining his devotion as a dad and husband.
How the Sparketypes make people feel seen and provides them with a new language to understand themselves better.
Learn about the Sparketypes online assessment that Jonathan created and how it works.
How Jonathan thinks about success now: meeting in love and being present.
Tweetables:
“I was a lemonade stand kid. I was always [hustling] on the side. I was mowing lawns and doing landscaping business in the summer because I wasn’t given a lot. If I wanted something, I had to earn my own money.” — @jonathanfields [0:21:14]
“It started to dawn on me then, in college, that I liked making my own money, I liked running my own businesses, and I wanted more of that.” — @jonathanfields [0:26:20]
“I love being able to have an idea, rapidly test it, iterate on it, see if it’s good or not, [scale] around it if it is, and then walk away if it’s not. I love being able to actually say yes to things that matter and no to the things that don’t.” — @jonathanfields [0:31:18]
“As I started to realize I was going to go back into the world of entrepreneurship and movement and wellbeing and human potential, I also realized that I was going to start over.” — @jonathanfields [0:38:02]
“We just have one pass through. I wanted to make the best use of my time and, to me, opening a business that was not just a business but was a place of community and healing and breath and movement was the thing to do, as scary as it was.” — @jonathanfields [0:47:05]
“What is this thing called work? How do we both show up and contribute to the world in a meaningful way but also do it in a way that gives us back a sense of meaning and purpose?” — @jonathanfields [0:53:06]
“Those fleeting moments when I have done things in the past and it gives me that feeling of being utterly alive and in the moment and on purpose. Now I have a much better understanding of why I felt that way and a much better understanding of what to look for in the future.” — @jonathanfields [1:08:40]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: