Modern WisdomFinding Your Why - Diren Kartal | Modern Wisdom Podcast 260
At a glance
WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
Finding Your Why: Travel, Risk, and Ruthless Self-Honesty In Life
- Chris Williamson and Diran Kartal explore how to build a meaningful life by clarifying your ‘why’ and aligning daily actions with it. They argue that most people live on autopilot, adopting goals and values from culture, family, and friends instead of consciously choosing their own. Diran explains how travel, risk-taking, and surrounding yourself with the right people expand perspective and unlock potential, including his own painful decision to call off an engagement that conflicted with his future vision. Throughout, they tie fitness, motivation, and mental health back to self-awareness, environment design, and the courage to be selfish enough to pursue what genuinely matters.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasTravel aggressively to widen your worldview and build social confidence.
Diran insists that staying in one place limits understanding of people and opportunities; exposure to other cultures not only makes you wiser, it makes you easier to connect with and more adaptable in life and business.
Define your own ‘why’ instead of inheriting goals from others.
Most people chase careers, body goals, or lifestyles they’ve absorbed from parents, peers, or media; sitting down to explicitly define your core values and what you actually enjoy makes decisions clearer and motivation more durable.
Take calculated risks and develop faith in your future self.
Both men describe spending money or committing to projects before they ‘felt ready’, trusting that the future version of themselves would rise to the challenge—arguing that you often only perform at your best when you remove easy escape routes.
Curate your environment and friend group ruthlessly.
Diran stresses that staying around risk-averse or resentful people keeps you small; he intentionally surrounds himself with friends who challenge his work, push him forward, and aren’t afraid to give tough feedback.
Stop overvaluing other people’s opinions and learn to be healthily selfish.
He explains that caring too much about what others think ruined his football career and almost locked him into an unfulfilling life; now he bases decisions on what’s best for him, arguing that happier, more aligned people are better for everyone around them.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesIf you don't travel, if you don't meet different people, if you don't see different cultures, your knowledge isn't gonna be great about what the fuck's happening in the world.
— Diran Kartal
People worry so much about feeling not a part of something or that not doing anything is a waste of time, because they're judged.
— Diran Kartal
It took me until I was 31 years old to define my core values in life… and as soon as I realized what they are, it made everything else easier.
— Chris Williamson
Being selfish is good because in the long run you make other people around you way happier, because you're happier, because you're doing what you like, what you want to do.
— Diran Kartal
You need to explore. If you're the smartest in the room, you're in the wrong room.
— Diran Kartal
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