Lee Eisenberg – How to Give Life Meaning

Episode: 038

Listen to Lee’s journey and discovery on why some memories are more important than others.

Introduction:
Lee Eisenberg was the editor-in-chief of Esquire magazine for two decades. In 1995, he joined Time Inc. as a consulting editor and helped launch a series of new initiatives such as Time.com, Time for Kids, and The Time 100. In 2006, he published The Number, which became a national bestseller. Today, Lee talks
to Connor and Roger about his latest book, The Point Is, and why having a personal narrative is so important for our life journey.

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Key Takeaways:
[0:30] As of today, we’re in Toronto, L.A, and Vancouver.
[0:35] If you’re in any of those cities, come out to our event.
[2:55] What was a defining moment for Lee as a man?
[4:25] How do we really build a life story for ourselves?
[5:00] Why did Lee write The Point Is?
[7:15] Why do we endure certain memories and re-write others?
[8:50] Personal narrative requires a lot of self-reflection.
[9:00] Were there any commonalities in how people saw themselves?
[10:35] Lee has only kept a diary once in his life.
[12:20] When you record events in real time, you really don’t know what they’ll stand for later.
[12:50] Virtually no one is keeping a diary.
[16:25] Lee is a bit cynical about talk therapy; however, it can help reexamine past traumas and bad memories and help you rewrite your life story.
[17:35] Most people feel like they’re not using their creative channel efficiency.
[18:45] It’s important to uncover your story as well as share your story.
[20:10] You don’t necessarily tell your story to others, but at the very least tell your story to yourself.
[20:20] Why do we remember certain things so strongly and why do we attach so much importance to certain things?
[20:55] How can people dive into their personal story a bit more?
[22:25] We create personal myths for ourselves. What is your personal myth?
[23:30] What novel genre would your life story be?
[27:50] The power of narrative is why we can go through life and make some sense of it.
[28:55] Do people get their personal narrative mixed up with other people’s view of them?
[30:25] What legacy would Lee like to leave behind?

Music Credit:
J Parlange & Latenite Automatic (jesusparlange.com – lateniteautomatic.com)

Quotes:

“We often do not stop and think about ‘was it right’ and then often, we don’t go back and revisit ‘why did I do that.”

“Why do we remember certain things so strongly and why do we attach so much importance to certain
things?”

“The power of narrative is why we can go through life and make some sense of it.”