Chapter Two. Defining the Fight
The creative fight is less about conquest and more about a discovery within. It’s more John Muir and less Atila the Hun. Rather than crush, kill, and destroy, this is a fight about finding why you are here.
Reflecting on his youth, John Muir wrote, “I was on the world. But was I in it?” He desperately wanted to belong and find the reason for which he was alive. Muir explained, “I was tormented with soul hunger.” He was driven to find out why. Then in 1868 he found himself standing on the edge of the Yosemite Valley for the first time. This changed everything. After a 10-day visit he needed to return. As he famously said, “The mountains are calling and I must go.”
When you discover your life’s calling, it ignites a creative drive. A year later, John Muir’s passion burned strong. He found a way to return to Yosemite by accepting a job as a sheep herder in the mountains nearby.
Don’t Quit Your Day Job
It was a “day job” John Muir came to despise, but it got him where he needed to be. This job gave him access to explore the grandeur of the mountains every day. As long as you keep climbing, day jobs can make perfect ladders regardless of how rudimentary they are.
Muir’s time in Yosemite brought him back to life. The mountains revved his soul and brought a sparkle to his eyes. His ensuing charisma and energy were contagious. One visitor, Theresa Yelverton, wrote, “His face shone with pure and holy enthusiasm... he was like a mountain goat jumping from boulder to boulder with a joyous, ringing laugh rhapsodizing about the wonders of God.” The world needs more people like that—people who have become quiet enough to hear the call, and then bold enough to respond.
Muir would later draw the boundaries for Yosemite National Park and convince Theodore Roosevelt to federally protect that place. Because of his efforts, Muir is considered the “father of the National Parks.” If you have ever been to a National Park, you have John Muir to thank. The creative fight is not self-absorbed. It’s always looking for ways to spread good. John Muir’s fight enlivened his soul and enabled him to change the world. Muir soaked up the glory of the mountains and invited others to do the same, “Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine into tree.”
THE POWER OF IMAGINATION MAKES US INFINITE.
— JOHN MUIR
STEP 1. John Muir recognized an inner stirring when he stood in Yosemite for the first time. List a few experiences when you have felt that curious tug that makes you wonder why you are here.
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STEP 2. Pay attention to the people and things that make you come alive, and they can be a magnetic force that guides your creative growth. What makes you come alive? What are your favorite things? Using the categories below, write out a few responses of your own. The more specific the better.
