kent Healy
Philomath, among other things
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/The Preamble/
I’ve done some pretty “Cool Stuff" in my 35+ years upon this blue marble — and wrote about some of it. But writing, well, 35+ variations of personal bios for publications and websites along the way shouldn’t make that list. Frankly, these brief and biased highlight reels seem a bit passé.
I thought about discontinuing this website because I can't really identify the actual purpose of it — and in addition, the luster of describing, uploading, and marketing one’s likeness has certainly wained. Stranger than writing about myself, however, seemed owning such a personal URL that bore a stark white page with the text:
Destination Unknown:
And yet, the irony weighs heavy because that sounds like the greatest, shortest bio I could write.
I guess I prefer the forward-facing outlook because, if by chance, the sages are correct and our narrative becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, then mulling over the past seems like a lost opportunity to manipulate the spacetime continuum. ;)
But I assume most people prefer a summation of collective experiences dispensed as a pretty narrative because life is simpler that way. So, setting the crystal ball aside, let’s take a look in the rearview mirror.
/The Past/
Born in Northern California, I attended a quaint 100 year-old school nestled in the hills of the Santa Cruz Mountains with 36 students from Kindergarten to 6th Grade. The outdoors were as much a part of my life as the classroom — in fact, much more so. Then at age 10, fatigued of the overly predictable, my parents sought new adventures “down-under.” As life bifurcated, all roads pointed to the unfamiliar land of New Zealand. “Oh, Australia is beautiful,” my music teacher told me. : /
There, I attended multiple schools pursuing the best sports programs (primarily basketball, swimming, and waterpolo) and dodging unpleasant brush-ups with teachers as a frustrated student doing “just fine for my abilities” (as they recited at parent-teacher night).
In the time remaining between sports, chores, building mountain bike trails, and beach lifeguarding, my brother and I created a skimboard company selling various products to fellow students and surf shops. This experience, at age 15, exposed the enormous shortfall of conventional schooling in offering the skills necessary to do much beyond the ordinary. Attempting to bridge the gap between academics and the real world, I began seeking information from sources outside of the classroom.
Cue the life of a budding autodidact.
Along the journey of cramming my head full of advice and data, I found my way back to the United States (Southern California this time) and somehow authored my first book titled "Cool Stuff" They Should Teach in School as a teen and a total of 6 books before age 25.
This led to the formation of relationships with renowned leaders in the field of personal development and the opportunity to co-author books now in numerous languages, travel, and speak around the globe.
/The recent/
When the economy took a nosedive in 2009, I sought new, timely opportunities and leapt into real estate investing, which has become my professional pursuit.
Today I operate my own real estate businesses, spend time with my family, travel whenever possible, chase the best waves available, create art (drawing, painting, sculpting, and digital design), and spend a obsessive amount of time seeking to satisfy my boundless cranial cravings with insights that help me sustain my own definition of an uncommon life.
Admittedly, I think (too much). I write (too little). I share (with other like-minded wanderlusts here … and in a few other places).
/The Foreshadow/
As for the future; there is a loose map and and a lot of unknown territory — some structure and some boundless adventure... my own little Drake Equation for a fulfilling life.
I believe the most interesting people and lives are anthologies rife with diversity of choice and experience. Consistency is something I prefer in results, but not in the journey.
Stay uncommon.
- Kent
/INSTAGRAM/Kenthealy
/BLogs/
The Uncommon Life
A mental amphitheater for myself and thousands of others who want think and act more independently in a world of conformity. In a delightful balance of the esoteric and the pragmatic, I write about topics and ideas to help break the trance of convention we often unknowingly accept, but intuitively reject.
Uncommon Musings
Brief newsletter including all things thought-provoking in a bullet point format. Think, "world wide web curated for wonderlusts." UM updates are shared between my main TUL articles.
You can expect intriguing quotes, interesting reads, recommended resources, cool products, and other fun surprises.