Matt Farquharson: My Life on Purpose
3 minute read
Matt Farquharson is editor-in-chief at The Conduit, a members’ club and community of people committed to creating a just, prosperous and sustainable future. He is a Sunday-Times-bestselling author, journalist, and an award-winning editor, podcaster and scriptwriter.
What does purpose mean to you?
Taking the things I’m good at and putting them to positive use. Writing an article that makes someone think and take action, telling a story that makes my kids laugh and see the world differently.
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When do you feel most purposeful?
When I am in motion. That could be the rattle of fingers over keyboard, the plod of running shoes over pavement, or heading to work. I am a big believer that you feel most useful when your heart is beating a tiny bit faster.
Why are strong, trusting relationships so important for a thriving workplace – and life?
I have worked in giant corporates and scrappy start-ups. Mistrust and negativity can exist anywhere and they slow progress, because people become afraid to act. When you work somewhere positive and trusting, you have the scope to experiment and fail on the way to achieving much more.
“I am a big believer that you feel most useful when your heart is beating a tiny bit faster.”
Matt Farquharson
What is your idea of professional fulfilment?
Discovering interesting things and sharing them in ways anyone can understand. At school I had a nerdish compulsion to create the most succinct answers to comprehension tests. At Radical Realist, we try to distil big ideas – AI nanobots performing heart surgery, how to create new green jobs – in ways that might work as well for an expert as someone discovering the subject for the first time.
What do you think is the hardest thing about being purpose-driven?
The tendency to question yourself.
Which leaders have inspired you?
Nye Bevan for creating a health service no one supported but everyone needed. Kelly Holmes for winning two Olympic golds that seemed lost. And I am lucky to work with inspirational people at the Conduit everyday. On a more superficial level, I am moved every time I witness the work of irrepressible cartoon koala Buster Moon from Sing.
“What you have matters less than who you share it with.”
Matt Farquharson
What is the key to a meaningful life?
Shedding the superficial. What you have matters less than who you share it with.
When did you feel like giving up?
Most mornings between 06:00 and 06:15. Strong coffee sets such feelings aside.
What keeps you motivated on tough days?
The knowledge that they pass.
What would you like to be remembered for?
Creating things that made people think, smile, or act.
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