Seven Questions With... Yossi Ghinsberg
This was written for, and is owned by, Lush Digital
His energy is peaceful, yet stirring, and his positivity contagious. Whether Yossi’s magnetic demeanour is the result of a kaleidoscopic life, that’s seen him through perilous jungles and more, or inherited is unclear. What’s crystalline is that he endeavours to use every moment given to him in a gainful way...
Do you have a morning routine?
I like to sit in reflection for ten minutes or so, first thing in the morning. I take time to look at myself without any pressing agenda. I simply sit and watch my breath. It’s fascinating to remind myself that breath ‘breathes’ me, and not vice versa. Without this short meditation, I tend to fall victim to current events. With it, I am an eternal travelling soul. I connect to the spirit, right there in my breath. I also practice yoga and belly dance as well as fighting ACT, a new form of martial art. I like to dedicate 40 minutes to these practices before going about my day.
Describe your ideal ‘day off.'
Day off? Off what? I never work, because I'm always doing the things that I am passionate about - expressing myself in life. Naturally, however, when possible I spend more time with my kids, or escape away with my wife for the weekend. I also love sitting around a campfire with my friends, where we play guitars and drums, and laugh a lot. These are the simplest and sweetest things in my life.
What inspires you?
Generosity inspires me.
What three things do you feel make a great leader?
#1: Mad commitment - dedication to a vision, and an unwavering passion for getting there (no matter what it takes).
#2: Humility - a strong desire to serve others, and a greater cause.
#3: Integrity - being real and transparent, walking the talk, leading by being a shining example.
What’s the hardest lesson you’ve ever had to learn?
To accept what I didn't want, nor invite into my life. Not to have an aversion to the vicissitudes in life, to deal with adversity without allowing myself to feel like a victim.
Tell us about your relationship with fear.
When you feel fear you must walk towards it. If you run away from fear it will chase you, and like a shadow it will grow; you will never get rid of it. If you face the fear and walk towards it, that is the only way to a real future. Walk towards fear to see it shrink and disappear.
It was all going so swimmingly that we couldn’t help but ask Yossi a few more questions…
What does ‘home’ mean to you?
Home means I have a place to sleep tonight: a bed, a shelter. These things are never taken for granted. The place where I sleep (regardless of where it is), I call home. An excellent byproduct of this realisation is that I'm always ‘home’.
Who are the people you admire - your heroes?
I admire regular people: couples that are still expressively in love when they are in their 70’s, a family man singing a gentle lullaby to put his baby back to sleep, in the small hours of the night. The grace and beauty in the mundane are more heroic for me, because they feel almost unnatural. In extreme circumstances, it is often easier to be a ‘hero’.
If someone were to make a movie about your life, what would it be called?
Someone is. The film is titled 'Jungle', and is scheduled for release in September 2017.
If you could give our readers only one piece of advice, what would it be?
Big it up, big it up. You count. You are a winner. This is your life, and so dare to shine.
What are your reasons for being cheerful in 2017?
I'm an optimist. Optimists always have reason to be cheerful, because they know that even bad and terrible things are servants of the greater good. Love always prevails.
“You are a winner. This is your life, and so dare to shine.”