Patrick Mork is many things; savvy tech entrepreneur, writer, coach, public speaker, as well as a self proclaimed work-in-progress. “I absolutely believe in empowered change and the positive impact which comes when you choose to live a life in line with your core values.” Mork continues, chuckling, “On the other hand, I have a long history of doing everything I can to avoid change.”
Mork recently released a book called, “Step Back and LEAP, 9 keys to unlock your life and make sh*t happen.” Co authored with Richard Beynon, Step Back and LEAP is a passion-project combining personal memoirs with practical self-development coaching strategies.
Right from the first page you know this book is about growth. The introduction is called Embrace Change and following chapters have inviting titles such as, Find your Purpose, Uncover your Values, Celebrate Failure, and Ask Powerful Questions. The exercises in the book are practical, assessable and more importantly, they work. Many of them ask you to be self aware, self reflective, and vigorously honest.
Throughout the 200 pages, Mork shares and highlights several personal life experiences in regards to their successes, failures, and ultimately, growth. With a background in Tech Sector marketing, Patrick talks about his experiences with several high profile start-ups, as well as at Google. He also shares about his childhood and how growing up all over the world shaped his sense of self and introduced unique challenges. I recently sat down with Patrick Mork to discuss his debut book.
Q: As someone who moved around a lot as a child, was it hard to develop a feeling of being “home”?
Patrick: “Yes. It was really hard to find that feeling of belonging, especially when I was living in countries where I didn’t speak the language. However, looking back now, being displaced as a kid taught me that my sense of ‘home’ is more of an inner-state than a physical place. Home is people and purpose.”
Q: You share in your book about your big personal shifts coming after unexpected events, such as sudden job loss and divorce. How do you see these moments- Coincidences or Synchronicities with purpose?
Patrick: “At the time, it seemed more like bad coincidences and things were just happening to me. Over time you look back with hindsight that’s 20/20 and you retrofit it and start to see patterns emerge. What changed for me was when I started doing personal coaching with Jim, which I talk about in the book. I got aligned with certain core concepts- which I believe everyone should live their lives by. When you take the time to get to know yourself, ask the hard questions, and write the answers down, it actually simplifies your life.”
Q: Do you believe the Motivation to Change always comes through negative experiences? Is it possible to make changes out of empowerment and choosing to move towards something positive?
Patrick: “When I do public speaking, I often ask, ‘What’s stopping you from change?’. The number one thing people say is, ‘Fear’. We are wired to avoid pain. Even if we know our relationship is bad for us, or our boss is a jerk, or that we need to stop eating so much sugar, we still don’t make that change. There is discomfort in change. Even if clinging to the ‘known’ is bad for us, we tend to cling to it. The ‘unknown’ can be really scary.”
Q: What’s the consequence of not moving forward when challenges happen in life?
Patrick: “The consequence is you have to go through a rock-bottom situation to force you to change. It’s disheartening and heartbreaking. Challenges provide us with opportunities for growth and very likely a better outcome than what ‘is’. But, we are so wired for comfort that we can become apathetic to the point of becomming immobilized. The reality is most people have to be pushed- I did.”
Q: What does The World need right now?
Patrick: “More and more organizations are starting to look at the concept of Radical Candor. Speaking their minds, being more open and transparent. In my opinion, I think people are desperate for authenticity. When you look at the politics, for example, we don’t have a lot of politicians who are true leaders. People are sick and tired of bullshit, being lied to, patronized, they want to have real conversations. I tried to do that with the book. I didn’t sugar coat it- I’m not some freaken amazing celebrity person- I’m a real person and I’m telling you what I experienced and what helped me.”
Q: When talking about suddenly losing your job you wrote, “Being fired from a job that gives you purpose leaves physic scars.” Can you elaborate on this?
Patrick: “It seems like a lot of people aren’t happy- they feel like they are just punching a clock to earn a paycheck. In my case, when I started working at Course Hero I felt I was part of something important and had purpose, they were trying to do something that made a difference and when I was asked to leave the company… well no one likes to be fired. When I lost my job, I lost a sense of identity. Not only was I now out of a pay cheque, but I also lost the ability to be part of a company that was really making a difference in the world. I was worried that I would never find that again. However, as it turns out, I was wrong.
The Japanese have great concept called IKIGAI, which looks at your reason for being and how to live a life of meaning and purpose. I explore this in the book by asking four simple questions.”
- Am I doing work that the world needs?
- Am I doing work that I’m really good at?
- Am I doing something that I’m passionate about?
- Am I doing work that I can get paid for and survive on?
Q: You speak about the importance of Authenticity, and yet many of your clients work in Silicon Valley. Ironically, ‘Silicon’ literally means ‘Synthetic’. Is it even possible to find authenticity in mega corporations?
Patrick: (chuckling) “Yes. Change in corporations is possible, but it needs to come from the top down. The CEO needs to be open to ideas, have awareness of their own limits, hire a great team with skills to compliment, and most importantly- let them work. Allow your team the freedom to be creative and take some risks.
However, our whole economic model has some big problems. For example, when a business relentlessly focuses on growth, you end up destroying the planet and burning out employees in the process. When we are able to move from a place when we aren’t focused on just selling a product or service but are seeking to solve a problem and be of service for our clients, and we get financially compensated for that it’s a win-win. We need to stop thinking about sales and we need to start thinking about service.”
Q: What’s next for you?
Patrick: “I’m going to focus more on doing purpose driven coaching. I really enjoy coaching people and that’s a great way to give back and try to make the world a better place. As well, I’m hoping to promote my book more seriously, as we are getting great feedback from readers that the book is really helping them.”
Patrick Mork Author Bio @patrickmorkofficial) | Instagram
An avid book reader and proud library card holder, Angela is new to the world of e-Readers. She has a background in education, emergency response, fitness, loves to be in nature, traveling and exploring. With an honours science degree in anthropology, Angela also studied writing after graduation. She has contributed work to The London Free Press, The Gazette, The Londoner, Best Version Media, Lifeliner, and Citymedia.ca.
