Shankar Vedantam

He was initially in denial about them.

You contrast Gary's story with the story of a man named Arnie, an artist in Atlanta.

Paint me a picture of Arnie's life and tell me what you learned from him.

You're listening to Hidden Brain.

I'm Shankar Vedanta.

This is Hidden Brain.

I'm Shankar Vedantam.

Do you have questions or comments about how to live a more meaningful life?

Have you ever felt stuck and then found a way forward?

If you have a personal story you'd be willing to share with the Hidden Brain audience, please find a very quiet room and record a voice memo on your phone.

Two or three minutes is plenty.

Email the audio file to us using the email address feedback at hiddenbrain.org.

Use the subject line stuck.

Again, that email address is feedback at hiddenbrain.org.

Purpose, connection, meaning, resilience.

These qualities don't always come easily.

At Stanford University, Dave Evans studies design thinking.

He says that thinking like a designer can help us cultivate those qualities.

But before we can figure out how to implement principles of design thinking in our lives, we need to radically accept our lives as they actually are.

Along with Bill Burnett, Dave is co-author of How to Live a Meaningful Life, using design thinking to unlock purpose, joy, and flow every day.