Living Authentically and Introspectively With Paul Hudson
From External Pressure to Inner Truth: Redefining Masculinity Through Introspection
I recently listened to an episode of the Diary of a CEO podcast featuring the psychiatrist Dr. Alok Kanojia, also known as Dr. K. He talked about how men often measure their self-worth based on what others say masculinity is, instead of figuring it out for themselves.
Dr. K makes an interesting point: we need to take a step back and think about what is important to us. With all the noise around us these days, it’s easy to lose touch with what we actually care about. If we don’t engage in introspection nor know ourselves well, how would we ever figure out how to be true to ourselves?
As a result, we end looking to external sources to tell us how to be a man. Unfortunately, there are so many conflicting messages out there. Society says we should be strong, but also sensitive. We’re supposed to be providers, but not show any weakness. It’s a confusing mess, and trying to live up to all these expectations can mess with our heads and even lead to mental health challenges.
But there’s hope. Men like Paul Hudson, who I had the pleasure of interviewing recently, show us how to engage in introspection. Paul works at Stony Brook University and coaches high school basketball. In his interview, he shares how he had to deal with conflicting messages about his faith and his passion for basketball. Instead of giving in to what others expected, he took a hard look at what mattered most to him:
I mentioned that I grew up in the Bible Belt. I was always told from church elders and people with more experience that the way you grow in your faith is to pray, to read the Bible, and to study the Bible. With basketball being a big part of my life, I always felt conflicted when I went to practice basketball because it didn’t align with how I was supposed to live out my faith. I got upset with this. I would like to believe that God gave me a passion for basketball. He gave me a passion for a lot of things that I closed myself off from because I thought that I just had to think and read about God all the time. But I think that God is present in everything that we do. If we just open our eyes to see that, it would allow us to live more free lives. I’m hoping if anyone else can relate to that, then they could live a more free life earlier on in their journey too.
Paul’s story inspires me to keep pushing for authenticity and self-discovery. It helped me realize how often I’ve been swayed by outside opinions that did not align with my values or worldview. Dr. K’s and Paul’s insights show us the importance of listening to our own voices in a world full of noise.
What outside messages have you received that didn’t match up with your beliefs?
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