On our show today, we’ve got a different kind of conversation! It’s our chat with Ed Hajim. He's the former Chairman of the Board at the University of Rochester in New York. He’s also a retired Wall Street executive.
Ed had an extremely challenging childhood. At the age of 3, he was kidnapped by his father, driven cross-country, told his mother was dead, and then left for years in an orphanage.
With the cards he was dealt, he had to figure out what the heck he was going to do with his life? What did he care about? What did he want? How could he get there? And who could help?
Now, Ed wants to help other people, particularly students, figure out who they are and how to make plans in a world that feels like it’s changing faster than ever. That’s why he wrote his book “Island of the Four Ps”
“There are only two constants in the world, not death and taxes. That’s ridiculous. Taxes are not incurred until your 20s and death only happens once,” he said. “There are two constants: your inner voice and change. What I'm trying to do with this simple process is to create a very simple vocabulary for your inner voice, so you can talk to yourself.”
Island of the Four Ps is written as a fable. As a sort of hero's journey across an island, where the trials are designed to help you understand yourself, and where you’re led by a guide who’s trying to help you become your own guide. We’ve got that and so much more in this conversation!
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SHOW NOTES
Educator in this episode:
Ed Hajim
Stories in this episode:
Music: Our show's theme music is from the northern Illinois-based band "Kindoves" and their songs "Popn," "Origins" and "Quiche." You can find more of their music on their Soundcloud page. You can also listen to the episode of WNIJ's Sessions from Studio A where they were featured.
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