In this episode of the Curious Cult, I chat with Shannon Esra about the reason and purpose of life, what success can be, choosing new roles in acting and becoming new people in the process and the danger ego has in the world of curiosity.

Shannon is an actor, a storyteller, vehemently curious and a firm believer in the power of words and action in the experience of life. She’s the star in the recently released thriller crime drama Lionness where she taps into inherent strength.

Key take aways from the episode

Having only one reason for being can be limiting 

“The meaning of life is discovering your gift and the purpose of life is sharing it.”

Shannon believes that there is more to life than just one reason for being. When you find the thing that makes your soul sing, it’s important to work on it and see it grow, but that one thing doesn’t encompass every single facet of life. 

You can’t have the flourish without the follow-through

Words without action are meaningless. In business, relationships, habits and life, it’s crucial to follow up on something you say you’re going to do. 

To become something else, you need to know who you are

Beyond acting, the ability to step into a role (like a business owner, founder, creative), requires self-knowledge. It means you can let yourself explore new avenues without attaching your entire worth to it. It might influence you, but you can healthily adapt the elements of the new “you” to your life.

Ego cripples curiosity

The more you think you know, the less you’re interested in seeking knowledge. If you discard ego, you realise how much you don’t know and you’re more likely to invest time and curiosity into exploring and discovering new things.

You can choose what pain to bear (and cut misery out of your life)

Hardship in life is a given, there will always be struggles. But you can choose to cut out things - both external and internal - which make you unhappy. If it’s a relationship that leads to misery or an unreasonable pressure to do something, you can choose to let go of it and learn from it. 

Goals can be shifted and led to authentic success

It can be detrimental to your health (in all aspects) if you’re clinging on to something on which you’re pinning your success. Shannon found that she spent far too much time believing that she had to be a Hollywood actor to be successful. But letting go of that strongly held belief and finding success across her life has led to more authentic achievements. 

To keep updated on Shannon, find her on Instagram and Twitter. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it far and wide and let’s start changing the world with curiosity.