[quote style=”boxed”]Practice practice practice.
Revise revise revise.
Return to your breath, every single time. Start again. Go.[/quote]
Buddy Wakefield of Kingston, Washington is a Vipassana meditator, a three-time international spoken word champion, novice triathlete, author of three books of vulnerability for growth junkies, and one book about healthy backyard chicken-keeping practices, called HENHOUSE (based on Penthouse, but for chickens, and their lovers). In the spring of 2001, he left his position as the executive assistant at a biomedical firm in Gig Harbor, WA, sold or gave away everything he owned, moved to the small town of Honda, Civic and set out to live for a living. He has been doing so ever since, with people he admires, sharing the experiences of over 1,500 venues around the world ranging from San Quentin State Penitentiary to Scotland’s Oran Mor. Buddy Wakefield is an avid fan of peanut butter, power napping and chopping wood while being cheered on by his two geese, The Colonel and Mrs. Marple. He notices manners, melting ice caps, accessible enigmas and people who fly under the radar. He strives to observe his breath, and his sensations, full time, without reacting.
What are you working on right now?
I’m in my car in a church parking lot at the end of our street memorizing a TEDx Talk for next week about staying present.
Where did the idea for HENHOUSE come from?
A) My girls (Radish, Olive Juice, Fast Priscilla, AC, DC, Epic, and The Judds [who is actually just one chicken]).
B) Penthouse.
C) Making up lyrics for AC and DC’s upcoming album “Black and Fat [/I needa snack/My favorite corn in the world is cracked].”
D) All of the above.
What does your typical day look like?
Spinach/blueberry shake and peanut butter toast, then chicken chores while playing frisbee with Tucker the Dog, then Vipassana/CrossFit/writing/computer work/dinner/projects/reading, and sometimes episodes of Workaholics/South Park or a movie.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Sit still.
What’s one trend that really excites you?
The landscape of consciousness is growing.
What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?
Cold calling people for donations for the Seattle Repertory Theater for two hours.
I learned how much I dislike knowingly annoying anyone who doesn’t work for parking enforcement.
If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
Talk less.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Practice practice practice.
Revise revise revise.
Return to your breath, every single time. Start again. Go.
What is one problem you encountered as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
I learned that not everyone is insistent on detail-orientated, quality experiences. I overcame it by only moving forward with like-minded individuals. I think Maya Angelou said it, but it was told to me by a close friend, “when someone shows you who they are, you have to believe them.” Believe them if they show you that they’re lazy. Believe them if they show you that they’re on it.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
The 2013 Cats Lick Their Own Butt Calendar. Do it!
If you could change on thing in the world – what would it be – and how would you go about it?
Teaching folks, especially kids, first and foremost, that taking time for personal peace is not wasted time. There must be at least 1 unanimous way to experience and practice life’s fundamental insights daily as a part of public education. Since children belonging to different religions study together, thank goodness, the teaching must be a nonsectarian, universal, acceptable approach appealing to everyone, like, say, breathing air….
If you would genuinely like to get established in the practice of seeing clearly (Vipassana), the idea is to make it happen. There are Vipassana courses offered for free around the world all year long. Kids courses too. Dhamma.org
Tell us a secret.
In the 12th grade my doctor convinced me I was growing a boob due to a spike in my estrogen levels caused by a rare reaction to smoking too much pot.
What are your three favorite online tools or resources and what do you love about them?
The first one is inappropriate.
The second one is Facebook for its convenience.
The third one is buddywakefield.com for personal reasons.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.
It must be experienced, not rationalized.
Three people we should follow on Twitter and why?
Joe Kowalke because he makes me laugh and he sees the little things.
Dave Vowels because his brilliance is so peculiar and unapologetic.
Your best friend from the fourth grade.
When was the last time you laughed out loud? What caused it?
I just picked my cousin, Lace, up from the airport and we laughed till we cried breathless… because it’s Lace; that’s what caused it. Nothing more or less.
Who is your hero?
S.N. Goenka.
What’s your favorite quote?
“I have had the wind knocked out of me, but never the hurricane.”
-Jeffrey McDaniel
What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?
Cirque Du Soleil.
What’s one thing you love to do more than anything else?
Not explain myself.
Connect:
buddywakefield.com
Buddy Wakefield on Twitter: @buddywakefield
Buddy Wakefield on Facebook:
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.