Hello wonderful human,
Last night I re-discovered the renaissance man.
It started Sunday morning. I turned my phone completely off and stored it in the closet.
I then chose to follow my curiosity. I went for a run. I read. I meditated. I laid in the sun and walked through the city. Crazy, I know.
As the night was winding down, I sat down to meditate.
In the meditation, a thought came to me: play one of the coaching sessions recordings from Hawaii.
Fifteen minutes into listening, my coach asked, “Who or what person energetically represents what you’re doing right now?”
This time, my answer was different.
A traveler. A wanderer. An Athlete. Kind. Observant. Someone who has seen the world, wandered through its nooks and crannies.
A Renaissance man.
This word was not new to me. Three years ago, I’d written “Renaissance man” in my notes, though I barely knew what it meant.
In modern day, we may refer to them as polymaths. The word Renaissance comes from French ‘rebirth’.
The Renaissance man was born from the idea that ‘a man can do all things if he will.’ It encouraged men to learn everything and develop to their fullest potential.
The freedom to be many things
In theory, that sounds nice: be good at everything. However, as I reflected Sunday night, the Renaissance man wasn’t about mastering a hundred skills. Not even ten.
It was about the freedom to follow my curiosity wherever it leads.
I’ve always had many interests and loved the thrill of new experiences. Traveling, ultra running, ice climbing, coaching, philosophy, AI, music, art, health, spirituality, writing, marketing, learning languages.
I once felt the extreme pressure to do it all and to have it now.
I no longer feel that rush. That urgency was someone else’s desire, not mine.
When I take a breath, I don’t actually want to do everything all at once. I’d much rather be doing the few truest things that get me jumping out of bed in the morning.
Presence as the art
Right now, all I want is to be here in Buenos Aires. To walk, to write, to run, to learn this city’s rhythm.
There are times for deep creation, and times for deep being.
But it’s subtle. There’s a fine line between doing everything to become something (the status of “Renaissance man”), and doing what excites me because it’s true to my being.
The line between me trying to become a Renaissance man instead of just being me, Double B.
The most exciting part?
I know how to become a Renaissance man. There’s a guide. But I’m only beginning to understand the power of being me.
The permission to follow what pulls
That’s the essence of this whole reflection: learning to trust my many interests, not as distractions, but as invitations.
It’s permission to follow the threads that tug on my heart. To stop asking if they’re “right.”
I’ve found myself cross-referencing my path with conventional wisdom.
Here’s what your 20’s are for and how to live them, here is what success is supposed to look like…
That cross-reference would tell me if I was ‘on the path or off it.’
But ‘the path’ was society’s path. I was comparing MY path to the path of Others. We course correct to go towards society’s path and at the same time, away from our own.
When we drop the comparisons, the path unfolds on its own.
Our being relaxes. Freedom, love, and power return.
That’s what my work and life are about: creating the freedom, power and love to be me.
It’s what allowed me to go to Hawaii to work on a farm, or Argentina to play soccer because the truth itself is the compass.
What would it look like to create your own truth?
If you are interested, I have nine free ‘Being With’ conversations left before the holidays for those looking to reconnect with that truth.
Studying being, not doing
Last night, I was reading about Marcus Aurelius. But I wasn’t studying what he achieved; rather I was studying the being that allowed him to create his achievements.
The same is true of the great Renaissance minds. Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Benjamin Franklin. I’m less interested in what they did than who they were being.
Their curiosity was sacred. They followed it without asking permission. Each went down many rabbit holes, not because it was the quickest way to success, but because it was true to their heart.
In Reality Transurfing it says, “The reason the work of a genius appeals to you so much is because these creative works are born of the heart.”
That line explains everything. Their works moved us because they were real. When someone is completely themselves, you feel it. You’re drawn to them. They’re free.
Freedom to do — and freedom not to
Here’s a paradox for you.
I’ve learned that my freedom isn’t just the ability to pursue what excites me, it’s also the freedom not to.
Even when I feel a strong pull, I remind myself: I don’t have to act on it.
That paradoxical permission allows me to act from a truer place, with less pressure. It actually results in more action.
The real Renaissance
As I began reading about Renaissance men, numerous articles and “how to become a Renaissance man” guides came up.
But they all miss the point. They talk about waking up at 5 a.m., reading a certain number of books, rotating between gym, art, and meditation.
I wasn’t interested in that.
The Renaissance man isn’t a system. To me, it’s a spirit. It’s a rebirth. It’s about following the living thread of curiosity in your own heart.
Some of you reading might feel more drawn to go all in on one thing. That’s awesome! Give yourself that freedom to do that! For me, I love to wander, explore, and weave a life from many fascinations. I give myself the freedom to do me.
Creating greatness isn’t about fame or mastery. It’s about alignment.
The GOAT is the person that lived as close to their truth as possible.
It’s ineviable that great things will happen becuase of that!
An invitation
All of this, the phone-free weekends, the rediscovery of curiosity, the study of being, is what I want to keep sharing with others.
I have nine free “Being With” sessions left for anyone who wants to reconnect with their own aliveness.
The curiosity, freedom, and quiet power that’s always there.
The path is yours alone. But the skill of being — of trusting what’s true and letting it lead you — is one worth practicing together.
If there is someone you know who would benefit, send it their way.
With all my love,
Double B