We recently had the chance to connect with James Metts and have shared our conversation below.
James, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
I feel compelled to tell as many people as I can how amazing they are and that there is nothing better than being alive! We have the top-of-the-line body structure and a brain that is so amazing that at times we can even amaze ourselves. Look around, we have transformed landscapes of the earth from their natural form into cities. We have gone as far into our imagination to have built parts to a research station, loaded it into a rocket and assembled it in space. Though only a few people have participated in the creative process of a city or the space station, we all have that brain, which is what it took to make what was imagined a reality. Experiencing our own genius is just a matter of engaging our interests. It’s starts with a question.
I am the self-published author of the book titled, Planet Storyland, that was written as a result of a question I had. The question was, what would a kid from another planet think about how we live? Why was this a question that I thought needed to be answered? I recognized from as far back as I can remember that most of the people in the world are living in suspense.
So, what are you curious about? Once your answer has been established your journey begins. Just keep in mind that you will lose interest in some of your pursuits, but if you keep looking for things to do that you enjoy and those pursuits tests your abilities, you will eventually find one idea that you are “honestly” passionate about. Passion that is honest is unshakeable. Once that kind of passion engulfs you, you will make time to work on it. And then one day a revelation will surface. Something magical that will bring a smile to your face and inspire you on to its successful completion, with gratitude and the amazing feeling that there is nothing better than being alive!
I urge you to take out a pen and paper and let your questions be your guide. Questions guide us from whatever we don’t know to knowing. Your questions are unique and because life and the ways of this world are new to you, your questions arise to help you like clues on a treasure map. You are here to learn, play and create. You should pursue what makes you feel like you belong. Quest•i•on.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is James Sherwood Metts and I have always been excited to go outside to play. As a kid I enjoyed hanging out at the library because in those books I could see and learn of things not in my immediate surroundings. I enjoy swimming, pickleball, golf, riding my bicycle, skiing that I haven’t gone to do in a while, landscaping, and feeding the birds. I have tandem skydived twice. I swam with Humpback whales in Moorea. I’ll abruptly stop there because I can continue to name a lot more activities that bring me immense pleasure. I am the self-published author of the book titled, Planet Storyland. I am recently retired. I am a member of two Toastmasters groups. I spend a reasonable amount of my time looking for media outlets to spread the message about Planet Storyland. Just in case you were wondering why my book is titled Planet Storyland, I gave it that title because billions of stories are told every day.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
I was just starting to learn construction when the real estate market collapsed in 1978. I was surprised by the situation that I found myself in. I was jobless, I felt lost and I felt like a failure. So, I decided I needed to learn as much as I could about how the world works. I began reading all the materials I could find, doing research and taking notes.
Thirty-five years later a rather off question came to mind. The question was. What would a kid from another planet think about how we live? One evening I decided to get a pen and notepad. I set them on my nightstand, and I laid down on my bed and closed my eyes. I thought about the question and then my imagination started to develop a story. I listened and watched it play out for about fifteen minutes. Then I sat up to write down all that I could remember. The next night I read what I had written and then I laid down and closed my eyes. The story started to play out from where I left off the day before. Fifteen minutes later I sat up and wrote down as much as I could remember. This process went on for about a month. I had a total of twenty-eight pages when the story ended. The next day I read all that I had written. I liked the story, but it still needed some work. About four years into writing the answer to my question I was working on a paragraph about writing. At that moment it was revealed to me how powerful writing is.
You’ve heard the expression “the pen is mightier than the sword?” Well, when people think of writing they think of words on paper, but writing is more than that. Writing consists of the alphabet, punctuation marks, the numbers zero through 9, mathematical symbols, musical symbols, drafting lines and the periodic table. These writing tools are used to make what we imagine, that is invisible, visible. Writing can be self-taught and the internalized knowledge of that fact levels the playing field.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
It taught me that whenever I choose not to suffer any longer that I will develop a way to live a life that inspires me to love being me. The question reminds me of a quote from the Declaration of Independence. “All experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.”
I decided to right myself!
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
Time is valuable. Learning is important and fun. Respect and decluttering are ongoing like organizing. Littering is wrong. The earth is our laboratory and our playground. The only difference in the private and public version of me is in my activities. Some activities involve the public such as golf, pickleball, swimming and skiing as opposed to writing, watching tv, or gardening. Just some distinguishing examples. Plural as opposed to singular. Otherwise, how I think and talk is the same in public as in private depending on the company.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If immortality were real, what would you build?
I’m building my legacy now. I started with my book Planet Storyland. Stay tuned for more…
Contact Info:
- Website: https://planetstoryland.com
- Instagram: jamessmetts
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-metts-40973725b/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/planetstoryland
