What it Takes

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes!” – Jon Du Pre

What it Takes

The conversation felt as if Jon was wearing a reversible coat!  There were two sides to him.  One, I knew.  The other side, well, it was something new to me.  You know what such outerwear is like.  Perhaps one side of a coat is a smooth, slick, possibly waterproof material and the other might be something more colorful or could have a great deal more texture.  Something like a corduroy.

Corduroy is a textile with a distinct pattern.  Something with ridges, as if small cords of string have been glued to one side of a fabric.  It looks as if it is made from multiple cords laid parallel to each other and then stitched together.  Yes!  That’s what I perceived to be happening here.  And, there was another reversal happening at the same time.

Jon Du Pre is a skilled investigative reporter.  I’ve seen his skill on display as a television anchor, reporter and best-selling author.  So, as we conversed through telephone, I envisioned his professional method in great detail, trying to simulate his expertise as we talked.  I wanted to learn as much from him as possible. 

I’ve learned a lot from Jon as we’ve worked together, consulting for early-stage businesses.  Yet, I had never seen his other, corduroy-like side before.  And now, he was allowing me to see his colorful, richer personal texture.

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes!”  He said.  “I’ll drive a forklift at night if I have to!” He declared, talking about his plan to resume his writing career. 

His first book, “The Prodigal Father,” was a New York Times Best Seller.  “It took on a life of its own!” Jon said, as he told me about the book’s creation, promotion and success.  It’s the story of how bright expectations were turned into crushing disappointment.  More importantly, it’s a story of the human spirit’s ultimate victory.

The same story, anew, was unfolding during our conversation.  If Jon and I were talking through a video call, he would have seen my not-so-good, plagiarized, investigative-reporter-like, serious, brow-creased, full attention face as he described going up and down each cord-like personal event in his life’s tale.  Luckily, we were communicating through a voice call, so it allowed us to communicate at a raw, personal, spiritual level.

Because I’m human, as is he, I identified with the complexity of his illustrative personal, familial and professional life.  And, while Jon is a gifted writer, his greatest attributes are his authenticity, resilience and unquenchable desire; traits his voice seemed to tattoo directly onto my soul.

The conversation I was having with Jon felt as if he was revealing his life as if a reversible coat.  There were two sides.  One, I knew.  The other side, well, it was something new to me.  You know what such personal revelation is like.  Perhaps one side of a person is smooth, slick, and seemingly waterproof, while the other side may be more colorful or have a great deal more texture.  Something like a corduroy-fabric-life.

Yet, such a two-dimensional introduction is a significantly lackluster description of Jon’s true-to-life example!  Jon’s depth of character is artful and emulation-worthy.  His corduroy-like-life encourages all of us to live authentic, resilient and aspiration filled lives.

Whatever it takes!