Meet John Hendricks

 

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful John Hendricks a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

John, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

A decade ago, I lost my wife after a long illness.  All the plans we had together vanished in an instant.
I had one daughter at home, so I focused my purpose on taking care of her. However, I lost my focus on myself and what I needed. I dabbled in a few things, made some awkward choices, and drifted off at night, wondering what the next day would bring and whether it really mattered.
In a moment of boredom, I came across an article online about Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Zen monk who distilled the basic elements of Zen into a form I could grasp.
I picked up a copy of his book “You Are Here,” which has the apt subtitle “Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment.”
From that book, I realized I had to let go of who I used to be and who I am now.
I stopped looking for purpose and discovered it was all around me.
“Being awake, being kind, being now.”

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’ve owned a bookstore in Cape Girardeau since 1997. It’s the best job in the world. I’m very gregarious, so I love discussing books, art, travel, and anything involving creativity.

My store carries a great product mix: the latest BookTok books, Funko Pops, bookmarks, bestsellers, children’s books, and a nice selection of non-fiction. We purchase new titles from the same warehouses as Amazon and the big chains and always offer a 20% discount.

We are very in touch with the community and enjoy our role as the local bookshop.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

My university background is in accounting, computer science, and history, which led to my initial work experience in corporations that needed operations and purchasing work. I also worked in radio sales locally.

Looking back, to be successful in the long-term in a retail business, I believe you need the following:

1. A solid background/understanding of accounting, marketing, and finance.
2. A natural love for engaging with people. That cannot be faked.
3. An understanding of yourself that quite often you are wrong, and you must be able to accept other ideas and concepts.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

I read “Atlas Shrugged ” as a youth, and it heavily impacted my worldview.

One of the major themes is individualism and self-reliance, which is best summarized in this quote from John Galt.

“I swear—by my life and my love of it—that I will never live for the sake of another man nor ask another man to live for mine.”

This declaration of self-ownership made total sense, and I accepted that if I lived in that manner, I must also admit that all my choices were my own, and I could not blame others.

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