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Seeking Authenticity: Essays and Stories on Values and Travels
Have you ever stopped to ask
Why am I doing this?
When you find yourself frustrated from endless social media scrolling …
When you feel as though your actions don’t reflect the person you want to (and could!) be …
When you’re disheartened by your current path in life and want to meet the challenge of your potential …
Sometimes all you need is a change in perspective.
Initially written as a declaration intended for an audience of one—following in the footsteps of former Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius who journaled the meditations that would encapsulate Stoic philosophy—Seeking Authenticity dives into what it means to live an authentic life guided by action and driven to adventure.
Flint Mitchell interlaces philosophical principles with personal accounts from his year-long surfing and hiking adventure from Canada to Australia. Through sometimes poetic, sometimes sarcastic, yet always honest expression, Flint helps you reorient your current life toward your ideal one through your most powerful the lens of your values.
Seeking Authenticity calls you to reflect
Who you are and what you stand forIf your actions are genuinely tied to your intentionsThe strength of the connections you form with your loved onesThe positive or negative habits impacting your lifeHow resilient you are toward conflict, big or smallWhere your current value system is taking you and what a future with those values looks like
Seeking Authenticity began as a modern stoic’s journal dedicated to distilling the time-tested ideas of some of the greatest literary figures of the past several centuries into actionable information. Despite initial skepticism of his friends and confidants' desire for these essays and narratives to be formally published, Flint paid beta readers to offer explicitly honest feedback.
One of the readers “This book positively changed my life. These essays are amazing… and I truly believe that I should be the one paying YOU for letting me read them.” And then he refunded Flint’s money. This was the spark that catapulted this modern day curation of timeless wisdom and pithy insights into a published format, which has already been proven to impact lives and is waiting for you to dive into.
If you like your truth sandwich with a side of humor, if you enjoy the musings of Viktor Frankl, Ralph Waldo Emerson, or David Goggins, or if you are distressed about the amount of time you spend doing inconsequential bullshit, then this book will help you steer away from anything you deem trivial, focus on your ambitions, and set yourself on a path toward meaning.
Why am I doing this?
When you find yourself frustrated from endless social media scrolling …
When you feel as though your actions don’t reflect the person you want to (and could!) be …
When you’re disheartened by your current path in life and want to meet the challenge of your potential …
Sometimes all you need is a change in perspective.
Initially written as a declaration intended for an audience of one—following in the footsteps of former Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius who journaled the meditations that would encapsulate Stoic philosophy—Seeking Authenticity dives into what it means to live an authentic life guided by action and driven to adventure.
Flint Mitchell interlaces philosophical principles with personal accounts from his year-long surfing and hiking adventure from Canada to Australia. Through sometimes poetic, sometimes sarcastic, yet always honest expression, Flint helps you reorient your current life toward your ideal one through your most powerful the lens of your values.
Seeking Authenticity calls you to reflect
Who you are and what you stand forIf your actions are genuinely tied to your intentionsThe strength of the connections you form with your loved onesThe positive or negative habits impacting your lifeHow resilient you are toward conflict, big or smallWhere your current value system is taking you and what a future with those values looks like
Seeking Authenticity began as a modern stoic’s journal dedicated to distilling the time-tested ideas of some of the greatest literary figures of the past several centuries into actionable information. Despite initial skepticism of his friends and confidants' desire for these essays and narratives to be formally published, Flint paid beta readers to offer explicitly honest feedback.
One of the readers “This book positively changed my life. These essays are amazing… and I truly believe that I should be the one paying YOU for letting me read them.” And then he refunded Flint’s money. This was the spark that catapulted this modern day curation of timeless wisdom and pithy insights into a published format, which has already been proven to impact lives and is waiting for you to dive into.
If you like your truth sandwich with a side of humor, if you enjoy the musings of Viktor Frankl, Ralph Waldo Emerson, or David Goggins, or if you are distressed about the amount of time you spend doing inconsequential bullshit, then this book will help you steer away from anything you deem trivial, focus on your ambitions, and set yourself on a path toward meaning.
- GenresTravel
230 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 7, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 8, 2022
Sometimes all you need is a change in perspective.
Author Flint Mitchell interlaces philosophical principles with personal accounts from his year-long surfing and hiking adventure from Canada to Australia.
Seeking Authenticity began as a modern stoic’s journal dedicated to distilling the time-tested ideas of some of the greatest literary figures of the past several centuries into actionable information.
If you like your truth sandwich with a side of humor, if you enjoy the musings of Viktor Frankl, Ralph Waldo Emerson, or David Goggins, or if you are distressed about the amount of time you spend doing inconsequential bullshit, then this book will help you steer away from anything you deem trivial, focus on your ambitions, and set yourself on a path toward meaning.
Author Flint Mitchell interlaces philosophical principles with personal accounts from his year-long surfing and hiking adventure from Canada to Australia.
Seeking Authenticity began as a modern stoic’s journal dedicated to distilling the time-tested ideas of some of the greatest literary figures of the past several centuries into actionable information.
If you like your truth sandwich with a side of humor, if you enjoy the musings of Viktor Frankl, Ralph Waldo Emerson, or David Goggins, or if you are distressed about the amount of time you spend doing inconsequential bullshit, then this book will help you steer away from anything you deem trivial, focus on your ambitions, and set yourself on a path toward meaning.
September 15, 2024
This book sits firmly in Foucault’s ‘Cult of California’ genre. It is filled with titbits on what I need to do to secure a happy life. For example, Mitchel tells us that his book is a ‘finished piece of work’ that, ‘discloses to the world my beliefs on what it means to be a virtuous, good man, …’ And, continues with lots of examples of what I, you, need to do to become said virtuous and good. Like, ‘Set your aim each morning and then act. Over and over and over again.’ Or, ‘When you act in a way that makes yourself proud, it will make others proud to be around you.’ There is nothing inherently wrong with these assertions, but it reads like a sermon from the perspective of the privileged white male. Mitchel is ahead of the game and tries to deflect any criticism of his privilege by asserting, somewhere around halfway through his book, ‘The word privilege has deteriorated in the modern world. A line has been drawn that divides niches of humanity from all others. The implication is that those who do not benefit from certain advantages have no privileges. And yet … you breathe, do you not? And so I ask, how many ever truly appreciate the experience that it is to live?’ Yeah, take that you so called ‘underprivileged’ classes. In case you need further clarification, he goes on to say, ‘Find me a man who wakes up with conscious love for the beating of his physical heart, and I will show you what good fortune looks like.’ I don’t know, I think he is serious.
Mitchel’s book did draw a powerful lesson in regard to my own scratchings- do not be that man. Do not be didactic. Like Mitchel, I am, undoubtably, a white privileged male, and I am grateful for that, even though the disparity between the haves and have-nots sickens me, but the world probably doesn’t need another book from another privileged position, espousing middle-class/Abrahamist values.
Mitchel’s book did draw a powerful lesson in regard to my own scratchings- do not be that man. Do not be didactic. Like Mitchel, I am, undoubtably, a white privileged male, and I am grateful for that, even though the disparity between the haves and have-nots sickens me, but the world probably doesn’t need another book from another privileged position, espousing middle-class/Abrahamist values.
April 15, 2022
The book the world needs today!
Take the year-long adventurous ride with author, Flint Mitchell as he surfs and hikes from Canada to Australia!
Seeking Authenticity is a transformative read for all types of nonfiction readers.
Flint shares his journey with detailed descriptions while intertwining philosophical principles, honest expression, and a nice side of humor.
As he shares on the back of the book, this book is for you if you…
Enjoy the musings of Viktor Frankl, Ralph Waldo Emerson, or David Goggins, or if you are distressed about the amount of time you spend doing inconsequential bullshit, then this book will help you steer away from anything you feel trivial, focus on your ambitions, and set yourself on a path toward meaning.
Super well said, Flint!
If you ever saw the movie, In The Wild and enjoyed it, then this book will sit well with you, too.
Flint detaches from society to seek his authenticity and lets the wind take him.
Through this collection of essays and stories, you will learn about the values and principles that Flint believes are most important to focus on.
I bet you will find some light in your own life through reading about his travels.
Pop it open and enjoy the ride!
Take the year-long adventurous ride with author, Flint Mitchell as he surfs and hikes from Canada to Australia!
Seeking Authenticity is a transformative read for all types of nonfiction readers.
Flint shares his journey with detailed descriptions while intertwining philosophical principles, honest expression, and a nice side of humor.
As he shares on the back of the book, this book is for you if you…
Enjoy the musings of Viktor Frankl, Ralph Waldo Emerson, or David Goggins, or if you are distressed about the amount of time you spend doing inconsequential bullshit, then this book will help you steer away from anything you feel trivial, focus on your ambitions, and set yourself on a path toward meaning.
Super well said, Flint!
If you ever saw the movie, In The Wild and enjoyed it, then this book will sit well with you, too.
Flint detaches from society to seek his authenticity and lets the wind take him.
Through this collection of essays and stories, you will learn about the values and principles that Flint believes are most important to focus on.
I bet you will find some light in your own life through reading about his travels.
Pop it open and enjoy the ride!
February 24, 2026
Seeking Authenticity is the kind of book that, on paper, feels like it should fall apart. The structure alternates between self development reflections and journal entries from the author’s road trip. The guidance is neither fully practical nor deeply philosophical. There is no obvious thread stitching the chapters together.
And yet, it works.
What could have felt fragmented instead reads as organic and human. The movement between introspection and lived experience creates a rhythm that quietly pulls you forward. Rather than delivering rigid answers, the book invites reflection, allowing meaning to emerge gradually.
It is less a manual and more a companion. Imperfect, wandering, and ultimately cohesive in a way that mirrors the very search for authenticity it explores.
And yet, it works.
What could have felt fragmented instead reads as organic and human. The movement between introspection and lived experience creates a rhythm that quietly pulls you forward. Rather than delivering rigid answers, the book invites reflection, allowing meaning to emerge gradually.
It is less a manual and more a companion. Imperfect, wandering, and ultimately cohesive in a way that mirrors the very search for authenticity it explores.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews