Every once in awhile you get the chance to meet some really amazing people who have set out to live life according to their own manifest, and along the way end up inspiring countless others to do the same. This happened for me over the weekend when I had the chance to sit down with Jonnie Penn, Duncan Penn, Dave Lingwood and Ben Nemtin, the creators of the new MTV show, The Buried Life.
Over the course of the meeting I found out more about the mission they sat out on and how over the course of the past four years they’ve made some incredible memories for both themselves and complete strangers. I also found out about an incredible charity that they are involved in that helps build sustainable soccer fields for kids in war torn countries.
Hit the jump to learn more about all that they have going on and how with the simple click of your mouse, you can help them get a soccer field built for kids in war torn Uganda.
If you’re not familiar with the premise for The Buried Life, it basically goes like this. This group of friends decided to write a list of 100 things they wanted to accomplish, and then they set out to do just that. In talking to them it was obvious that the items that were on the list, as important as they were to them, wasn’t what this was all about. There’s something of much greater significance, a manifest of how this group of friends chooses to live their lives.
In addition to their own list, the guys have been helping out complete strangers along the way to cross something off their “what do you want to do before you die” list. Some of the stories they shared about people that they have helped was absolutely inspiring and makes you realize what people can accomplish.
You know you’re doing something pretty remarkable when it ends up inspiring complete strangers in Times Square. In preparation for the release a giant screen was set up in Times Square where people can type in what they want to do before the die. Basically an ongoing list of people’s hopes and dreams. I believe Dave said he felt like it was the nerve center of humanity, which is pretty incredible to even think about.
One of the things I was very interested in talking to the guys about was the charity that Duncan is involved with called OA Projects. OA Projects “is a grassroots organization that uses soccer to build stronger communities for war-affected youth. OA’s objective is to increase opportunities for youth in war-affected regions to participate in soccer-based community building activities.”It’s further proof of the commitment that these guys have of getting involved and making sure that they live life the way they choose to.
Of particular interest was the fact that MTV has said that if the guys can get 75,000 people to sign up on the show’s Facebook fan page then MTV will pay for a soccer field to be built in Uganda. Make sure you click on the link and sign up! I definitely want to see them break the 75,000 fan mark, and all of us can do our help to see this happen and help get that soccer field built.
I ended up leaving our meeting highly impressed and inspired to get out there and make sure I continue going after my own goals and whatever it may be that is on my own list. Life is too short to sit on the sidelines and these guys are a shining example of what can happen when you truly start living and carving out your own path.
On a final note, make sure you watch the show tonight which airs at 10pm on MTV tonight (Monday January 18). There is a Cristiano Ronaldo scenario that will have you cracking up.
