Tired of hearing “anything is possible,” Jake Ducey, 21, decided to find out for himself if this mantra was true. After his first year of college on a basketball scholarship filled with nights of drinking and unpredictable activity, he decided to leave behind his life of confusion and troubled decisions in search for something more.
Unexpectedly, he found what he was searching for: his purpose in life. His first book, “Into the Wind: My Six-Month Journey Wandering the World for Life’s Purpose,” is an insight into his past experiences of traveling the world and the journey of his spiritual transition. It was released April 11 and has already become a best seller.
“My book is about taking chances on our dreams,” Ducey said, “when we step into the unknown to take a risk, when we trust and step into the wind, and knowing that everything will be okay. It’s a travel story, but it’s more than that — it’s about finding your dream and discovering how you can create a change in the world.”
From San Diego, Calif., he has come to the University of Oregon to give a talk on “inspiring our generation” and to discuss his debut book on Wed., May 1 in the Fir Room of the EMU.
The book details a portion of his life, highlighting his desire to stray from what is typically expected of an average college kid. He believes in order to obtain true happiness, one needs to step outside the norm; he says it is possible to be extraordinary and positively impact the lives of others. For inspiration, he looks to positive role models such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi, taking note of how they lived their astonishing lives.
In one story, he recounts his initial arrival in Indonesia. Boarding the plane from Australia to Indonesia without a dollar in his pocket, he was unsure of what was to come.
Upon arrival in the village of Kuta in Bali, locals welcomed and treated him with kindness. Ducey was beginning to understand other perspectives on life, the power of blind generosity and giving without expecting in return. Shortly after, he came to one of his greatest revelations: People need to follow their hearts, but at the same time, give to others in the process.
He plans on building a school in Indonesia with the proceeds earned from his book.
“I want to inspire my generation,” he said.
He has already visited schools in Washington and Oregon, giving motivational speeches to further spread his word of faith and share his past experiences to show others that truly anything is possible.
“My mission is to help people realize their goals and remember that they don’t have to do what everyone else expects of them,” he said. “Our generation will change the world when we start doing what we want to do, that’s how the world will change.”