“When I was living in London, [I] must have been about 19, 20-ish, I would go around with a notebook and write bits of advice that I heard, or some random musings from the local drunk, or anything that I would come across,” Golding tells Fortune. “It was the romantic period of a young man coming into his adulthood and trying to find mentorship.”
Throughout his several professional changes, Golding has lived by one quote he jotted down in passing. It’s a musing on life from renowned 20th century photographer Edward J. Stieglitz: “The important thing to you is not how many years in your life, but how much life in your years!” Whether it be globetrotting as a TV host for BBC’s The Travel Show or starring in multimillion-dollar box office successes, Golding has stuck with the perspective on living.
“It really rang true. At the end of it, I just want to be able to tell some crazy stories and have fun anecdotes and tell of the gloriousness of change and possibility,” Golding muses. “So that’s always been in the back of my mind—it’s kind of helped me navigate and align with.”
Sometimes the best advice comes from complete strangers, and epiphanies are experienced through the most ordinary tasks.
“It really taught me something,” Huang said. “This gardener has dedicated himself to his craft and doing his life’s work. And when you do that, you have plenty of time.”
