About
Your Quick Start Guide to Transcend Human
THE THEORY
Transcend Human began as a random thought - just as it seems everything does…
I was in the car, combatting Orange County traffic, when my mind began to wander. It began with, “What are you doing with your life?!”
And other questions quickly followed (in no specific order):
What is my purpose in life? Or have I even identified that yet?
If I have, is it my purpose? The worlds purpose? A higher purpose?
Is there a chance I’m blindly living my life with the wrong purpose guiding me?
Does the world have a hidden (or misguided) agenda that I chase after?
If I could find the true purpose for living, would I be able to live it out?
And if I did, would it change me?
Would it change those around me?
Would it change the world?
As I dug deeper, it became clear that each of us is impacted by this thing we call the Human Condition. It effects each of us in similar ways, and yet we have a unique set of circumstances and experiences. And while we can’t escape the human condition, we do have control over it.
You can’t escape the human condition, but we all have control over the way we choose to react to it.
Transcend Human suggests there are two main ways we can respond to the Human Condition:
The Earthly/Human View: Tends to be reactionary, survival of the fittest, get as much as you can, as long as you’re happy, etc.
The Higher View (or “Transcendent” View): Tends to be proactive, looking out for the good of others, living with purpose, etc.
At its core, Transcend Human is as simple as that. It means leveling up, finding the real reason you’re here on Earth, and then allowing that to be the filter through which you live moving forward.
Of course any time someone tells you, “It’s really simple…” you know there is a “but” coming next…and there is…
Transcend Human is simple in theory, BUT we spend our entire lives learning how to live it out.
We never actually “arrive.” We just keep moving forward in an attempt to Transcend basic Human tendencies that keep us from reaching our full potential.
The Logo
“Hu”
The “Hu” is nothing more than a shortened version of the word Human. It takes on an elemental feel - suggesting that it is the essence of what it means to be human.
This element represents our humanity, and that each of us is impacted by the human condition.
The Chevrons
A chevron suggests movement. In this case, each chevron is pointing up - suggesting movement upward.
The combination of three chevrons suggests perpetual upward movement. Just as .333 represents the fact that the “3” will repeat infinitely beyond the decimal point, so the three chevrons suggest an infinite number of steps upward.
Your Host
Daryl & Tammy McMullen | Irvine, CA | Circa 2017
DARYL McMULLEN
Hello. My name is Daryl, and I’m a creative.
Even typing that word feels strange. For years I told myself I wasn’t creative, because I didn’t measure up to real artists like published authors, musicians with record deals and movie makers with films you can actually watch at the theater, or on Netflix…
That, along with the disillusionment that comes from rejecting the call to create over the years. After all, I had a real job, and didn’t have the time for that artsy stuff…
But looking back it was always there. I grew up doodling and writing. I taught myself web design, took up photography, blogged for years, wrote a book (not published…yet) and continue to have new ideas.
To ensure I had a day job, I went to school to be a licensed therapist, and worked in the mental health field for over seven years. Until I found that my web design/development hobby could become a full-time thing. So I left the counseling field and worked as a Web Director for the next 15 years.
Along the way I rejected the call to be creative more often than not. Until recently…when the nagging became so strong I felt compelled to do something about it.
Everything I was reading about the creative lifestyle suggested it started with ritualistic dedication. In other words, get up early every morning and make time to explore your creative side.
At first I read books on being creative. Then I read books on writing. Then I started writing. Then I wrote some more.
And that’s when Transcend Human came along. It became my obsession. I fleshed it out in my mind, and then started writing about it. I started to view it as my “umbrella theory.” An over-arching concept that a lot of my other projects could be tied to in some way.
It had legs. It could travel. It could preach - if you’re into that sort of thing…
As time went on I became more and more excited. The ideas for content kept coming, and at some point I just knew…this should be a podcast…
Why? Because podcasts are fast-paced, agile and easily digestible. A format I could use to quickly “get the creative out” and share it with the world. After all, an idea in your head is nothing until you do something with it…
I’m married to an incredible woman - Tammy McMullen, and have three amazing kids: Allie, Rachel & Tyler. You may just hear from these people on the podcast every now and then!
I hope you’ll join me, and that Transcend Human will become as relevant and transformative to you as it has been for me.