A few days ago, I was inspired while driving into the office. Door to door, my commute is only 13 minutes so, unlike many of my fellow Southern Californian’s, I don’t spend a lot time in the car getting to and from work. I consider THAT a blessing. For the most part, Tuesday’s commute was no different than any other; I found my favorite morning talk show on SiriusXM Radio, jockeyed for position entering and exiting the freeway, and before I knew it I was parked in one of the coveted 6134 spaces in front of my office. What was different about this commute was that I was inspired. I was inspired to find my passion. The man who inspired me was none other than America’s original “shock jock”, the “King of All Media”, Howard Stern.
For those of you, who may not be a fan of Howard Stern, bear with me. What inspired me was Howard’s response to a call-in guest who asked him, “If it wasn't for radio, would you have been as successful as you are?” Oh, I like where this caller’s head is at! Those are the kinds of questions that get my attention. After a little playful banter Howard answered, “Yes. I would have been successful, but I would not have been as successful as I have been with radio.” The reason Howard believes he would have been successful without radio is because he has given 100% of his energy to those he has worked for. Coupled with a commitment to hard work, Howard was on a path destined for success.
However, the reason Howard does not believe he would have reached the levels of success he has experienced in radio is because he wasn't passionate about anything else. Radio is Howard’s passion. He found it at an early age and went “all-in” on pursuing a career in it. His career in radio has afforded him many luxuries most of us will never experience, but that doesn't mean we are not successful. Radio has also afforded Howard the ability to pursue additional passions that came up later in life: photography, pet adoption, and others.
Many of us have already achieved high levels of success, but we don’t always recognize it because we too often relate success to material possessions rather than happiness. Success is defined as the accomplishment of an aim or purpose and happiness is simply the state of being happy. Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
To answer that question, you must first define YOUR success. Your definition of success is different than mine and mine is different than my wife’s, but that doesn't mean one of us is right and the other is wrong. For too long I defined success as the position I held at work and the numbers before the decimal point on my bi-weekly paycheck. Sound familiar? I’m sure some of you can probably relate to that. But what I have realized over the years is that my definition of success is not based on my position at work, the dollars in my bank account, or even the zip code I reside in. I define success today by my level of happiness. The happier I am, the more successful I will be. This is what I took from Howard Tuesday morning.
You see, Howard found his passion: radio, and committed 100% of himself to it. He made sacrifices when needed. He worked as hard as he could to hone the skills necessary for a radio personality to excel. He knew what he wanted (his purpose) – to become the “King of All Media” – and would do whatever necessary to accomplish it. Becoming the “King of All Media” isn't what makes Howard successful or happy. What I believe makes Howard successful and happy is that he found his passion and lives with purpose.
Have you ever seen Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford University commencement speech? There was a quote Steve Jobs paraphrased during his speech that went something like, “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” When Steve Jobs read that quote at 17, it made such an impression on him that for the rest of his days he looked in the mirror every morning and asked himself, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I’m about to do today?” Whenever his answer had been “No” for too many days in a row, he knew it was time for a change.
Our source of happiness generally stems from two areas: work and family. In 2012, a study was conducted by Gallup that surveyed more than 151,000 full and part-time workers 18 and older. When they released the report titled, State of the American Workplace in 2013 they reported 70% of Americans don’t like their jobs. If you believe, like I do, that what you do for work plays a major impact on your level of happiness, one could venture to say that 70% of Americans are unhappy. Sure, one’s happiness could increase if the other sources of happiness are satisfying, but all too often the general dissatisfaction or unhappiness caused by the work environment spills over to the family life – lowering the overall level of happiness.
As we all know, there are 24 hours in each day. Assuming we work for eight hours each day, one third of your adult life will be spent working. So why would you do anything other than what you love and what makes you happy? Don’t you owe it to yourself to ask the question, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I’m about to do today?” If the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, you know it’s time to make a change.
Steve Jobs went on to say in his commencement speech at Stanford, “Your time is limited. So don’t waste it living someone else’s life. You've got to find what you love. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all measures of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. So keep looking. Don’t settle.”
If you are not measuring your success by your level of happiness in life, I challenge you to give it some thought. If you are not happy with where you are at work or in life, I would also challenge you to give that some thought as well. Find your passion! If you don’t know where to begin, start by revisiting your childhood or your more playful side. What did you love to do when you were a child? What do you love to do for fun? Rob Levit, an Annapolis, MD-based creativity expert, speaker and business consultant says, “Research shows that there is much to be discovered in play, even as adults.”
Make a passion board. Start with a poster board, write the words “My Passions” in the center and create a collage of images, quotes, articles and anything else that captures your attention. Before long, your board will speak to you. “The idea behind this is that when you surround yourself with images of your intention – who you want to become or what you want to create – your awareness and passion will grow,” says Michael Michalko, a creativity expert and author based in Rochester, N.Y., and Naples, FL.
And finally, make a list of people who inspire you and why you are inspired by them. There’s no need to recreate the wheel, just find a way to make the wheel more effective or efficient. Study the people on your list, model their inspirational behaviors and work hard to emulate them.
You’ll know when you find your passion… It won’t feel like work and you’ll be the happiest, most successful person on the block. How do I know? Because I just spent three hours writing this post and it was the best three hours of my day - so far...
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Run. Drive. Sleep? Repeat. On April 4th, five of my friends and I will pile into a single van and tag team running 200(ish) miles, day and night, relay-style from Huntington Beach to San Diego. This... is Ragnar! So what is Ragnar? Ragnar is a mental and physical test of endurance. It's heaven and hell mixed into a 200 mile relay race. Most teams consist of 12 runners each running three legs over the course of 24-36 hours. For a few, it's six runners each running six legs. This year, my second, I will be one of the six cogs of team #yogging. The question you are likely asking yourself is the same one I have asked myself over and over: Why? Why would I run a 200 mile relay with five of my friends? The answer may surprise you. I am doing it because I care and because I can. I care about making an impact and I care about raising money for good causes. What you may not realize is that the number of homeless families with children continues to grow, and it is a very real crisis for the children. According to the San Diego County Office of Education, there are more than 18,000 homeless students in San Diego County alone. Fortunately, there is help. Monarch is a school providing an excellent academic and a supportive environment in which any student in San Diego County who is impacted by homelessness will receive an education and grow personally to become a highly motivated, contributing member of society. Take a look for yourself. ) Fortunately, I am in a position to make an impact with these children and this school, therefore, I am making it my purpose to raise awareness and money for the cause and for Monarch School. Please help me by contributing today.
As the famed crystal ball dropped at midnight in New York City’s Times Square, millions of people celebrated the closing of one door and the opening of another. For many, January 1st is synonymous with resolutions and goals, and why wouldn’t it be? January 1st marks the start of something new – a fresh beginning. A new day. A new opportunity. It’s the first day of hope and the first day of new aspirations. It’s the first step of a new journey. But I must caution you, one of these is destined to fail.
Just before the door to 2013 closed forever, I spent some time reflecting on the year that was as well as the year that will be. Naturally, like many of you, I started thinking about the changes I wanted to make. I also thought about the goals I wanted to set for myself, which led me to think about resolutions – specifically, my disdain for them. On paper, a resolution is a key ingredient to success. By definition, a resolution is a firm decision to do or not to do something. However, in practice, a resolution can be a futile attempt at change. Harsh words, yes. But proven nonetheless. According to Statistic Brain, more than 60% of Americans make New Year’s Resolutions, but only 8% are successful in achieving them. However, with that said, people who make resolutions are 10x more likely to attain their goals than those who don’t even try. I, myself, have consistently fallen into the 92% bucket of people who fail to achieve their New Year’s Resolution. Why is that? First, the resolutions I’ve set in the past were not well thought out and were too aggressive for me to follow through on long term. Also, none of my resolutions included an action plan on HOW I was going to achieve them. And lastly, I had a terrible attitude about them. Tips for setting goals: Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Pace yourself. The accomplishment of a goal should be considered a marathon rather than a sprint. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was the accomplishment of your goal. Stay positive. The only thing you control is your attitude. If you want lose weight, think about it from the perspective of ‘achieving your ideal weight’ rather than ‘losing ten pounds’. The idea of losing carries a negative connotation whereas achieving is uplifting. Start your day with a positive affirmation and return to it anytime your mind starts to wander. Write down and share your goals with others. A goal you have not written down is only a dream. Setting a goal requires an action plan and writing the goal down is the first action. Over time I’ve found that I am more committed to my goals once I’ve shared them with someone. Sharing your goals with someone you trust will make you accountable. Have you shared your goals with someone you trust? By setting goals, you are deciding what is important to you. So as we walk through the door to 2014 remember this: Set. Commit. Follow Through. Happy New Year! To learn more about setting goals, check out this article from my friends at Mind Tools. |
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