We interviewed Rocky Reichman, founder of LiteraryMagic.com, on our Blog Talk Radio show, on January 6, 2010.  He’s a brilliant young man, Renegade CEO (thanks to Shonika Proctor)  who’s received many accolades in the literary community, including from William Safire!

His interview follows below:

SO: What’s Your Definition of “Passion”?

Passion is something that’s more than just an interest. It’s something that fuels you and makes you willing to dedicate hours of effort, a day or even your entire life to.

SO: What Passions Are You Expressing?

My biggest passion is writing.  I first started to express that by writing novels. When I was 12, I wrote my first novel, when I read the Magician’s Apprentice.  That took about three years.  …My second book took three days.  One January vacation, for Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday, I sat down from 8am to 11 at night and just wrote, wrote, and wrote, and got that book out.  I decided to publish my own online literary magazine, Literary Magic.  I also got into etymology, which is the study of the roots and history of words. 

SO: So Has This Been in Your Heart and Your Skill Set?

Through Literary Magic, I’ve really come into contact with amazing people.  Writers and editors around the world.  I’ve not only learned about these people, but also how to interact:  customer service, marketing.   I’ve written some short stories, some columns on literary sites.  Once I discovered Twitter and everything, I met Shonika Prcotr, who has been very helpful to me.  William Safire contacted me, and he called me a “word maven”.  A few months after that, McCraw Hill contacted me for an internship.  That gave me even more opportunities to learn about entrepreneurship and the world of business.

SO: What Are the Challenges that You Have Face and How Have You Move Through Them?

With Literary Magic, it’s been the business model, and building readership.  As a writer, writers love their works, and put all of this effort into their creation.  So if an editor wants to make a change, sometimes that writer is not always open to that change.  So definitely phrasing, giving, learning to give criticism in as positive a manner as possible, that’s always been a challenge.  In my personal life, when I had some family losses, that was definitely a challenge; however they’ve led me to build up resilence and create new projects from that.  When my father passed…he used to tell us these stories.   …So one day we decided to type them up, and we now have it in the published version.

SO: What Else Would You Say to Somebody Who Is Making the Leap?

No matter what, you have to get it out.  Don’t let anyone tell you that what you have to say isn’t worth anything.  It’s always worth anything.  First of all, to you it’s worth something.  And also to your friends and family.  And likely the information or advice or even just the message that you have to share can radiate and help people anywhere.

SO: What Would You Say to Someone Who Doesn’t Know What Their Passion Is?

I think you have to try different thing out.  Read a lot of fiction, even if you don’t want to be a writer, because fiction isn’t just entertaining.  It teaches us about life.  A lot of people think “I’m a non-fiction person, I only read to get information.”  Fiction can open us up to different worlds and possibilities.  Another idea is to go to a college website and look at all of the different subjects, and you really get a feel for what you can do.  Whether it’s writing or biology or if you want to be a doctor or a scientist or law enforcement.  There are so many possibilities.  I was lucky enough to once I read that book Magician’s Apprentice, I knew I wanted to write and kept doing it.  Never wall yourself in.  Of course you want to focus, but never say “I have my passion, and this is all I want to do.”  Always be open to new experiences.  Try something that you normally wouldn’t be exposed to. And then see what happens.

SO: How Have You Stayed Focused?

I like to write a lot of stuff down, write plans, and goals.  I always make sure that on one day, if there’s only time to do one thing, then I get that thing done.  And then I have a task list…if I end up having surplus space then I can do this or that, but I always have one thing that I know must get done that day.   Another thing, which isn’t totally going off focus, but if something comes in, like a quick email…something under 4 minutes, I will try to do it right then.  Otherwise those things just pile up.  Then it can ruin your schedule later in the week. 

I didn’t read Getting Things Done, but I did read an article by the same article that shared the same topic.  I learned a lot about productivity and time management from there.

SO:   When I Say “Do What You Love and the Rest Follows,” Would You Agree?

For everyone I have interviewed, this has been one of the underlying tips that they have all advised:  “That you have to find a way to do what you love and get paid for it.”  If you first don’t succeed, you can always try again.  You can even have a job and make sure that you do your passion on the side.  Like if you’re a lawyer or doctor, then you still have time to write novels on the side.  I know some people at McGraw Hill that works crazy hours and are writing fantasy novels on the side.

SO:  What About Prosperity, the Money Aspect of Doing What You Love?

I think doing what you love, you don’t need to make money at it.  You’re doing it because you like it.  You’re not doing it because you want to make money.  Of course, one of your end goals might be to make money from it.  If you can, then that will ultimately give you more time to focus on your passion, and not to worry about other ways to make money or retirement or college savings. 

Don’t think that in order to be an author to have a chance you have to quit your job and dedicate your entire to writing.  Even if you do get your work published, there are lots of writers out there.  For all the ones that are best-sellers that can take off the day, there are many more writers that have to have other jobs, who might not want to sit writing all day.  You can get a job, pay the bills and work on the side. Plan it out.  Write an hour a day.  Write five pages a day.  If you do the calculations, it won’t take too long to get your book out, maybe a few months.

Write or brainstorm some of it now.  Right after this interview ends.  If you want to write a book and haven’t had the time to do it.  Stop what you’re doing and take five minutes to brainstorm what it is. Maybe even write a sample paragraph or a log line – a line about what your book will cover. Just jump right into it.

Thanks Rocky and Happy Passioneering!

Beverly Flaxington is an accomplished sales and marketing business consultant, hypnotherapist, personal and career coach, author of “Understanding Other People: The Five Secrets to Human Behavior”, college professor, corporate trainer, facilitator, behavioral expert, entrepreneur and mom to 3 children and 8 rescued animals.  Below is her interview with us in December 2009.  You can reach her at www.understandingotherpeople.com.

SO: What’s your definition of “passion”?

Doing something that you love, and loving what you’re doing when you’re doing it!

SO: What are your biggest passions for serving others, and how are you expressing them (also include hobbies and volunteering)?

I love my role as consultant, coach, hypnotherapist and trainer because it allows me to see people make personal progress, i.e. get better at something be it self-improvement, having an “ah-hah” or figuring out how to improve.  I love teaching – when the students say they want to take all of my classes because they enjoy learning with me, it’s a thrill. I love to rescue and care for animals – volunteering at the rescue group, walking my own 4 rescue dogs and taking care of my cats. I love finding an activity that my children love and thrive in and seeing their smiles and excitement. I love volunteering at their school and being involved in their learning environment.

SO: Your biggest challenge(s) in leaping into your passions for serving others, and how you have addressed them?

My only challenge is too many things that I love to do and not enough time to do them all! I’ve addressed this by becoming exceptional at managing my personal goals, time and priorities and being very clear about what I want (my passions) and what I can say “no” to.

SO: What qualities/characteristics/talents did you bring to your passion, and which ones did you hone during your journey?

The qualities I was naturally gifted with, and brought to my passions included curiosity, a willingness to admit “I don’t know” and a genuine interest in other people. They also included the ability to listen well and focus on others. The ones I honed through the journey include presenting well and speaking with confidence, understanding other people especially with regard to behavioral and communication style and using persuasive skills effectively to explain my position on something.  And, I am still learning as the journey continues!

SO: Your experience of “prosperity,” as you define it, in making the leap?

Having enough to happily and willingly give to those less fortunate. Prosperity is meeting all of my own needs and taking care of my family, but having ample money left over to give away to needy people and animals.

SO: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in making the leap?

I can do anything I set my mind to and life is filled with lots of opportunities to learn and grow. There’s no reason to be stuck doing something you don’t love!

SO: What’s your support system look like; how did you create it?

Internal calm and confidence (my relationship with God), fabulous and supportive friends, a wonderful mom and dad who are always willing to pitch in and help and my spouse.

SO: What wisdom do you have for someone who’s scared/discouraged about their own leap?

The worst thing that can happen is that you don’t get what you are hoping for – but SO many times that means there is something better waiting around the corner. Stay focused, but stay open!

SO: What’s your next big milestone?

I just published two books this year – which had been a dream of mine. Next I want to create a series of training programs and books with my sales expertise.

Thanks So Much for Sharing Your Gifts, and Happy Passioneering!

My big leap from mediocrity into my passions has been simple but not easy at all: I was recently let go from a high-paying corporate banking job, left with an evaporated company stock fund and meager rainy day savings. Before exiting this job, I had already decided to pursue my dream of becoming a life coach. As a life coach, I wanted to support others in making their own big leap from mediocrity into magnificence. My past included two other entrepreneurial stints: One in the ’90s as a partner in a high-tech start-up; then another in 2003 as an interfaith minister. These ventures were both successful for me, even though I didn’t get rich or famous. Instead I created prosperity on my own terms: being and doing what I love, having a fabulous support network, and structuring my “ideal” day and week. Being an interfaith minister and pioneering a new church was the closest to nirvana that I’d yet found. Unfortunately, the financial prosperity to feed myself and keep the lights on was not forthcoming!

So, the siren call of a large, steady paycheck lured me back one more time to a large Northwest bank. Not that I haven’t enjoyed my work in corporate America: I got to work for very successful companies with smart, driven, inspiring groups and colleagues. Yet, the massive layoffs that I and others underwent this past year, coupled with the current economic recession, made me realize that nothing “steady and secure” really remains in corporate America. So rather than leap back to my comfort zone of doing the work I’ve always done, I chose to focus on creating my own dream career.

The entrepreneurial bug has penetrated me so deeply now that I’m absolutely committed to being my own boss forever; to never again return to an average, mediocre work-life. I’ve finally created my ideal week; one that blends and balances work, play, and self-care. I have intentionally chosen to coach only those individuals, who, like myself, are truly ready to stop playing small and to start living large. My clients are highly self-motivated, driven, talented and courageous enough to shift fully into their passions & possibilities. After my client sessions, I feel energized, uplifted and confident that I’m making a difference in their lives, so they can make an even greater difference in the world.

As part of my passions & possibilities journey, I have begun interviewing hundreds of individuals who are already fully pursuing their dreams – “passioneers,” as I call them. In 35 minutes, I capture powerful stories of souls who are simply and boldly going for it, full out. My intention is to share these tales, told in each interviewee’s unique, colorful way, with those who are ready to make their own big leap (“pre-passioneers”). These stories will also inspire those who have already made the leap, but are feeling discouraged or disillusioned.

Note: These are not “rags to riches” stories. Instead, they describe everyday Johns and Janes who have finally decided to take charge and live large. My hope is that their lessons and insights will help my clients and others avoid major pitfalls or landmines along their entrepreneurial travels. It’s also a great way for passioneers to bootstrap others who are just a few steps behind them, in the vein of the movie Pay It Forward. So far, the wisdom emerging from the interviews is precious, and I’ll share nuggets of it in this blog and beyond.

Guidepost #1 (for those making the leap): Stick with it regardless of the trials. You can do it and be it!

Special request: Consider the most passionate people in your life, including yourself, who are following their dreams and experiencing prosperity fully on their own terms. Invite them to share their story via a 35-minute telephone interview with me, and send me their contact information for scheduling purposes. I’m also inviting interviewees to be guests on my internet blog radio show later in January. “There’s gold in them there hills!” Help us find it. Thank you.

Day 1 and very outside of my comfort zone as I make this first step into Blog-dom!  I’m committed to being an inspirational,  loving, and supportive presence for individuals and groups who want to take the next BIG step into their dreams.  Simple, just not easy.  It’s about commitment and passion.  Goethe reminds us ( in this fuller version of his famous quote):

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back– Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”

An invitation for each of us to ask ourselves: “Where can I step out more boldy, in faith & passion, into my dreams”?  And in this first step, and all others to follow, we can know that we are supported by Providence (or whatever we call our higher power).