Terry Kohl has been a fantastic guest blogger for the past few months, generously sharing her gifts and talents.  Thank you Terry!  Details on her story are shown below, as we offer the final blog in her series.  We invite subject matter Passioneering experts to share their guest blogs with us in August and September!

Guest Expert Blog:  Passioneer

By Terry Kohl

Passion; the stuff romance and true love is made of.  The “I can’t get enough of you, can’t eat, can’t sleep,” syndrome.  Hot, sweaty bodies lost in a world where reason is not allowed….right?

Hmmm…been there, done that. And while I am grateful for those juicy moments, the passions that stir my soul now are all about life and how I wiggle around in it.

Passion is love of each and every day because it is a brand new beginning and consequently the chance for a brand new adventure. It’s loving myself and how I came to be the woman I am. It’s trying things on for size that I think I might really enjoy. It’s about not giving a hoot what anyone else thinks or does. It’s going with the flow of life rather than trying to staunch the river of experiences life hands me. It’s about growing, and sometimes being painfully aware of the little time we have on this huge rock hurtling through time and space. It’s falling into bed at night with such gratitude for all that life has shown me that my heart nearly breaks from joy.

Passion—it’s having an idea and running with it. It’s about allowing that fierce, sweet fire of creativity to burn itself out no matter how long it takes. It’s getting out my watercolors on a rainy afternoon and abandoning all I was taught and instead, creating something from my darling passionate heart.

Passion is about being in the now, which is truly all we have. All that is real is only ever experienced moment by moment; everything else is fiction. Passion is about the courage to walk towards the light so that the shadows are always behind you. It’s about digging in the dark, moist earth of your soul and harvesting an unregrettable life.

**************

Successful author and coach, Terry Kohl is our guest blogger for the next few months.   You can reach her at either www.LostYourJobNowWhat.com or www.TerryKohl.com.

Thank you Terry and Happy Passioneering!

On Wednesday June 30th, at 4pm PST, we’re interviewing Jim Dailakis,  actor/writer/comedian and voiceover artist.  He is based in New York City and has been touring the USA for the last twelve years headlining in the major comedy clubs.  A New York trained actor, he’s played in several films, and has been featured on a variety of radio shows.  He has worked with the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, The Temptations, Aretha Franklin and Weird Al Yankovic.  On stage, Dailakis talks about relationships, love, and mimics movie stars with an uncanny ability of being able to contort his face so he can look like them too. His performances have earned him standing ovations and adoration from audiences across the USA.  He can be reached at www.jimdailakis.com.

Dial in live at 347-205-9038 or via streaming radio at 9am PST

at www.blogtalkradio.com/passionsandpossibilties

Jim’s Passioneer Q&A

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

When you put your heart, soul, body and mind into your life’s desires and mix it with the ingredients of love, hope, determination, persistence, diligence and discipline to follow through and not let go until you succeed. To enjoy the journey so much that any financial gain is simply a byproduct of your life’s work.

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

Even with my career choice as an actor comedian, knowing that I have affected people in a positive way through laughter, hope and joy. To hear a collection of souls laughing simultaneously and knowing I’m the catalyst, is indescribable. I give a percentage of my DVD/CD sales to the American Cancer Society. In addition, a movie that I wrote called, Not until She Sings is slowly coming to fruition. I’m determined to give a portion of the box office to charity. This motivates me even further because now not only doing something that I’m passionate about for myself, but for those who are less fortunate.

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

Finding the time and having such a busy schedule as well as probably overcoming laziness and getting over the fact that just because I’m not a millionaire doesn’t mean I cannot help. Confronting this issue is as always with me, the ultimate remedy.

SO: What have been the key factors in your success?

Persistence, determination, discipline and enjoying every minute of what I do. I’m convinced that you cannot be successful if you’re not happy with yourself and enjoying what you do.

SO: What one word/quality best describes your journey? Faith.

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

Prosperity for me is without a cloud of doubt, being healthy. To be happy doing what you’re doing. To wake up every day and look forward to it and feel that in some shape way or form, I’m helping others or at the very least, making a difference. If I can affect just one person for a particular day, I’m satisfied. Without being selfish, sometimes it’s important to understand that you make yourself happy as well.

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

It’s reinforced me to count my blessings. Something I do sometimes on an hourly basis. If I feel disappointed or sense impending anger, I simply play the game of count your blessings. By the time I get to my 10th blessing, I’m fine.

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

My number one blessing is that I came from such a loving and wonderful family. If everybody had my parents, this would be a very happy world. They’re certainly not perfect, but my foundation is very solid because of the support I get from them and my genuine friends. They’re my sanctuary, my support system, my safety net and my nest of pure unconditional love. Spiritually, Jesus, Buddha, Gandhi and Mother Teresa are shining examples of how to live one’s life.

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

To confront their fears. More often than not, it’s never as bad as one would assume. It’s very liberating. When you’ve conquered your fears, my belief is that you’ve conquered yourself. Like Helen Keller said; “Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”

Debi Waldeck joined us April 28th to share her Passioneering journey about wellness and her fabulous book trilogy.

My three biggest takeaways from Debi’s journey:

• Love of self is the most important success factor in thriving at what you love.  Debi invites us to look in the mirror and really love who and what we see!  Try it and notice how difficult it might be for you.
• The biggest barrier between you and your Passioneering success?  Not forgiving something or something.  Let it go guys!
• Stay focused on your vision and take ACTION to move forward.  You won’t create success by sitting at home and waiting for the phone to ring.   That is, to quote Debi:  “God does not need credit, God needs to be demonstrated.”

Thanks Debi and Happy Passioneering!

About Debi:

Debi Waldeck’s new trilogy, In the Beginning…There Was Wellness, details her account from despair to discovery to destiny! Defying the odds, Debi was told to abort her son due to complications from a medication but a still, small, sweet voice inside said different. Her son was born with numerous complications lasting eight years, fueling her desire to identify the why’s to the fourfold increase in chronic childhood illness and autoimmune disease. Her first book, Saving ‘Generation Next’ unveil the common denominator behind many disease states. Applying Debi’s discoveries finds her son now whole and serving at the United States Military Academy. Lessons in faith and health initiated her second book, Forever Young and Vibrant, which is a body manual that will cause you to never again be afraid that the boogey man will come like a thief in the night. Her last book, The Currency of Thought, identifies how our internal dialogue affects all relationships, including our relationship with money. Health, wealth and peace of mind… it’s all the same. You can reach her at www.DebiWaldeck.com.  A BIG invitation to read her books and attend her telecasts – Highly Recomended!

Passion Q&A with Debi:

SO: Your definition of “passion” – your “WHY” for being on the planet?

Many people pursue an end goal with fire or passion.  Often I have seen that fire come from a burning ember of for instance, an unpleasant experience that one wishes to change.  Therefore, anger turned inward is self-destructive or depression, anger turned outwards is violence or vandalism and anger turned upwards is passion-driving us to fulfill our destiny.   Through the process of directing that energy we can move through many steps; from despair to depression to anger to guilt to complacency to action to contentment to hope and ultimately to joy and love.

SO: Your biggest passions for serving others, and how you’re expressing them (include hobbies, volunteering, if you wish)?

My biggest passion is self-empowerment and creating hope, inspiration and action.  I personally moved from despair, to discoveries to destiny by learning through that process that we participate in creating our experience based on how we respond to situations and that we can actively participate in creating our future by controlling our thoughts and actions today.  We do not have to succumb to a life of prescription drugs or to the maxed out credit cards.  We do not have to succumb to a life of mediocrity.  More important, many are looking for a one word answer, a 140 character tweet or fixes in a pill… yet, many are getting sicker, fatter and poorer…. The answer is knowledge.  Knowledge is the true gold.  Therefore, my passion is transformation and in that, I have a coaching series called 52 weeks to a renewed you. that teaches for instance, how body systems work together, why there is a fourfold increase in chronic childhood illness, how the immune system is developed based on the quality of the development of the intestinal area, and how our thoughts affect all relationships including our relationship with money.

SO: Your biggest challenge(s) in expressing your passions for serving others and how you’ve addressed them?

• FOCUS- any of us who wish to make a difference must absolutely ignore those who say it can’t be done, or no one will listen. Brian Tracy-the most successful author of all time (chicken soup for the soul).. spends 8-10 minutes per day visualizing his desired outcome.
• PERCEPTION-I had to decide and accept that commercially marketing my message does not detract from my message, academia or professionalism.  In order to make a difference, my message must get out and that requires marketing or selling me.  That was very hard at first.  I had to balance the female and male part of this project (my books and message) the female is the creation of the product, of the book and message.  I birthed my baby, but the male or masculine energy is that which provides for and takes care of this project.  If you had a cure for cancer-would you keep it to yourself or would you be unable to sleep each day unless you shared your message…promote yourself!-don’t hide your light under a bushel.
• DISCIPLINE-craft our day so that we do what needs to be done first before we do what we want to do.  Over time, what needs to be done will become what we want to do.
• NETWORK-why do some attract the right person who helps launch their dream?  2 things-they visualize the breakthrough and they get out so that the opportunity may present itself.  Many stay stuck behind the computer or in their home praying for the breakthrough.

SO: What have been the key factors in your success?

• DECISION-the decision to make a difference and take action
• EXPECTATIONS-Expecting to make a difference-setting ambitious goals
• VISUALIZE-I have Debi Waldeck-New York Times best seller posters in many places in my home, I have a dreamboard and intentions that I focus on daily.
• ALLIANCES-I am and have created alliances with like minded people who agree to focus together on our desired outcome of making a difference and significantly decreasing the numbers of children with asthma, ADHD, allergies, autoimmune disease and more.  This is a power group which is different from a master mind group.  A mastermind group brainstorms the best idea…. A powergroup utilizes what is known as the MAHARISHI EFFECT which was studied in 160+ social science journals where a small percentage of a population could focus on a desired outcome and what was seen was a predicted outcome of change.
• BE A GIVER-identify a charity and give a % of your proceeds to them-speak to like minded groups for free…
• NETWORKING:  Join as many associations as you can, meet people.
• ACTION-DO IT AFRAID….JUST DO IT…. we will never be perfect before we take action. GOD CANNOT DIRECT YOUR STEPS IF YOU ARE NOT STEPPING.. it was about putting out my message, book, web-site, webinar series… knowing it was not perfect yet, but accepting feedback and constantly improving.   JUST GET STARTED

SO:  What one word/quality best describes your journey?

INTROSPECTIVE- for me, due to many factors, I found myself alone in many ways.  Therefore, I relied on the ‘still, small, sweet’ voice inside, on prayer and meditation, on observations and interpretations.  I think all of that caused me to be able to think outside the box.  Look, most people whose kid has asthma puts them on an inhaler and it is done, or if the child has ADHD, they put them on medicine and it is done…they are diagnosed with fibromyalgia and that becomes their reality.   I always asked the world and God WHY?   I looked for the root cause and rather than addressing the symptom-I addressed the cause… whether this was in illness, finances or a very disruptive teenager…. By addressing the cause, we altered the course forever.

SO:   What has been your experience of prosperity, as you define it?

For me, Prosperity is being 100% connected to God or what some called source.   When we remove ego from all situations and judge situations as neither good or bad, when we live in the now, when we choose to be happy regardless the experience, then we are connected and in that, all good things will come.  We were meant to have abundance and to have health, wealth and peace of mind.

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

When it is done in the spirit… it is done.   It just takes time for the physical to catch up.  A wave crashes on the shore but the energy that created that wave happened long before the physical manifestation of the crash on the shore….

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

Took me a long time to even realize how important that was.  My family is in Virginia….  So I never had family around for our children and family.  When it came to business, it seemed the same (honestly…. I seemed to find women who wanted to compete rather than be friends.. or men that wanted something other than business…)… therefore, my support system primarily has been God or source or whatever you want to call it, my husband and children.  I take very good care of them and they do the same for me.  I have been a coach, mentor or leader for a long time.  I kept praying, when the student is ready the teacher will come, right??  But I realized that we attract what we need to learn.  I listened to the speech,

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure…Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.  There’s nothing enlightening about shrinking, so that other people won’t feel insecure around you…as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
–Nelson Mandela

SO: What wisdom do you have for someone who’s scared/discouraged about their own leap? It’s trust, love, wisdom triangle…

Why do we resist change?

As Marianne Williamson said, “We are afraid of our own power.”

Why?

Because change gives you an opportunity to know yourself, and people are afraid to truly ‘see’ themselves.

Why?

Because people see themselves through the eyes of all who have come

before them.

Sadly, people do not look at themselves through the eyes of God because if they did, they would stare all day long.

Why?

Because many people do not know God

Why?

You start to know God when you

learn to love yourself. To know God means you choose to love yourself

exactly the way you are now – male,

female, black, white, yellow, red, fat, skinny, ugly, pretty. The problem is

that people seek man’s approval before

and above God’s approval.

Why?

Because people have no faith. Faith is the opposite of fear. People are in fear and the cycle begins again.

Okay, everyone knows that faith is not fear. We know what it isn’t, but what is faith?

Faith is to know that when you step into the unknown, you will not fall.  You will either find your way or you

will be carried. Faith is Trust.

What is Trust?

Trust is to know that you are loved.

But what if you have never been

shown love?

It’s the Man versus God thing again. Man must demonstrate love. To learn to trust, you must learn to love yourself. Only then will you come to know God.

Does self-love remove God?

Don’t worry that self-love takes God out of the equation.

God does not need credit,

God needs to be demonstrated.

We had the honor to interview Patricio Quezada today on our radio show.  He’s 19 years old and a Latino-American Teen Renegade CEO.  With his keen interest in technology and in  always being part of an elite team, he has started the Latino conglomerate company Coppola & Quezada, formerly known as Hispanics Learn.  For more stories on teen Renegade CEOs, please visit www.RenegadeCEOs.com, and for more Passioneer® stories, visit  www.passionsandpossibilities.com.

Biggest TakeAways from Our Radio Interview

• Our Gen Y/Millenials have tons to teach us as older adults.  During our interview, Patricio taught me some powerful nuances about patience and groundedness – no easy feat!
• Patricio’s biggest tip for those making the leap into what they love:  “You have to bet on yourself.”    He adds “One person listening is enough.”
• I was awestruck by Patricio’s heart for service.  He’s absolutely clear that prosperity for him is about making a difference in others’ lives and not about material stuff.

Thanks Patricio and Happy Passioneering!

His Archived Radio Interview

His Passion Q&A

SO: Your definition of “passion” – your “WHY” for being on the planet?

Passion is defined as a strong, barely controllable feeling. Passion is a feeling that knows no limits or boundaries to what you do. In modern day, passion is often hidden and forgotten and without an individual passion, we cannot succeed.

SO: Your biggest passions for serving others, and how you’re expressing them (include hobbies, volunteering, if you wish)?

I’ve grown up playing all different types of sports starting from being a bench warmer to a starter. All my life I’ve always been a team player as well as an individual with influence. To me I believe cold-heartedly in team achievement. One person can achieve all of life’s greatest accomplishments and that’s great for him but a team achievement inspires more groups of people which changes the world. It’s like they say there is power in numbers. That is why I started a conglomerate business. I started wanting to teach computer education to latino who weren’t born into the technology savvy generation but I started to see that aside from teaching I always participated in advocacy groups and always lended an extra hand. Now I can create a global environment for latino executives and those to be to share ideas, share feedback, and grow.

SO: Your biggest challenge(s) in expressing your passions for serving others and how you’ve addressed them?

I dislike being the only one to take the leap of faith. I’ll take the fall by myself no problem but I like to make sure that my leap of faith has a purpose. Knowing that this is a problem, I’ve recently started to group together the people that always give feedback whether negative or positive, people who make me laugh, people who have those resources I lack and so on and so forth.

SO: What have been the key factors in your success?

Effort, Teamwork, and Execution

SO: What one word/quality best describes your journey?

Follow-through

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

That I don’t have to do it all alone and I also don’t need to give up everything I love to do it, but some sacrifice and devotion is necessary.

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

First and foremost my family, secondly my business coach Shonika Proctor, and lastly my daily latino/latina executives that always keep me on my toes and give me the greatest feedback. I’ve created this system by setting up various scenarios in which specific qualities of certain individuals are needed.

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

You have to be unafraid to think that the idea you have is a great idea and you have to realize that the way you see it coming together is not the only way that it can happen.

I’ve always told myself that I would rather die instantaneously in a head-on collision with a Mack truck than deteriorate slowly and painfully by an illness like cancer (as my father did).  Then why did I spend most of my life (until 2008) in sap-sucking j.o.b.s. in Corporate America?  Did I know better?  Perhaps.  Did I still blindly stumble around in a chamber of gaseous mediocrity?  Absolutely.  Honestly, the “why?” doesn’t really matter at all.  What matters is that I finally stopped the insanity.

Now I could spend thousands of dollars for a great shrink who could shed some light on my childhood wounds, issues, problems, barriers, blockages, ego development, rejection, or other “baggage” from my past.  I could also blame my father who died a relatively young man at the age of 67 from esophageal cancer, one of the worst ways to go.  What really killed him were years of resignation, cynicism and playing small as a Department of Energy bureaucrat.  Every day, he awoke at 5:15 am, left the house by 7:00 via his carpool, headed to downtown Washington D.C, returned by 6:15 pm, ate supper, watched a few hours of TV sitcoms, and then went to bed by 9 pm.    He did this every weekday for over 20 years.  Government Ground Hog Day.  Granted, he did obtain a senior DOE muckety-muck designation, did provide his family with more than we needed (thank you Dad!), and did stay married to my mother for over 30 years (a feat unto itself).

Earlier in his life, he co-founded an aeronautical engineering start-up, invented a satellite antenna, and was a freelance photographer (“took pictures of naked women,” as my mother puts it).  If he were alive today, he would tell you that his familial sacrifices were well worth it.  Yet, I have to believe that he would have been happier, if less financially secure, had he remained an entrepreneur and enjoyed more of his favorite hobbies.  Instead, he allowed his passions to be sucked Sahara-dry in order to fulfill his commitments to others.  While I’m extremely grateful to him for my being on this planet and for all that he shared, I would have traded middle-class America for penny-pinching Top Ramen-hood any day, if it meant that he could have fulfilled his own dreams.  For his many years of steady-eddy government service, my father never got a gold watch, plaque, or even a visit from one of his colleagues as he lay dying in the hospital.  Not one of them came to his funeral.

You would think that, after my father’s death, I would have learned to live in unlimited passions and possibilities, yes?   Not!  Instead, I numbly retraced my father’s footsteps, albeit in a different industry (financial services).  For nearly 15 years, I leaped from one corporate hamster wheel to another, reaching for juicier tidbits each time:  a bigger paycheck here, a fancier title there.  Throughout, I knew darn well that I wasn’t making a real contribution to the world, let alone leaving a legacy, and I was feigning passion like a rotten actress.

Fast forward to 2008:  I was blessed by a well-needed and expected severance from a cushy, comfortable job at Washington Mutual, as it belly flopped into bankruptcy: my jailbreak from cubicle nation into entrepreneurship as a business coach and founder of this Passions and Possibilities Project.  Now, with integrity and an authentic voice, I can honestly say that I’m having a blast and making a real difference in the lives of others, as they unleash their own passions!  The facade of pretending to love the mundane has vanished, and there’s a resurgence of vibrancy and enthusiasm that laid dormant for way too long.

So, what did I glean from my father’s life and his death?  Far more than one blog can hold, AND below are three points to consider on your own journey:

1) Don’t settle for dispassion – it’s poison in your veins.   Even rats get used to rat poison, if it seeps into their bloodstream slowly enough.  You’re meant to shine in this world, to sing, to dance, and to rejoice every day.  If you’re not, look around. Either you’re choosing the life that you want to live, or others are choosing it for you.  It’s really that simple.

2) The acorn can fall far from the tree, if it sprouts wings. You don’t have to be bound and shackled by the stories of your parents, grandparents, family trees, or other genealogy crap.   If you don’t like the stories that have come before, rewrite your story going forward.  You’re the author of your life.

3)  There is absolutely nothing worth sacrificing your own bliss for. Period.   So please stop pretending to love what you don’t.  Quit rationalizing a mediocre life that doesn’t honor who you really are.  The resentment will build and build until….pop!

So get very clear and very real about what you love NOW, before it’s too late.

Sign up for our weekly Passioneering Tips, share your own Passioneer story or be a guest blogger!

Happy Passioneering!

Whitney Washington is a student attending Full Sail University, studying Entertainment Business.   She started her company, Puzzle Piece Promotions,  4 months ago for a project for school, and is talented videographer. 

Check out her archived radio interview with us on Wednesday, March 31st, 5pm PST.

Thanks Whitney, and Happy Passioneering!

Joon Yun, MD, CFA is a partner and the President of Palo Alto Investors, an hedge fund founded in 1989.  Dr. Yun joined PAI in 1998 and specializes in the health-care sector. Dr. Yun was a physician at Stanford in the Department of Radiology where he served on the clinical faculty until 2006. Dr. Yun received his bachelor of arts in biology from Harvard University in 1990 and his doctor of medicine from Duke University School of Medicine in 1994.  He is founder of Palo Alto Institute, a non-profit think tank.  He has authored numerous medical patents and scientific articles, and authored a book, “Low Stress Foods”.

Dr. Yun has a fresh perspective on the topic of “Doing What You Love,” that you don’t want to miss!  His radio show interview was on Wednesday, March 31st, 9am PST (listen below).

Three tips to tune fully into what you love:

• Take the time to discover what you truly love. NOT what your parents, society, friends, or others say you should, shouldn’t, have to, or gotta.  What activities do you participate in where you totally lose yourself (i.e., time stands still?).  THAT is where to focus your time and energy!
• Schedule unscheduled blocks of time to refrain from turning your passions into a  big “to do” list. Transform your “to do” list into a “to be” list that’s fun and delightful.
• Empower yourself to create the life that you want to live. No one else is going to do it for you.  Each day that you’re not expressing what you truly love, you’re cutting yourself off from your purpose on the planet.  And you’re sending a message to the planet that it’s A-OK to stay mediocre.  NOT!

Thank you Joon and Happy Passioneering to all!

Michael S. Brown was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Psychology.   A published author, Michael has worked in the fields of publishing, film, television and higher education and is the founder and CEO of Second Acts, a non-profit fundraising organization for animal rescue nationwide.  Michael joined us live on March 17th for our radio program, and can be reached at www.secondacts.org.

We interviewed Michael recently on Blog Talk Radio about his inspiring passioneering journey, both ups and downs.  Here’s the archive.  Enjoy!

Questions on Michael’s Passioneering Journey

SO: Your definition of “passion” – your “WHY” for being on the planet?

An individual’s passion takes them to places he or she never knew existed.  Whereas our ordinary, day-to-day responsibilities consist of tasks and projects we need to complete in order to survive, our passions are the substance by which we find enrichment, joy and purpose in our lives.  Without the existence of passion, there is no learning, development or personal growth.

SO: Your biggest passions for serving others, and how you’re expressing them (include hobbies, volunteering, if you wish)?

I have had the fortunate opportunity to share the knowledge I have gained by teaching and volunteering.  Acting as the vessel through which others can obtain personal and professional growth has provided me with great satisfaction upon seeing how I have been able to enrich the lives of others, including our four-legged friends in need of a new, loving home.

SO: Your biggest challenge(s) in expressing your passions for serving others and how you’ve addressed them?

The initiation and launch of my own non-profit organization presented several challenges, the biggest being the creation of a company that would best serve our four-legged friends as well as fulfill the needs of an animal-loving public that wants to help but doesn’t know how.  The most effective way to address any challenge is to thoroughly research the information needed to reach that particular passion or goal.  The biggest stumbling block for most is a lack of focus and knowledge of how to make their passion a reality.

SO: They say that when you do what you love, the rest follows.  What has been your experience of prosperity, as you define it?

Prosperity is measured by how many people’s (or animal’s) lives I touch.  I have received such overwhelming support from the public, which confirms that I have made a successful leap towards fulfilling my passion.

SO:  The biggest lesson that you’ve learned in making the leap?

The most important lesson one can learn is that one cannot accomplish anything alone.  Setting goals and pursuing passions requires the inclusion of others, and I consider myself very fortunate to have the support and encouragement I needed to make that leap.

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

My support system is composed of a healthy balance between personal (family, friends) and professional (Board of Directors).  The latter came together from years of networking and maintaining personal relationships with like-minded individuals whom I chose to join me in this journey.

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

If one is fearful or unsure about pursuing his or her passion, take small steps.  Do not listen to negative words from the past.  Surround yourself with those who really know you and who believe in your abilities; they will be there in case there is a misstep and help guide you in the right direction.  But it all starts with knowing who you are, concentrating on your strengths, and believing that an unsuccessful endeavor does not equal personal failure.

What’s your next big milestone?

Following a successful grassroots launch, Second Acts is ready to move to the next plateau, which will consist of national exposure and the creation of entities in each state to generate greater awareness of both the organization and the need to support animal rescue.

Happy Passioneering Michael and Thank You!

Our April nominees for Passioneer of the Month are now posted and we’re accepting your votes for your favorite.  So far, we have the following nominees, and are welcoming new nominations until March 21st:

• Aimee Gallo, Founder of Vibrance Nutrition
• Harun Merdzanic, Fashionista and Teen Renegade CEO
• Ryan Ray, Founder of WakeUp! TV and Radio Program
• Leigh Shambo, Founder of Human-Equine Alliances for Learning (HEAL)

Here’s the link to our online April Passioneer Poll:

http://apps.facebook.com/polldaddy-polls/?view=poll&id=2824998

During each month, we accept nominations for the Passioneer of the Month award, for individuals who have met the following criteria:

(1) Have leaped fully into making the world a better place,

(2) Are living vibrantly and in balance,

(3) Are committed to supporting others in reaching their highest potential,

(4) Are not related to or working for anyone affiliated with The Passions and Possibilities Project.

Nominations for each month close by the 21st of the prior month.  Our judges then select our Passioneer of the Month, based upon a variety of passioneering qualities.   The Passioneer of the Month will be featured on the home page of our blog for the following month.  We will also make a special donation to the Soles4Souls Foundation on his/her behalf.

Please go to our nomination page to submit your candidate.    Thanks for sharing your story with us.

And if you would like to be on our judges’ panel for one or more months, please let us know!

Happy Passioneering, Sue

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!

Ellen Whitehurst is the CEO and Founder of The Empowered Lifestyle.  A monthly marquee columnist for Redbook magazine, Ellen’s first book, Make Your Lucky Day,is now going into Fourth printing and she is currently working on her second book.  Ellen also writes a daily tip for iVillage.com as well as contributing to other myriad media agendas, including now John Edward’s new site, InfiniteQuest.com as well lifestyle blogging for The Huffington Post.    She is also one of DoctorOz.com’s alternative/complementary/holistic healthcare providers in their new Web 3.0 sharecare program. For more information on Ellen and what sort of fortune and luck this month has in store for you log onto www.ellenwhitehurst.com.

Her definition of “passion”? “That thing, that essence that animates me, that makes me smile, and makes my heart and my soul smile.”

Her biggest passions: Her son.  Feng shui, mystical, metaphysics.  And cooking and serving with food (she’s writing her second book on this topic!).

Summary quote: “There is no one less likely to have made a success of a brand than me.  And I’ve done it.  And if I can do it, anyone can”!

Biggest challenges along the road: Feeling scared and lonely after her 20-year marriage ended and deciding to pursue fully her passion for feng shui.  Says Ellen, “I so firmly believe that if you follow your passion, if you find what it is that you love, it makes it so much easier to be persistent about it.  And persistence is the key to everything on this planet, I swear to you.  You have to have a real well of persistence to get over the obstacles because the obstacles are…really opportunities to learn. And at the time you may think that something that is crushing and disappointing is the end of the road. And I will personally guarantee -I will put money behind it - that that end of the road is simply bringing you to another new road that’s going to bring you closer to what your dreams are.”

How do you know when it’s a boulder to go over or a sign to take another path? She says, “ for me, if you have a passion towards achieving or accomplishing a particular or specific goal, you’ll never get a boulder that will push you off of the path.   You’re never going the wrong way, you are going where you need to be.  If, however, you’re not that passionate about it…you don’t feel it in the seat of your soul…that’s where the concept of trust comes in.  You have to trust that you will be shown.  …Ask your higher power, whatever that is for you, ‘Am I on the right road?’    And then be open to receive the answers.  That’s about as trite as it gets, it’s as banal as it gets, but it’s also as real as it gets. If you can quiet your being and can, from your heart, from emotion, ask your higher power if you’re on the right road, I can tell you that, within 48 hours, you’ll get…confirmation.”

Natural talents/gifts: “I came in with an ability to write.”

What didn’t/doesn’t come naturally: … “the ability to get in front of people and speak”;  not having a business background

How does someone balance commitments & responsibilities with pursuing their passions? “It’s really important that when you have responsiblities, when you have commitments and you’re embarking on doing something, obviously if you feel the need to keep your 9 to 5, to keep your paycheck, temporarily, you still need to push energy forward on some level towards what you’re passionate about.   …The same sort of commitment that you have to paying the bills, to taking care of your parents, or to taking care of the kid’s tuition…that same sort of commitment has to translate into a commitment to what your passion is.  And pretty soon, before you even know it, the passion will overtake whatever the 9 – 5 is, and you will find opportunities flying at you to engage yourself in whatever it is that you’re truly interested in, and will leave the 9-5 behind.”

Definition of “prosperity” and how she is experiencing it.   “I’m going to be a capitalist and say that I define it as something with a dollar sign in front of it.  I could really throw out the line that prosperity is abundance, and I do believe that secondarily.   …I define prosperity as feeling comfortable; as not ever worrying where the next dime is going to come from, or where the next pair of shoes is going to come from, or where the next car payment is going to come from.”

Tip on handling fears: “…You can spend time laying awake in bed at night…and thinking ‘How am I supposed to make the car payment?’   That time that you’re spending worrying about it is in fact, what we call ‘feeding the hungry monster’.”  She suggests that, instead of worrying about it, you can choose to spend the time imagining all of the ways that money COULD come in to cover the car payment.   “Are you going to lay in bed and worry, or are you going to construct a visualization that has you paying it…..either way it’s a fantasy,” she notes.  “Why not choose the one that’s positive?”

…”If you feed your fear with fatted worry you’re just creating more of the same.  So don’t feed the fear.”

Her next big milestone: A second book, focusing  on food and cooking; a television show

Keith J. Davis Jr. is the founder of K. Jerrold Enterprises, a personal empowerment company that empowers, educates and motivates youth and teens to become future leaders through thought-provoking seminars, writings, networking functions, mentoring and more. Davis is the son of marketing innovator “Mr. D-MARS” (Keith Davis Sr.), owner of Houston marketing firm conglomerate D-MARS.com. Davis is a 2009 high school graduate of Cy-Springs High School in Cypress; he is currently enrolled at the University of Houston Main Campus. In his 18 years, he has launched a youth magazine, is a sought-after speaker, publisher, actor, model, and now the author of Young? So What! 10 Steps to Become a Successful Young Entrepreneur. Visit www.keithjdavisjr.com for more information.