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Passoneer® Jasmine Graham, Coach, Athlete, Entrepreneur

October 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment

bio picJasmine Graham is the Founder and President of Pace For Success Inc. She is a certified coach with the Road runners Club of America and an American Council of Exercise certified Fitness instructor. Pace For Success creates F.I.N.E. HUMAN BEINGS through Fitness, Involvement, Nutrition & Empowerment. Jasmine is currently running a very successful Health and wellness company. She offers Bootcamp Fitness sessions, Running programs and Nutrition programs. Her scope of service is not just limited to fitness and nutrition. Her newest endeavor is her talk show FINE WOMEN that will cover issues related to Fitness, Involvement , Nutrition and Empowerment in every show. She also wants to showcase ordinary people doing extraordinary things in every episode. She decided to create this show because she wanted to empower and effect people in a positive way on a larger scale. The pilot is completed and will be shopped to various networks. She has also been interviewed on various cable programs where she discussed how she changed careers and the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Her life’s passion is to help people be the best that they can be and she is accomplishing that. She can be reached at www.pace4success.com.

Below is her interview with us on Blog Talk Radio, October 2, 2009:

Filed Under: Blog, Health & Fitness, Passioneers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Passioneer® Eileen Dey, MA, Actress, Speaker, Founder of Reiki Training Program

October 10, 2009 By 2 Comments

Eileen DeyEileen Dey, M.A. and Reiki master is the director/founder of the only state licensed Eileen is also a counselor and provides on-going “anti-career” support to adults in career transition. Reach her at www.reikitrainingprogram.com.

We interviewed her earlier this year on Blog Talk Radio (Passions and Possibilities Network):

Filed Under: Blog, Healing Arts, Passioneers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Passioneer® Keith J. Davis, Jr, Entrepreneur, Founder of K. Jerrold Enterprises

October 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment

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.

Keith J. Davis, Jr.

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Passioneer Donna Hill, Musician, Songwriter, Advocate for Blind Americans

September 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment

On May 22nd, 2009, we interviewed Donna Hill about her Passioneer’s journey, and also featured her as a guest on our blog talk radio show, Passions and Possiblities on June 19th.   She is an author, singer/songwriter, recording artist, speaker and avid knitter in rural Pennsylvania. Donna started her music career as a street performer in Philadelphia, where she sang for thirteen years. Hear her music at: http://cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill.  Born blind, Donna works to foster understanding of and improve opportunities for blind Americans, as a volunteer publicist for the nonprofit Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind: http://www.padnfb.org.

She is courageous, talented, creative, and extremely passions about the rights of blind Americans.  Learn more about her story below.

What’s Your Definition of Passion, Donna?

Something that you feel so deeply that you are compelled to act on it.

What Are Your Passions, and How Are You Expressing Them?

I have a passion for nature and am expressing that by living in the country on 17 ½ acres with a pond.  I’m just in love with frogs, which I never thought that I would be…We took a leap by moving out here.  As a blind person, it was a leap. I’d always wanted to live in the country. Many blind people live in the city because of the transportation and other services.

I played piano and guitar when I was supporting myself as a musician.  I’m doing the piano more nowadays.  My hands do numb up.  I had a long run in Philadelphia with music, and had three guide dogs during that time that all developed their own fan clubs.  It was wonderful!  That was my initial passion in terms of my music. I’m a songwriter, but I don’t support myself that way anymore.  I’m a semi-retired folk singer.  Writing music is definitely a passion of mine. I don’t “try” to write a song; very rarely do I try. Most of the time, it’s an inspiration, it’s what I feel so deeply that I can’t put it aside.  The song is within me and it needs to come out.  So I write and record it, and there it is.  It’s something that I do, it’s part of me.

Where I spend most of my time now is working for the rights of blind people in America -  to bring attention to the dire situation that most blind people are in. That’s the driving passion at this part of my life.  After I had cancer (diagnosed twice), I put a stop to my regular music career.   …At a certain point, you have to persevere.  What do you do if you don’t go forward in some way?

How Did You Come to Express Your Passion in this Way?

It was partially about trying to come to terms with what had happened in my own life with blindness issues.  A few years ago, I was speaking and singing at a Lion’s club convention; singing and talking to them about blindness to try to express in music about having goals and reaching your dreams.  I met this young lady who was also blind, just out of high school, who had gotten herself a job as a receptionist in the town where she lived. I found out that she was learning Braille through a correspondence  course.  “They didn’t teach me it at school,”  she said.  I thought things had changed…I felt so overwhelmed and thought ”this didn’t go away.”  When I was a kid, 50% of folks were taught Braille.  Most blind people don’t work, and those who do are Braille readers.  Yet people are turning their backs on this.

This is a civil justice movement:  I really think that the core is that people don’t really understand blindness; they’re afraid of it, they may have seen or heard something (about it) and they think that everyone’s like that.  They extrapolate. We really do have to change people’s minds.  It’s really a civil rights issue.  Americans view people with disabilities as fundamentally different from themselves, feeling fear and pity most often.

Most blind people, over 80%, grew up sighted and grew up with the general society’s image of blindness…Most of them believe that their life is over…that they no longer will be productive or happy…They have a deep core belief.  Getting beyond that deep core belief takes a lot.

There are blind people living productive lives, but we are in the shadows.  The media rarely present the issues.  The reason that it’s news?  It counters the belief that it’s possible.

We are an invisible, but growing minority.  One that includes people who have no incidence (of blindness) in their family.  We aren’t a separate group. We are part of the normal culture. But part of the normal culture that has been hereto for ignored.  It’s changing, but it’s not changing in a huge way.

If you look for prominent blind individuals who are on the national stage, politics, entertainment, there’s David Patterson of NY and Stevie Wonder, but I would ask you, where are the blind women?   We have a lot of young blind women who are entertainers in a lot of field; and they are still unknown and aren’t household words.  Young blind people need role models as they grow up.  The boys have some, but the girls don’t.

What’s Next for You Donna?

I’m doing a series of articles for the American Chronicle (http://www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3885)

Thanks Donna

Filed Under: Advocacy, Blog, Passioneers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Passioneer® Mark Horvath, Homeless Advocate, Founder of InvisiblePeople.tv

September 29, 2009 By 1 Comment

Mark Horvath is the creator of InvisiblePeople.tv (www.invisiblepeople.tv), a video-blog, in which he shares stores of the homeless.  Currently he is traveling across the nation in order to help bring understanding and knowledge to the growing homeless crisis.  You can find out more about InvisiblePeople.tv Road Trip U.S.A. by visiting http://invisiblepeople.info. Below are some excerpts from our recent interviews with him.

What is your definition of passion?

Mark:  “I don’t know that I’m driven by passion. I don’t see any other choice in what I do. I really don’t.  I help homeless people. I didn’t wake up one day and say “this is my career move…” It just happened.   I once had a great career in television and I ended up homeless on Hollywood Boulevard…I did everything both good and bad a person can do in Los Angeles. When I first hit the streets homeless I didn’t know how I was going to survive.  I had a 6-foot iguana…I was sitting on the wall (by the Chinese theater), with my head in the lap…and asking “How am I going to live?”  Some touristMark Horvath - Iguanas pull up and they get out of the bus and ask “Can I take a picture of your iguana?”  I said “for a dollar,” and they all started handing me dollars.  That’s how I became the lizard man of Hollywood – that’s how I survived.

I got kicked out of shelters three or four times.  The last time I got kicked out, I found the Los Angeles International Dream Center (www.dreamcenter.org), a faith-based church that truly is a model of compassion others should follow..  It’s an amazing place.  That’s where I started rebuilding  my life.  Fast-forward a few years and once again I have a successful executive career, three bedroom house with two car garage and pool. Then I lost my job right after having ten inches of my colon removed. I lived off my credit cards for 9 months. Wish I knew back then I was going to lose the house. Now I have a foreclose and huge dept. I accepted a job In Los Angeles for $80k. in LaLa Land money that is peanuts and it was a huge cut in pay for me. I didn’t know how I was going to make it on ONLY $80k. I laugh now because I don’t have a job or income. For the most part I’ve been out of fulltime work for 20 months now! The job in LA only lasted 3 months. They had to layoff a mess of people. I don’t know what to do.  Honestly I was very scared! But I took an insane action: With $45, a laptop and a little camera I started something I’d always wanted to do:  InvisiblePeople.Tv.  I use media to give people with little influence and face and a voice.

Part of it started 10 years ago after I got off the streets when I was working as a nonprofit TV producer, I was doing a lot of homeless stories.  Put they all had an agenda. They were the truth, but they were never the persons story. Out of frustration, I went to Santa Monica with a camera and was going to produce a raw documentary of life on the streets from the homeless perspective.  I remember I interviewed these little punk rock kids.  I call them “gutter punks.”  One was a young runway girl and just looking at her your heart breaks.  I turned around and there was a homeless lady from Cambodia with no arms.  She said “those kids are spoiled. WHAT! So I rolled tape and she said, “even being homeless in America with no arms, is better than being in Cambodia.”  Right there and then I realized the power of the media. Depending if I cut this lady in or out I could make you love or hate these kids!

When I originally started doing this InvisiblePeople.tv I couldn’t edit the videos, so I had no choice but to upload raw unedited footage. It’s real life in your face raw! To my shock people started to watch. Now I can edit the videos, but I won’t because you need to see the good and the bad.  Life is that way.

Over the winter I found a 3 month temp job helping a homeless shelter but the grant ran out so I was laid off (again) this past March 15th.  I currently live without an income, I am borderline homelesshomeless_082509_cotton_sh20.2 myself.  I don’t know where rent is going to come from, I don’t have any health insurance, I don’t eat right, just like many I often sit in my crisis.  But I have a choice: I can lay in my bed which I call “blanket time” and cry, or I can get up and take action and help someone else. And that’s what I choose to do.  And in doing that, I’ve been flown to New York and Seattle; I’ve been to Phoenix, to Sacramento. And I’m a guy that doesn’t have an income!  If you do the math, this shouldn’t be happening!  I do look for work. I haven’t given up. In the meantime, I scream real loud about homelessness and poverty. During this trip housing programs have been started, feeding programs, kids who don’t have shoes to go to school now have NEW shoes. It’s been amazing.  And the road trip is still only half way done!

We’re all too busy.  We don’t stop and get the neighbor’s story.  In Los Angeles, we have a saying that you don’t get to know your neighbor until there’s an earthquake…..We don’t notice our neighbor.  So when you see the guy at the exit sign with his cardboard sign, you don’t stop and talk to him. You just roll up your window or maybe you give him a quarter or dollar out of guilt.  You don’t engage.  Some of the greatest feedback that I got was on America’s Next Top Model:  there was a blog post on their forum of some girl that said ‘I used to hate the homeless and think they were bums,’ and then I went to InvisblePeople.tv and now I know that they’re regular people like you and me.

I bet you know someone who is going through foreclosure; you know someone that’s been laid off. They don’t raise their hand.  Now you might not be able to pay their mortgage, but you can take them out of their crisis.  People in poverty sit in their crisis because they don’t have money to distract. Take them to the movies, take them out to dinner.

Twice in my life I chased money and both times I failed.  When I focus on helping people, I can’t help but succeed.  …I can sit here and look at my problems or I can get out and help people.  It’s almost like a selfish act…In helping other people, I don’t think about my problems.  I’m grateful.  I meet people every day who are homeless and I have an apartment. Now, because of the economy a few of my sponsors were not able to keep their commitment so I do not have enough money to get back to LA. But I am counting on you all to not leave me homeless in the Midwest. PLEASE! Honest, I run out of money very soon. But I’ve made it across the country helping others along the way and that alone for an unemployed guy who lost everything is a miracle.

That’s going on in the world is crazy.  …it’s almost paralyzing. I can’t help the people in NY or in Florida, but I can help the people right in front of me.  I think what’s happening in the economy is a good thing. Because we’re going to have to wake up. My hope is that we start taking care of each other.

Maybe homelessness isn’t your thing.  Maybe its AIDs or human trafficking.  Pick something. Find something.  By changing your world – the world directly around you, we will change the world.  It’s about helping people…It’s about compassion.

What I do is not really about the homeless people. It’s about us.  It’s about the people who can change things.  It’s about the people walking by the homeless and not looking.  I’m trying to not change homelessness as much as I am trying to change people who aren’t homeless…so they actually do something about it.”

Thank you Mark for your time and awesome story!

Filed Under: Advocacy, Blog, Passioneers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Putting Passions Prosperously into Action: No Starving Martyrs, Please!

August 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

What is your definition of prosperity? Is it based upon the size of your paycheck, your bank account, or your house? I have interviewed nearly 100 bold talented individuals who made the big leap successfully into their dreams (aka Passioneers (sm)) and have investigated their views on prosperity. Our Passioneers included entrepreneurs, artists, performers, writers, and athletes. Bottom line? Regardless of their prior jobs, incomes, or social status, these Passioneers unanimously indicated that their prosperity is much greater now than before their leap. Most importantly, their definition of prosperity expanded beyond materiality to encompass the five quality of life factors shown below.

1) “Prosperity = Having More Time for Me.” All of the interviewed Passioneers stated that they now have more time for themselves and others after making their leap. While some old-school entrepreneurs still believe in the myth of struggle, strife, and 70-hour work weeks, true Passioneers know that balance is critical, so they tend to be healthier and happier than their workaholic counterparts. Why? Because they spend more time in play, relaxation, working out, and self-care.

2) “Prosperity = More Time for Family and Friends.” In addition to making time for themselves, Passioneers make more time for their families, friends, and social activities. The most important reason for doing so is to “feel connected.” As one man put it, “That’s why we’re here.”

3) “Prosperity = Being My Own Boss.” Passioneers love being their own boss, which is a big impetus for many of them to leave their regular day jobs. Studies have shown that who you report to is one of the major factors in job satisfaction. Passioneers also recognize that there’s no such thing as a secure job anymore, regardless of how big your company is. Having been laid off twice from Corporate America, I can personally attest to the lack of job security, and the joy of being my own boss.

4) “Prosperity = Creating My Own Work Environment.” Passioneers adore being able to create their own work environments, wherever that may be. Passioneer Ken shares how much he loves hearing his 3-year old son wake up in the morning and the pitter-patter of his slippers as he wanders into this father’s office to kiss him good morning. Ken left a successful graphic arts career with a leading firm to become a solopreneur, and hasn’t looked back since.

5) “Prosperity = Making a Difference in the World MY WAY.” The real reason behind our Passioneers’ increased feeling of prosperity is their opportunity to express their passions in the world on their own terms. “A Passion is doing what you love every day,” said one Passioneer, adding, “It’s following your purpose and serving in your own unique way”. Another Passioneer, Shonika Proctor (http://www.teenentrepreneurblog.com/) describes a passion as being “what is good for you…it fulfills you, fascinates you, and intrigues you.”

So even if you end up making less income as you make the leap into your passions, the benefits are huge from doing what you love, having more time for yourself and others, and creating the work environment of your dreams. What are you waiting for?

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Passioneer® Brooke Ellison, Author, Speaker, Stem Cell Research Advocate

August 12, 2009 By Leave a Comment

At the age of 7 years, Brooke Ellison was paralyzed from the neck after being hit by a car on a New York road.  Her story is about tremendous courage, but it’s even more about her commitment to contributing to others through her work in stem cell research.   After her accident, Brooke focused on education rather than feeling sorry foBrooke Ellisonr herself, and became the first quadriplegic to graduate from Harvard.  Her story inspired Christopher Reeves to direct a movie about her life, The Brooke Ellison Story.  Our phone interview took place on May 26th , and you can also hear her 7/1/09 radio interview on Blog Talk Radio:


(Our questions are in bold, and Brooke’s answers follow them).   Brooke can be reached at www.brookeellison.com).

What Have Been Your Biggest Challenges, and How Have You Overcome Them?

Brooke:  “Had it not been for this situation I would never been able to do half of the things that I’ve done in my life…to touch the people I’ve been able to touch.  Those are the kinds of things that I focus on.  It’s about a mindset.  There are people who live in much more tragic situations than I am and who are living wonderful lives.

I have had the fortune and misfortune to see the difficult side of life.  My parents were told that I wasn’t going to live.  And if I did, my life would be dictated by loss and sadness.   I’ve overcome that.  I have seen the power of hope and of setting goals for myself.   I see opportunity where it seems to have been lost, and could never have done it alone.  As long as you have someone by your side for support, you can end up doing pretty remarkable things.

We need to have a sense of responsibility to use whatever we’ve learned, our challenges, etc. to help others get through times that are difficult.”
What’s Your Guidance for Someone Who Is Scared about Leaping into Their Passions?

Brooke:  “Get creative with it.  You don’t have to live life by other people’s notions about what’s normal…it’s a balance of having goals and being happy with what is.  In every obstacle there’s always an opportunity.  Often it doesn’t present itself right away.  You get a sense of purpose out of what seems difficult.  Very rarely does that work get done by someone who’s had it easy or thought within the box.  Creative, groundbreaking things rarely come out of the day-to-day.  Nobody should be afraid to take the leap or do something that they feel called to do.  Change doesn’t ever create itself.
We all can do it.  I have a great amount of faith in each other.  That’s where I have faith.  Had it not been for the influence of others in my life, I would not be where I am.  I would never have gotten to where I am if not for the role of my family in my life.  It’s very reciprocal.  We have a responsibility to give it back.”

What Have You Had to Release?

Brooke:  “In the face of any kind of situation no matter how difficult, there’s always meaning that can be found in it.  People really need to believe that.  It can be frustrating that things are set for you, but there’s also a great sense of power and liberation.  I have a certain level of control over being as positive as I can.  It takes a lot of belief in myself.”

What Is Your Next Milestone?

Brooke:  “To get my PhD in sociology, medicine and society, in a couple of years.  To teach a course in stem cell research and to have founded a nonprofit for this research. Science, legislation, societal ethics, advocacy, and economics, all couched in one area. ”

What’s Drawn You to Stem Cell Research in Particular?

Brooke:  “I’ve heard so many people’s stories facing the most dire of situations.  How people have suffered terribly.  At the same time, so much hope is in this issue.  I really believe firmly that it can alter the course of medicine as we know it, completely. Whether or not it will affect my life is up for question, but it may help millions of others.  I’m not a legislator or scientist, but if I can contribute to alleviate suffering, I would feel that I’ve done something.”

Thank you Brooke for being so generous with your time today.

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Putting Passions into Action – Take Your Great Ideas to Market!

May 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Even during a recession, there are many opportunities to take your new ideas to market quickly and profitably.  Most entrepreneurs are overflowing with great ideas for new products and services.  So how do you screen these ideas so that they generate big profits in a relatively short time?  …Get started by answering these 5 questions.

1)  Who are my target customers, and what are their biggest needs?

As you consider your new offering, do a brain dump on your target market, including demographics (e.g., age, income) and psychographics (e.g., attitudes, behaviors). Also consider the size of your target market, its growth rate, and current trends.  Fill in any big holes by conducting research online (e.g., FactFinder) at your local library’s business center, or by surveying current and potential customers.  You can deliver a short, user-friendly survey in person, by phone, or by using an online survey tool such as Survey Monkey.

2)  What benefits does my offering provide that meets these needs?

There’s a big difference between “features” and “benefits”. A benefit is what your customers value about your offering and how it meets their needs.  In contrast, a feature is a fact-based aspect of your offering or what it does.  For example, you might provide the feature of 24/7 technical support for your new product.  However, the real benefit or WIIFM (What’s in it for me?) to your customers is comfort and convenience.  Make a list of your offering’s possible benefits and get feedback on it from a formal or informal group of customers. (See Entrepreneur.com’s distinction between features and benefits:  http://tinyurl.com/6k5w22 .)

3)  Who are my competitors and how do their offerings compare?

Take the time to assess your key competitors and any viable substitutes/alternatives to your offering.  Study their strengths, weaknesses, and how they meet the needs of your target market.  Try mystery shopping at your competitors’ websites, stores, phone lines, and by purchasing some of their offerings.  Obtaining customer feedback on your competition, via surveys or user groups, is essential.  Check out Wikipedia’s simple, powerful competitor framework.

4)  What are my initial and ongoing costs?

Take into account what your new offering will cost from development through launch (i.e., your start-up costs), including research, development, testing, supplies, marketing & advertising, inventory, office/warehouse space, and training. Then consider your annual costs for ongoing sales and servicing.  Write these costs down, and discuss them with your business advisors, area experts, or colleagues to better understand your investment.

5)  What are my expected annual sales?

Write down your estimated annual sales from your new offering, including best, worst, and most-likely scenarios.  For example, if your estimated Year 1 sales are $25,000, you might add 50% for a best case scenario and subtract 50% for a worst case scenario.  Then, for a rough break-even analysis, calculate the number of product units or service hours to cover your start-up costs. You can also calculate the annual sales required to cover ongoing distribution, marketing, servicing and other costs.

A few tips:
*  Answering these questions may seem daunting, yet if you carve out focused time, you could do it in 1-2 weeks.  You’ll avoid costly mistakes and greatly increase your chances of a successful, profitable launch.

*  Write down the questions, answers, and your assumptions, as you work through them.  Documentation makes them more tangible and holds you accountable for follow-through.

* Create a dialogue with others about these questions.  Invite input and different perspectives, because the more open are your eyes, the less likely that you’ll be blindsided.

* Be trusting and smart with your new ideas. Carefully select with whom you’ll share them.  When in doubt, use confidentiality agreements.  Better safe than sorry!

* Try a mastermind group or other forum where you can share your new ideas and receive support, and accountability.  Look for our monthly Putting Passions into Action groups in Seattle (second Mondays of the month).

Happy Passioneering!

Filed Under: Blog, Coaching Tips, Sue's Posts Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Timing Your Passioneering Leap

May 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment

So what’s the perfect timing to leap fully into your passions? After interviewing nearly 100 bold, talented individuals who made the leap (aka “Passioneers”), I have the definitive answer: “It all depends”. Some Passioneers transformed their passion into a full-time venture over several years, while others make the leap in one fell swoop (e.g., after being laid off of their full-time job). Still other Passioneers have so many passions that they don’t want to fully commit to only one!

Below are 5 tips for timing your leap, based upon 5 months of research and 25 years of common sense:

  1. There’s NEVER a Perfect Time, So Just Do It! If you’re waiting for the moons to align and the prosperity gods to agree, then you may as well turn in your Passioneers climbing harness and go home right now. THERE IS NO PERFECT TIME, and once you finally get that, you’ll get over yourself and move forward. So, whatever your passion, simply take ONE step forward NOW! Yes, right now.  Even if you commit to spending one-hour a week exploring your passions, that’s an awesome start! Baby steps, one at a time. Examples? Research what you love on the internet for an hour. Conduct an info interview with an expert who’s doing what you love. Or write down the benefits of unleashing your passions.
  2. Eliminate “Either/Or” Thinking. Many individuals believe that they have to wait until they can spend 60+ hours a week expressing their passions before they should make the leap. That they must sacrifice everything else to pursue their passions. NOT SO! For some ridiculous reason, an entrepreneurial myth of rugged individualism and self-sacrifice has perpetuated over the years. It’s time to STOP the insanity now.  What if…you could continue to earn a living in your current dead-end job AND move close to your dream life each week? What if being a successful entrepreneur requires LESS than 40 hours a week (witness the Ferris’ book, The 4-Hour Work Week.) Even one hour a week being and doing what you love moves you closer to your dream (via baby steps). Through many baby steps, you can make HUGE progress without even realizing it. What does this require? Patience and persistence.  Neither was Rome built in one day, nor was a car eaten by Dick Miller in one sitting.  Ask me about this later.
  3. Don’t Leave Your Day Job (at least not right away). Transitioning into your passions full-time, OVER time, is a great idea. Many Passioneers gather the skills and experience they need to make the leap, while being employed in a full-time job that’s not really their passion. Well guess what? Whatever full-time job you’ve had so far is providing you with the PERFECT skills and experience for what’s next.  Every Passioneer I’ve interviewed confessed that they couldn’t have created their dream profession without having had their prior jobs, which brought them just the right insights, skills and experience.  Don’t believe me? Call me in 5 years and we’ll compare notes.  The next time you want to complain about your current job, think again!
  4. Feel the Fear and Keep Moving Anway. It’s inevitable. There will be days and even weeks, when your knees are shaking and you have no idea why you decided to pursue your passions. Maybe you have a fear of failure, a fear of success, or even a fear of not deserving to shine in your passions. Who cares? The definition of courage? To feel the fear and do it anyway. Get moving!
  5. Learn to Live Within a Budget AND Prosper. Most Passioneers I’ve interviewed have noted that their prosperity quotient (PQ) rose significantly after making the leap into their passions. A PQ considers much more than your annual net income, including your happiness, health, and overall satisifaction: Being your own boss, making your own schedule, spending more time with family and friends, etc., etc. Without exception, Passioneers who made the leap from high-paying jobs indicated that they now have a higher PQ then before they made the leap…and absolutely NO regrets in making the leap.

So, in one sentence: Just DO it now, even if it’s slowly by taking baby steps, by being smart, courageous, and by having a clear idea of prosperity. Good luck and happy Passioneering!

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Are You the Perfect Passion Killer?

March 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment

As a passions and possibilities coach, I’ve heard just about every excuse under the sun for not pursuing one’s passions fully. Consider this: every single excuse drains you of energy and focus. So if you want a really slow death “by a thousand passion cuts,” try using several excuses at once. For those of you who want to perfect the art of passion-killing, try these ten sure-fire steps. They are guaranteed to dampen your dream-light forever!

Steps to Successfully Kill Your Passions

1. Remain completely unconscious of your dreams. Whatever you ignore will wither and die. So whenever you feel ANY urge to explore your passions, distract yourself immediately with food, TV, web-surfacing, shopping, or another great alternative.

2. Play the victim. It is not your job to fulfill your own dreams, especially since other people and situations are always bringing you down. Be sure to complain whenever you can, looking as mournful or disgusted as possible.

3. Pack your schedule with boring, tedious tasks. There are only so many hours in a day and so many urgent, unimportant activities to squeeze in! Passions are luxuries anyway, aren’t they?

4. Never ever expand your comfort zone. It’s really scary and even dangerous beyond what you already know and are good at. Remember: nothing good comes to foolish risk-takers!

5. Use “either/or thinking”. There are no gray areas! So either work hard and pay your dues, or frivolously follow your passions. Either earn a decent living, or be a starving, starry-eyed dreamer. You get the picture.

6. Put yourself last, always. Following your passions is selfish, egotistical, and wasteful. Much better for you to make others a higher priority than yourself. They will be happy and you won’t, which is the end-game.

7. Never share your dreams with anyone. They will ridicule you as a freak and renegade. It’s much safer for you to act “normal” and be “realistic” like the others. Silence is golden. Besides, no one really cares about your dreams anyway.

8. Remember: making money beats happiness every time. Happiness doesn’t pay the bills, does it? I can’t use joy to buy groceries, can you? Enough said.

9. Never appreciate yourself or others. Appreciation is highly-overrated. Passionate people are so sickeningly positive and upbeat. Thanking someone here, praising someone there – it’s crap! The world’s a tough place, so you gotta play tough.

10. Keep your confidence very very low. You really don’t deserve to have the life of your dreams. Only people who are rich, famous, or lucky get to follow their passions fully. You’re born, you die, and there’s this little snippet in between.

Congratulations! You’ve just accomplished all of the steps necessary to live a life of quiet desperation, like so many others in the world. So, until next time, unhappy trails and bad luck!

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Pursuing Your Passions…Regardless

February 26, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Whenever I ask anyone about their passions, their face lights up and they’re suddenly grinning ear-to-ear. They’re excited, and they just can’t stop talking about it. Then, at some point, their energy drops and they say something like “Oh well, it’s just a dream…I gotta be realistic.” If you look up the word “realistic” in the dictionary, you’ll find this definition: “resembling or simulating real life.”

Well, I certainly don’t want a life that’s simulated. Rather, I want one in which I’m expressing my full passions and possibilities, so that when I die, I’m carrying no unsung tunes! So what’s the secret to releasing your own passions? Does it mean sacrificing your whole life and becoming a full-time, card-carrying starving artist or struggling entrepreneur? Not at all! Below are three simple steps to move forward today in your own passion story. Be aware, be accountable, and be active. Together these three steps represent my AAA card for leaping into my passions, and I never leave home without it.

Step 1: Be Aware of Your Passions
Passions point to your purpose, especially if they mesh with your inherent talents. Most of us have many passions! Try this exercise: Make a list of 100 passions that you have. Keep going even if you get stuck halfway through. How might you express at least one of your passions each week? How about each day? What becomes possible in doing so? Often, expressing our passions takes a back seat to other, more urgent matters in our life. That is, life simply gets in the way. My challenge to you: declare today that expressing your passions is both important AND urgent. Observe what happens when you make this declaration.

Step 2: Be Accountable for Your Passions
No one can release OR block your passions…except you. Releasing your passions is a conscious intention from a place of accountability. Miracles arise when you take responsibility for your passions and stop playing the victim (e.g,. “My family always comes first.” “My work gets in the way.”). Even in the midst of a recession, you can choose to commit to expressing your passions…regardless. Find an accountability partner who will hold you to this commitment in a loving, supportive way. How do you find one? Simply let others know that you want one, and notice who shows up! Like the old adage: “When the student is ready, the teacher will come.”

Step 3: Be Active
Dreams will stay dream-like until you take concrete steps towards them, even if they’re baby steps. One woman described to me her dream of creating a restaurant with great jazz music. When I asked her about her next steps, she simply said, “I can’t think of any!” After a few moments of frustrated silence, she declared three small, but mighty steps to move forward. “Wow,” she said afterwards. “I feel like a huge block has been removed, and I can finally move forward.”

What being active does NOT mean:

  • Doing it alone. So build a solid, powerful support team – your cheerleading squad, including your accountability partner.
  • Being broke. Do not leave your day job unless you have at least one year of savings. Having a part- or full-time job that can fund your passions is an excellent strategy. So be grateful if you have one!
  • Sacrificing your current life. Instead, it simply means that you make your passions a priority and find time, even small chunks, to express them. So leaping into your passions fully can happen gradually over time, easily, gracefully, and prosperously.
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