The line between those who are in their art for the love of it (and happen to make a few dollars) and those in it just for the dollars gets defined better each day…
Bryce Moore
Don’t know about you, but we’re constantly amazed by all the ways there are to meet folks out on the web doing their True Callings thing.
Take Lou Bortone, The Online Video Guy. His fun, funky and informative ‘LouTube’ videos are causing quite a stir.
Like this recent Dr. Seuss video-spoof ‘SPAM I AM’ about Facebook SPAM that really had us chuckling.
Beyond the playful fun of what he does, what we find remarkable about Lou is that he’s just ‘True Lou’ (sorry, just had to) in what can be a pretty slick, switch ’n’ bait type of business.
And he’s naturally found his way to exercise a couple of the key things we see the successfully Mission-led do all the time - things the rest of us don’t seem to find our way to quite so naturally…
Lou’s an authentic entrepreneur who’s puts genuine service, real contribution and dedication to excellence first - always a telltale sign someone’s living their mission led by their values.
Trouble is you really gotta tune into your core values to let them lead your way, and most people either don’t know what theirs are (just think they do) or compromise in little ways thinking that’s just the way things go…
Lou’s work is real ‘Attraction in Action’. His videos make his skills, strengths and passion for what he does abundantly clear – and he’s actively and generously giving all the time (e.g. samples of his work, tips to make learning the latest Web 2.0 coolness easier, laughs to brighten your day).
Trouble is most folks hold back, missing out on the true stickiness and power of real reciprocity.
Lou’s obviously taken the time to take stock of his unique mix of passions, loves and strengths (including his dry and quirky sense of humor and creative wit) and let them show him his one-of-a-kind way to serve through his work.
Something many folks don’t think they have the time for but really can’t afford to do without.
Looks like the cat’s out of the bag!
Hat’s off to you Lou!
Want to join the ranks of the successfully Mission-led?
VALUES:Is your life led by your core values?Do you even know what they are?Really, really?A recent study showed almost 80% of folks can’t easily rattle off their top five values when given a playful 15 second count-down.Hmmm…
ATTRACTION: are you genuinely contributing from your very best - with real passion, skill and strength - before people contribute to you, or are you waiting to get before you really give?
Real reciprocity’s amazingly sticky, but only if you genuinely give first.
SHOW ‘n’ TELL: Have you taken the time to get to know yourself - inside and out – so you’re really familiar with what environments draw out and support your best work, your loves and passions, your sense of purpose and right way, your strengths and that unique-to-you ‘je ne sais quoi’ that brings real pleasure, boundless energy and excitement to do what you alone are built to do?
And do you check-in regularly, watching the ebb and flow of your loves, passions and curious leanings? Or have you – like many – thought that tapping in is go-deep-one-time kind of thing?
Either way, give our free Fire Up Your Life guidebook a run for no money (scroll to the bottom of that page now to request your copy)!
Forgive us, Friends, for we have blog-sinned. It has been some time since we last posted.
Sorry ‘bout that.
No disrespect intended, but if it’s all the same to you we’re going to take a pass on the whole Acts of Contrition and Hail Mary’s thing, and just get back to it!
But before we do, here’s the lowdown on WHY ‘The Big Gap’.
A few months back we sought out an ‘expert’s’ feedback (‘Danger Will Robinson!’) on our brand spanking new web site, podcast/blog and expansion plans, with the intention of going from ‘Hey, not bad.’ to ‘Wow!’
Growth and improved service are, after all, good things in our books.
But 90 minutes in and, as far as said expert was concerned, we were beyond help. In fact, he went so far as to advise we consider ‘getting outta Dodge’ all together cause he was predicting we’d soon be going down in a flaming ball of shame.
Yup: that was a banner day…
But you know, the crazy-making curve ball he threw our way did a couple of really exceptional things for us, as difficult things will do if you do what the most successfully Callings-directed among us do.
HARVEST them.
What Exactly Is Harvesting?
Harvesting, we learned (after hours of interviews with dozens of the successful) is a two part process.
First, these folks decide to harvest good things from ‘bad’ situations - to repeatedly find the seed of potential in any and all ‘negative’ situations. In short, they choose to always turn problems or adversity into opportunity.
And then they live that decision - no matter what.
Over time (and with practice) the process of Harvesting becomes habitual for them, so much so that they actually start to play and have fun with it.
Which makes rising to the challenge a sort of ‘Professor Plum in the Library with the Candlestick’ mystery to be solved (depending on the magnitude of the situation, but more on that in a minute).
And the process of resolving mystery’s draws them in, firing up their desire, curiosity and passion, focusing their energy and attention, and putting their strengths and unique brand of creativity to work on developing their one-of-a-kind response or solution.
Along the way they report enjoying a special kind of satisfaction and enjoyment, long BEFORE an answer is found or a final result created.
Which means that the idea of delayed personal gratification kind of goes out the window for them cause these people find the process itself gratifying.
All of which builds the foundation for Harvesting Part Two: Part One builds the muscle and resilience necessary for the more advanced form many of us are in awe of.
‘Do you know why we fall down, Bruce? So we can learn how to get up.’
from Batman Begins
The second part of Harvesting involves the desire and capacity to convert loss or trauma into a source of life-giving energy, meaning and inspiration.
Doing Something Different With What They Feel
Just like the rest of us, these folks feel unhappy emotions deeply. Just like us they aren’t particularly fond of those feelings. But what’s different is they don’t turn away from, mute or soften them (much). Instead - and as healing allows – they move through what they feel while choosing to use their experience for good, to transform it into something that uplifts, inspires and shifts them into the next evolution of their life.
This intention, applied even when the chips are really down, makes them into both-sides-of-the-coin meaning-makers with a softly experience-tempered wisdom that very often paves the way to a new calling or sense of mission.
Christopher Reeve’s a great example of a Harvester.
So’s Terry Fox.
Or Helen Keller.
It’s said that fortune favours the bold. Far as we can tell there’s no bolder thing than taking what hurts most and choosing to use it as a force for good in the world.
Our research has shown time and again that harvesting is among the most essential habits that makes the successfully callings-led successful – and able to remain consistently true to themselves and their life’s purpose and vocation no matter what happens or changes in their life.
As for us, we have to admit we had a little help lifting our sagging spirits after our ‘expert’ encounter, besides our own choice to be loyal to our vision and make good out of bad.
Just weeks after that crazy phone call, this woman named Oprah and a leprechaun-like guy called Eckhart Tolle drew 100’s of thousands of people from around the world to a life-purpose webinar…
And Mr. Expert said it couldn’t be done
****
Want to join the ranks of those who successfully HARVEST?
Put some of these True Callings questions to work for you (and please - if you’re grieving a loss of some kind, be kind and take your time):
1. How is this situation a YES to a larger sense of purpose?
2. How might this be working for me, not against me?
3. How might this situation be preparing me - drawing out the capacities, traits or characteristics I’m going to need to answer my next calling?
Life is what happens
when you’re busy making other plans.
- John Lennon
Hello and welcome to the March edition of True Callings!
This month’s edition is all about:
the biggest life-purpose misperception of all time,
the biggest head-scratcher of all time, and…
the relief and ease of passage that comes when you finally understand both!
Oh, and be sure to listen (or read the transcript available) all the way to the end for exciting news about a couple of cool things coming up here at True Calling.
As always, we’d love to hear from you: feedback, praise, comments, praise, other points of view, praise… You get the gist. After all, this is a conversation - and what you have to say is half the fun!
Don’t feel like writing (which, by the way, takes just a click of the COMMENTS link below)?
Call our comments line instead, and really talk to us. (214) 615-6505 ext 4678
Life is what happens
