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Chapter 1
How to Be a Passion Hit
Passion Hits are people who are able to make a living doing what they love.
You want to do what you love, or you wouldnāt be reading this book. You want to find a way to spend every day working on that single thing that fills you with glee thinking about it.
Those who decide to make their passion their work and keep pushing forward no matter what are Passion Hits, a play on the word passionate.
My official definition for my made-up word:
Passion Hitā(noun) A person who has discovered his or her true passion in life and found a way to make it his or her livelihood.
Most entrepreneurs are also Passion Hits. If you dedicate that many hours of a day to your business, youāve got to be at least a little bit passionate about it. Sure, some do it only for the money or to solve a problem, but the successful ones are also the passionate ones.
They include people such as Jason McCarthy, who after bravely serving our country as a Green Beret wanted to start an American manufacturing company that could live up to military standards as well as the everyday traveler. He focused his energy on starting the GORUCK brand.
Ellen McGirt always had a love for finding, capturing, and sharing the stories of others. She has interviewed chief executive officers, U.S. presidents, celebrities, and regular people across the country. She is currently a senior writer for Fast Company magazine.
AJ and Melissa Leon wanted to work and travel together. They formed Misfit Inc. to make both a reality. They now live on the road and help make the world a better place with each new project their team takes on.
Zack Arias is a poster child for the fact that hard, constant work can make dreams come true. He is now one of the best professional photographers in Atlanta and beyond. His style of using only one light when shooting has grown into a series of courses that he sells himself and teaches around the world.
Chris Penn and Chris Brogan were not finding the level of interaction and teaching that they had hoped for at other conferences so they began PodCamp to create a forum for the interaction they wanted. Since that first event in Boston, people have hosted PodCamps around the globe that have educated and networked tens of thousands of people.
Each of these people has a unique story to tell, but every one of them exemplifies the values that a Passion Hit believes in.
I wanted as many people as possible to be inspired by these stories, so I started my Web series Passion Hit TV (http://www.passionhit.tv). Iāll be adding new stories there all the time, so be sure to subscribe, and if you have ideas of new Passion Hits that I should interview, you can e-mail me.
The hope and goal is that by the time you finish reading these pages, youāll be inspired enough to set off on your own journey to be a Passion Hit doing what you love. Be sure to let me know how it goes!
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Chapter 2
Trust Your Gut
You can read all the books, attend all the lectures, and listen to all the advice. But living the life youāve always dreamed about comes down to one person making the decision to do soāand that person is you.
From the smallest decision about which way to turn when youāre lost, to the biggest decisions that affect your career and your family, you should always follow one rule that wonāt lead you astray:
Youāve been there before. Youāre about to do something, and you get a feeling that perhaps you shouldnāt. This isnāt that little voice in your head warning of danger, but something much deeper and internal that feels like something is off. Likewise it is the feeling you get inside when an idea is so exciting that you know you have to act on it.
Ever read an e-mail with an offer that feels a bit too good to be true? Met someone at a cocktail party and instantly known that he was someone you need get to know better?
We all wish the feeling was always there, but it isnāt. It seems to come and go when it wants. But when it does show up, we must learn to listen to it.
Do you listen to your gut? Think back. Has it ever led you astray?
We all agree to do things we donāt want to do. We say no when we want to say yes because we worry about the possible repercussions. Perhaps there is something weāve always wanted to doāhave been dying to do evenābut we donāt because we worry about what others might think.
Instead, trust your gut. Learn to embrace that feeling and go in the direction it tells you even if it isnāt the direction you were planning on going.
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Chapter 3
Take Stock
There will come a time when youāll feel the yearning to make a change in your life. Maybe you realize you arenāt as happy as you could be. Perhaps you want to do more with your life than what you are currently doing.
Mine came one day while I was commuting to work. It hit me that I wasnāt passionate about my job anymore.
You may feel like, whatever it is that you are doing in life, you want to do better. You may feel this way about your relationships, your career, or another aspect of your life that you realize isnāt where you would like it to be.
Many ignore these feelings and instead bury them in a deep, dark corner of their brain. Sometimes you have to do this. It is not always a great time to make a major life shift, and you should never blindly jump over the edge without careful thinking.
Before making any changes, you need to be sure that all of your bases are covered. Look at it from all angles. Do a solid review of your bills, income, and commitments so that you have a clear picture of everything in your life that may be affected. Play the Devilās advocate and think about the worst things that could possibly happen if you were to make a change.
Nothing bad ever comes of being careful before moving forward. Taking that bit of extra time to be prepared is a good thing: be smart and move forward.
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Chapter 4
Knowing When to Move On
Letās face it; if you have a job of any sort, you are better off than some people.
Plenty of good, hardworking folks are out of work or struggling to get by, living in a paycheck-to-paycheck state of existence, which is neither easy nor desired by anyone. But living safe only for the sake of being safe is not any way to live a life either.
Life and happiness are about a lot more than only money.
Humans must get satisfaction on a regular basis to enjoy their lives. This applies to jobs, relationships, and daily life. You can tolerate going to the events that you have no desire to be at, or you can put in several months working on a project that drains you.
The key is being able to recognize when too long is too much and then moving on. You can stick something out for only so long if you are not happy doing it.
The universe has a funny way of knowing when you are going through difficult times. Ever been in a bad mood and the radio plays a song that fits your mood? That is what Iām talking about.
Counter to this, though, is that even if the universe knows you need a change, it is going to help you only if you let it and the world around you know that you are ready for a change. Explaining the magic of the universe is not something Iām prepared to do at this time, but I will teach you some ways to leverage its magical ways.
Once youāve realized that a change is needed, the first thing you should do is let the people closest to you know about the unhappiness and explain that this is more than a typical āI hate my jobā moment that we all go through. Let them know that it is draining you and that a change is needed.
Rather than assuming that they are going to instantly help, you must ask directly for help in order to receive it. Assuming they know how much you need their assistance is a dangerous approach. When you need help, always ask for it.
Although friends want to help you, many donāt want to feel like they are imposing on you by suggesting changes unless they are directly asked for their input.
Realizing that a change is needed is only the first step toward a happier life, and in many cases, it is the easiest one because all you need to do is accept that a change is needed and decide to move forward. Now the real work begins!
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Chapter 5
The Power of Writing It Down
You should always have a small notebook on you.
I use Field Notes notebooks, but any small notebook that fits in your pocket, purse, or backpack will do. You should have it with you at all times.
If you ever meet me, I can promise you that Iāll have a notebook with me. It is a very rare occasion that I go out without having one with me. Sure, I have my phone and iPad with me and can make quick notes on those if I need to, but I find that nothing focuses me better or is quicker to go back and flip through than handwritten notes.
Once you have your notebook, be sure to put some form of contact information inside the front cover. I have yet to lose one, but I hope that if I did, whoever found it would take the few minutes to contact me; I canāt imagine my scratches are going to do much for that person, so why would he or she want to keep it?
Another trick that Iāve learned over the years is to date each notebook as well. Inside the front cover or on the first page, write the date you start to use the notebook. When you get to the end, it is always fun to look back to see when you started it. Plus, if you save the notebooks (and you should), it makes keeping them in order much easier.
I have to give special thanks to two close friends who showed me the way of the notebook: motivator Julien Smith and multimedia storyteller Clarence Smith Jr. were the first to push the idea into my head. We were sitting down over breakfast one morning when they started harping on the importance of always having one with you. If it wasnāt for these two men, Iām not sure I would fully appreciate how important a notebook can play in someoneās life. And Iām glad they pushed me to adopt it so that I can turn around and do the same to you.
There will be exercises throughout this book when you are encouraged to write in your notebook. Keep it handy as you continue to read. And remember, even after those exercises are done and youāve finished reading this book, the power of writing down ideas, dreams, and goals in a notebook is an important one.
You can use your notebooks to jot down grocery lists, business ideas, or random doodles. Your notebook is a sacred place where no idea is a bad idea, so donāt censor yourself. You never know when an idea might hit you, and it is always better to write it down than to forget it.
There is something very powerful about writing something down versus typing it into a device. It forces you to think about the words, thereās no Delete key to hide the mistakes, and itās instantly more tangible.
Do me a favor, please. If you ever come to a book reading or other event Iām at, hold up your notebook and show it to me. Weāll share a knowing nod and a smile. That would make my day.
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Chapter 6
The Three-Word Exercise
I first heard about this focusing exercise from blogg...
