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January 6, 2014

PASSIONS AND PURPOSE!

My new friend Craig Addy wrote something tonight about passion and purpose. As I was reading it I began thinking about my own journey.

I spout off things passionately all the time. I know well what my passions are and I think about my purpose and my legacy as it were all the time.

You know that living the life I do, especially in the Branding part of my career, I am well paid to help Clients determine this all the time. And I know so well what I am passionate about, but in 35 years of doing what I do, I have often questioned the value that I provide. And for me providing so much more value than I am compensated for is important to me.

If I am paid 200,000$ or more to launch and design the brand for a new company or product, it must align with our inner values and ethics, and I want to provide so much more in tangible and intangible value than the comparative little we are paid to do it, especially because it will carry that company towards growth over the years to come.

If I am paid a 20$ ticket price for The Art of Active Networking events I want people to walk away with much more value than that by 30 times it's cost.

If someone does an event with us at The Box SF, I want them to feel special, attended to, and I want every second of the experience to be wonderfully memorable and of great value to them. Especially those who get married with us. The same goes for the events I produce around the country at Stage 24 Productions.

If I am producing and directing a musical artist or a feature film for Articulation Films or in association with FunnyBoy Films, I want all the detail to be extraordinary, refining it, and seeing it beyond our imaginings so that listeners, fans and viewers are taken on a journey.

If I give a speech or conduct one of my trainings, seminars, master classes or workshops to help foster creative, or to help someone to shift in a new way, I want them to be inspired and moved to do better work or to improve their life in some way.

If I serve one of my many non-profits, I hope to have a big, active mouth, to contribute and do what I know, hoping that it provides value, but I will not sit idle and quiet. I would rather be hated for my opinions than loved for my stillness.

In everything I do I am curious to make it extraordinary for myself or for someone else, or both.

I am not driven by money, I am driving by a deep desire for better. Better relationships, better experiences, better food, better cocktails, better art, better music, better lives full of less story, less pain and less need.

I am driven by my ideas, my thoughts and the implementation of those to make something better. So I see this as my purpose. And I am absolutely passionate about it. My only fear is that I fall short, run out of money or resources or that time runs out on me! And honestly, I rarely let FEAR rule me in anyway.

Today a few thank you's are in order. First to Craig Addy and the beauty of my Under the Piano experience, I am listening as I write this. You brought me back home. To my friends who support me unconditionally you are too numerous to mention and my inner circle knows who they are. To Gretchen Sackett my ex-wife and business partner who supports all these ideas and companies, and me unconditionally. To Tess Cacciatore, Darren Jacklin, Betsy Donnelly, Kieran O'Dowd. You are dear friends who get it.

And to two people who inspire me without knowing it. Josiah Mackenzie, our tea times somehow allow me to articulate things and talk though ideas to tangible thoughts. Today was no exception and I value our time together every time! And to Mark Busse, Mark you are an opinionated, creative force with a big mouth like mine and there is absolutely nothing I value more than someone with an idea and the balls to talk about it. You have both! And every time I come to Vancouver BC, my favorite city, I get to absorb a little more of you.

So many people come into, through and infiltrate my crazy life daily, some of you stick, some of you pass on by and others come and go as they please. My thousands of attendees for THE ART OF ACTIVE NETWORKING are no exception. Thank You for following an idea who's time has come, to help others do better each day!

Craig, thank you for your words and for the inspiration kick to think about this for myself tonight! See you soon for my next awesome experience!

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