Janice Dalager is the co-host of the Middle of Nowhere Show. Along with her co-host Tim, she hosts a weekly call where their sole expectation is “good things ahead.” She also helps coaches host webinars through her site Online Event Hostess. In this episode, Janice shows you how to live in present, let go of expectations, and explore creativity in everyday life.
Author: Kevin Chung (Page 15 of 21)
“The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.” – James Oppenheim Quote Art
“The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.” – James Oppenheim
Print available on Society6.
Throughout modern human history, we have had one thing on our minds. That thing is happiness.
In the very beginning, our pre-historic ancestors survived however they could. They were hunters and gatherers. Happiness was probably not high on their list of priorities.
Then we discovered agriculture. This allowed societies to form. Since that time, we have been working our way to discovering how we can achieve happiness.
In 1943, Abraham Maslow published his paper “A Theory of Human Motivation“. In it, he represents human motivation in a pyramid shape called Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It works its way from our most fundamental need, physiological, to our most fulfilled need, self-actualization.
[bctt tweet=”Often times we seek happiness before we are ready.”]
What does this have to do with happiness? Everything. Often times we seek happiness before we are ready. We look at successful people and yearn to be like them. Yet we ignore our most fundamental needs.
Before we can reach a state of self-actualization and happiness, we must fulfill the hierarchy of needs.
Physiological
Physiological needs are the physical requirements we need for basic survival. This includes air, food, and water. Without these things we can not survive.
Safety
Once we have our basic needs met, we look to fulfill our safety needs. This includes personal and financial security, health, and emergency funds.
Love and Belonging
No matter what people tell you, we all want to feel a sense of belonging. We want to feel loved. When people do not get this, they become susceptible to loneliness, anxiety and depression.
Esteem
Next comes respect and self-esteem. We want to be accepted and valued for our contributions to society. Often times we seek this from our jobs. We want to feel respect from our peers, but more importantly we want to respect ourselves and our own achievements.
Self-actualization
Once we have achieved esteem, we want to reach our full potential. In order to accomplish everything we want, we must be everything we can be.
—
[bctt tweet=”Don’t look towards others to achieve happiness, look within yourself.”]
Happiness can not be reached by looking into some distant future. If we want to to reach self-actualization and possible self-transcendence, we must fulfill our own needs. Don’t look towards others to achieve happiness, look within yourself.
Tyler Bel is the founder and vision director of There is No Sky. Through There is No Sky Tyler helps empower people and shows companies how they can enrich the world. In this episode Tyler breaks down what you need to do to build good relationships, how you should be of service to others, and why you need to take action.
“Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal.” – Earl Nightingale Quote Art
“Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal.” – Earl Nightingale
Print available on Society6.
What do you want? This may seem like a simple question, but most of us don’t know the answer. Do you want to achieve fame through your work? Do you want to sell enough work to live comfortably? Do you want to travel the world displaying your work? Do you want it all?
The problem many artists face without knowing it is, what do you want out of your art? Sure, you may get joy out of the sheer act of creation, but what is the underlying purpose of your work?
If you want to create art for art’s sake, that fine and good. If, however, you want more out of all the hard work you put into your art, you need to find purpose.
My purpose is helping artists achieve the goals they set out for themselves and their artwork. I want to take all the knowledge I’ve learned over the years in marketing, psychology, and creativity, and use it to help others like myself. If I can’t use my knowledge to help others, what’s the point in having it?
[bctt tweet=”If you can find and set out a worthy goal, you will find success along with it. “]
My challenge to you is to find your purpose. Discover what your goals are for your work. If you can find and set out a worthy goal, you will find success along with it.
Mark Guay is an educator and the podcaster behind The Traveling Cup and Your Life on Purpose. He is combining these passions to make a difference in the world. In this episode he talks about the education system, how we will work in the future, and lessons he has learned from podcasting.
“You must be prepared to work always without applause.” – Ernest Hemingway Quote Art
“You must be prepared to work always without applause.” – Ernest Hemingway
Print available on Society6.
Growing up, we have been praised for every great thing we did. Our parents applaud us as we take our very first steps. Our schools honor us when we get straight A’s. We get trophies just for playing a sport. Is it a wonder that we are always out seeking praise for our work?
At some point in life, we realize the praise has stopped coming. We have been conditioned to look for applause every time we accomplish a task. Yet, we no longer hear it.
The truth is, you won’t always be praised for the work you do, and that’s a good thing. You should not be motivated by external affirmation of your work. You should be motivated by the work itself.
When we are rewarded for everything we do, we become complacent. We no longer try our best. We become trapped by our routine.
[bctt tweet=”If you consistently do good work, people will recognize it. “]
If you consistently do good work, people will recognize it. Instead of seeking it out, you should earn it.
Doing your best work is not only fulfilling, it is also the only way to stand out when everything and everyone is fighting for the attention of our audience. So, the next time you aren’t recognized for your work, stop complaining. Instead, find out how you can do better.
Maia Monasterios has been making documentary films for over twelve years. She has worked for companies ranging from National Geographic to MTV, but had the desire to do her own independent work. Her latest project is an independent documentary film titled Time is Art, where she is working with the creative collective Things are Changing. They are raising funds for the film until August 2, 2015 on IndieGogo.
The film is about a writer’s spiritual and creative awakening through synchronicity as the gateway. Originally, the story wasn’t going to be about one person. It was going to be a set of interviews on the subject of synchronicity. That is, until they interviewed Jennifer Palmer and heard her story.
“Gee Brain, What do you want to do tonight?”
“Same thing we do every night Pinky, try to take over the world.”
These words were ingrained in my head as a child. Pinky and the Brain was one of my favorite shows growing up. Each afternoon, I would watch intently as the two talking mice sought world domination.
At the time, it seemed like a silly idea. How could two mice possibly take over the world? Yet, they were always on the cusp of accomplishing something incredible.
Yes I know it’s a cartoon, but that doesn’t mean world domination is impossible. Nor does it mean it world domination is necessarily a bad thing.
Case in point, World Domination Summit. For the past four years, I heard grumblings about this conference. There were words about how great it was from every corner of the internet I visited. “It will change your life!”
“I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.” – Muhammad Ali Quote Art
“I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.” – Muhammad Ali
Print available on Society6.
If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a million times. Fake it til you make it.
On the surface, it seems like very strange advice. In a crowded world where everyone is vying for your attention, you want to put trust in the people who know what they are doing.
I’ll let you in on a little secret. No one has all the answers. There is no path you can take towards success. You can follow the advice of the top experts all you want, but what most of them don’t tell you is the path to success is not linear.
[bctt tweet=”The path towards success is a winding road filled with twists and turns.”]
The path towards success is a winding road filled with twists and turns. There are obstacles all along the way trying to prevent you from reaching your goals.
The best way to overcome these obstacles is by having the willingness to experiment and fail. Just because a strategy worked for one person doesn’t mean it will work for you. Yes, there are principles you can use that have a greater chance of succeeding, but nothing is guaranteed. That is why you MUST be willing to fail.
[bctt tweet=”Wallowing in self-pity will not get you anywhere. “]
When an idea fails, it doesn’t mean you are a failure. The problem many people have is letting failures become a part of them. The way to overcome this is by acknowledging the failure, learning from it, and moving on. Wallowing in self-pity will not get you anywhere. Pick yourself up and move on to the next thing.
Every master started off as an amateur. They learned starting from the ground up just like everyone else. But, at a certain point, they realized they were no longer the newbie. In order to get to this place, they had to have the confidence to trudge along and learn from their mistakes. Without that confidence, they wouldn’t have grown.
None of us has all the answers. We are all born amateurs, but if you exude confidence and are willing to learn on the fly, you can become the greatest.
Ellen Bard is a shining example of what people call a multi-potentialite. She juggles many things including consulting as a work psychologist, blogging about self-development and travel, and writing fiction. In this episode Ellen talks about what is was like to quit her high paying job as a consultant, moving from the UK to Thailand, opening herself up to creativity, and dealing with having so many passions.
Follow Me!