Crush It: The Forum

If you are serious about digging deep to find your path, then the outstanding book in the field IMO is Larry Ackerman’s Identity Code. It is brilliant at peeling back our layers, although sometimes it’s difficult to process what we find for a time!

Larry put some free chapters on his website so you can see what I mean: http://www.theidentitycode.com/index.html

QUOTE (YourBoyJohn @ 10/19/2009 10:14:05) Thank you Lulu, I really appreciate your recommendation. I just ordered the book and will report back here after I read it. Thanks again, John

Wow, you’re quick!

Great work John. Look forward to hearing your thoughts about it in due course. You sound pretty focused at getting to the nub of it.

John, what did you think of the book?

I take it you’ve discovered your passion and you’re so happy you can’t look back?

Here are a few tools I’ve come across. One is my own story ( not to toot my horn, but to share the experience – I had a tough time discovering my passions, too).

1. There’s a movie available on DVD (tho I wonder if it’s on hold due to a book-deal?). It’s called I-Ology. It’s about discovering the 5 things that make a person feel important (on the premise that success is when a person ’feels important’). It’s a very simple concept; helped me get on track; and at least have peace and confidence as I moved forward.

Tools: I-ology Movie
http://www.iologymovie.com/
(Note: The booklet that comes w/the movie contains the magic).

2. Backing up just a bit: My ’journey’ toward discovering my passions began with the concept from Jim Collin’s book: Good To Great. While he was directing this toward corporations, he described what he calls the ”Hedgehog Concept.” Essentially: What are the things you are GREAT at? What are the things you LOVE to do? What are things that create value that can be exchanged for dollars? Where these three ’circles’ intersect was where the magic was found.

Tools: Jim Collins Hedgehog Concept:
http://www.jimcollins.com/media_topics/hedgehog-concept.html#audio=79

(Note: Gary Vaynerchuk has shown how we can (almost) take the money circle out of the picture, by describing how any passion can be turned into dollars.)

Since coming across the Hedgehog Concept, it took me about a year to discover my Hedgehog Passion + Talent (known in other circles as Unique Abilities). However, it took me another year before I was able to discover how to earn money with these. Even then, I found that I was constantly changing my ideas; adding to them. Because of such, I never got much accomplished for yet another year, perhaps a bit longer.

Perhaps this seems like a LONG time (it did to me). But seeming how many never discover their own ’Fountain of Prosperity and Happiness’, a three and a half year journey isn’t so bad. Many of us have to undo some inaccurate thinking before we can get a fresh start.

Finally, I put two and two together and realized my talents and passions were IN the start-up and creative phases of business; and they didn’t have to be my ideas. I found that I loved to see ideas go from mind to market. Combined with my views of freedom being associated with free enterprise, I began a blog centered around ’The Business of Being Yourself’ (TM). I love humor (which is good, since most people point and laugh when I’m near). I now focus on other business owners and their passions; and offer fresh perspectives on adding a sense of family and community to these businesses.

Hopefully you catch my point. Desire will get you going. And simply getting started in any direction puts us on the road to discovery. We can then make left turns, right turns, u-turns along the way. But if we’re standing around thinking about it, we go nowhere. Shoot, a blog about finding one’s passion or purpose might be a great place to start. Hope this helps.

”Have A Nice Dave.”
Dave Charbonneau, Guy who does stuff
SelfEnterpriser.com

P.S. One great thing about Gary V’s concepts in ’Crush It’ is you don’t HAVE to be the expert to get started. He talks about being able to ”have the chops” for your topic. This could simply mean you’re able to communicate your passion along your own path of discovery. If you’re interested in finding out about something, others are too. You can build great relationships with individuals who want to join you in your path of discovery.

P.P.S. This post turned out much longer than I expected; but thanks to your question, I’ve a new article for my own blog! Thank you!