Podcast Summary
Passion Stuck: The 12 principles outlined in John R. Miles' book can help individuals unlock their purpose and live a more intentional and fulfilling life by embracing their passions and closing the gap between their current and ideal selves
Finding and pursuing your passion is essential for living a fulfilling life. John R. Miles, a C-suite executive turned podcaster and author, shares his journey of becoming "passion struck" and the 12 principles outlined in his book to help others unlock their purpose. Passion struck refers to having an intense drive to mold one's life into becoming one's ideal self. Miles found this term during his own journey of self-discovery and was inspired by successful individuals like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. Throughout his career, Miles experienced passion struck moments in various stages, such as his time in the Navy and his pursuit of becoming an FBI agent. He encourages listeners to reinvent themselves and embrace their passions, even when faced with external circumstances that may require a change in direction. By following these principles, individuals can close the gap between their current and ideal selves and live a more intentional and fulfilling life.
Aligning values with ambitions: Reflecting on past experiences and aligning values with long-term aspirations can help individuals overcome feeling stuck and move forward in their careers.
Passion can lead us on unexpected journeys, and we can either become passion struck or passion stuck. Passion struck individuals experience a deep, exceeded desire for growth, impact, and fulfillment. However, feeling stuck can occur when our values and long-term ambitions are not aligned. The speaker shared how they faced several pivots in their career, including a traumatic experience involving an armed robbery and the suicide of a friend. These events led them to reflect on their life and rethink their career path. After these incidents, they felt stuck and experienced self-blame. However, they were able to reframe their past and move forward by focusing on aligning their values with their long-term aspirations. Ultimately, the speaker's experiences highlight the importance of intentionally aligning our values with our ambitions and being open to unexpected twists and turns in our careers.
Personal growth hindrances: Comparing oneself to others, focusing on progress gaps, unresolved past issues, and pursuing what should be done instead of what's passionate can hinder personal growth. Rebuilding self-image and focusing on incremental gains towards ideal self can help.
Intentionality and self-reflection are crucial for personal growth and pursuing one's passions. Many people live their lives comparing themselves to others and focusing on the gap between where they are and where they want to be, rather than appreciating their progress and becoming their future selves. Trauma and unresolved issues from the past can also hinder personal growth and must be addressed to move forward. Additionally, people often get stuck in pursuing what they should do rather than what they are passionate about, leading to feelings of quiet desperation and a lack of significance in their lives. To overcome this, it's essential to rebuild your image of yourself and focus on the incremental gains you make towards your ideal self.
Finding Fulfillment: Despite wealth, many people feel unfulfilled and regret not pursuing their passions. Books like Dan Lok's 'Passion Profit' can help bridge the gap between current and ideal self, while tools like Shopify and Indeed can aid in entrepreneurship and hiring.
Despite having significant wealth, many people around the world experience a sense of emptiness and regret. According to Gallup, 900 million people across 142 countries feel unfulfilled in their work. Psychologist Tom Gilovitch found that over 76% of people in their third trimester of life regretted not pursuing their passions and becoming their ideal selves. This aligns with what David Thoreau expressed in "Walden." To address this issue, Dan Lok's book "Passion Profit" focuses on closing the gap between one's current state and their ideal self. In the business world, entrepreneurs face challenges like hiring and finding the right candidates. Shopify is a popular platform for starting and growing businesses, offering various features for both online and in-person stores. Indeed is another useful tool for hiring, providing high-quality matches for employers and offering a matching engine that learns preferences over time. The American dream of entrepreneurship is a topic of debate. While some argue that it's a great time to start a business due to the abundance of resources and opportunities online, others, like the speaker, believe that the pursuit of small business has been on a three-decade decline in many Western countries.
Economic Classes: The trend of fewer entrepreneurships and more large company jobs is shrinking the middle class and increasing economic inequality. To counter this, individuals should embrace adaptability and become constant learners to position themselves as solo entrepreneurs and stay ahead of digital trends.
The trend of fewer people pursuing entrepreneurship and more people joining large companies is leading to a shrinking middle class and an economy dominated by a growing upper and lower class. This is due in part to the outsourcing of jobs to other countries and the increasing use of automation, AI, and robotics. To counter this trend, it's important for individuals to embrace adaptability and become constant learners to stay ahead of digital trends and position themselves as solo entrepreneurs. This can provide greater safety and control over their livelihoods. Jeff Bezos is an example of someone who was able to combine originality and adaptability to build Amazon from an online bookstore into a data-driven retail and technology giant. By starting with a specific goal (selling books online) and using that as a stepping stone to achieve his longer-term vision (creating the everything store), Bezos was able to adapt and innovate in response to changing market conditions.
Entrepreneurship and Eastern philosophy: Successful entrepreneurs combine originality and adaptability, staying focused on their goals despite challenges, and can benefit from paradoxical thinking in Eastern philosophy to reduce stress and expand perspective
Successful entrepreneurs like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk combine originality with adaptability. Running a business involves both innovation and problem-solving, which can be compared to "chewing glass" and "staring into the abyss." To thrive, entrepreneurs must stay focused on their main objective and not get distracted during hardships. Eastern philosophy, such as paradoxical thinking, can provide perspective and reduce stress by helping us see that life's challenges can be endured and overcome with a positive mindset. As Chris Cassidy, a Navy SEAL and NASA chief astronaut, learned during his grueling training, focusing on the "both and" rather than the "either or" can help us navigate through difficult times and expand our perspective.
Mindset and Perspective: Our mindset and perspective can help us expand ourselves during challenges and overcome obstacles, while self-image can unintentionally hinder our progress. Leaders can lead by example and observe actions, and adopt a gardener leadership approach to nurture team growth.
Our mindset and perspective play a crucial role in getting through challenges and struggles. This concept was inspired by an exchange officer during a difficult military training, who despite having a minimal body, used his mind to push through. This idea can be related to expanding ourselves in moments of adversity and thinking of ourselves as a greater self to overcome obstacles. Additionally, people often put unintentional roadblocks in the way of their goals due to their self-image. Leadership wise, "think with your feet" means leading by example and observing actions rather than just words. Lastly, "gardener leadership" is a new paradigm where leaders intentionally nurture their team's growth in an eyes on hands off approach, allowing for informed decision making without micromanaging.
Leadership Balance: Effective leadership involves striking a balance between providing guidance and training, and allowing autonomy and creativity. Trust your team to make decisions in the moment, while maintaining long-term vision and overcoming fear of failure.
Effective leadership involves a balance between providing guidance and training, and allowing autonomy and creativity. Using the analogy of a military leader and his team, a leader should provide the framework and expectations, but then trust their team to make decisions in the moment. Similarly, in a business context, a leader should give a software developer the goals to achieve, but allow them to use their creativity to find the best solutions. Another important concept is the Turtle and Bee effect, which involves balancing long-term vision with short-term action. Using Elon Musk as an example, Musk has a long-term goal of saving humanity from itself, but he also takes deliberate actions in the present moment to achieve his midterm ambitions and move towards his long-term aspirations. Finally, overcoming the fear of failure is crucial for entrepreneurs. Steve Jobs is an example of someone who was willing to take risks and be wrong in order to follow his vision, even if it meant losing his role as CEO. As leaders, it's important to trust ourselves and our values, even if it means going against the popular opinion or taking risks that may not guarantee job safety.
Standing alone for values: Embodying your values and convictions, even when alone, can lead to great success. Visualize your ideal self and supports to strive for balance and growth.
Embodying your values and convictions, even when you're standing alone, can lead to great success. This was exemplified by Steve Jobs, who left Apple with his vision and later returned to create the Apple we know today. John also emphasized the importance of recognizing and mastering the true, authentic version of yourself to find your unique purpose and make a positive impact on humanity. In terms of practical advice, John suggested visualizing your ideal self and the supports that would be in place to achieve it, as a way to strive for balance and growth in all areas of life. For more information about John and his work, visit johnrmiddleinitialmiles.com or passionstruck.com.