Robert did not start his career with a traditional 9-5 job. He was born into a poverty situation with a father who liked alcohol and a mother who was angry. The led him to develop a purpose of "Not wanting to be poor."
By the time he was 17 years old he had a successful radio show and was making more money than his father had his entire life. He went to college and by the time he was 23 he had suffered 2 heart attacks! By the time he was 27 he was divorced, broke and was told he would not live past 35!
A friend directed him to a personal growth training and it turned Bob's life around. He started to refer everyone he knew to the training because he knew that his life was getting better as he surrounded himself with people who were on the same track. (We have talked about this before on the podcast by saying that we become the average of the 5 people we associate with the most)
Eventually Robert went to work for this company and developed training courses all over the world, including Japan which he had originally declined. When he sold his first training company, Lifespring, he accepted the invitation to go to Japan where he started Arc International before retiring at age 45 to set up home in Colorado.
On the surface bob had an incredible 12 years living life rich in Aspen but he actually lost everything and had to go back to work. He started speaking and training finding a home in working with people who are, in Robert's own words, "Up to something."
"If we are not learning and growing, we are not meeting the need to change" - Robert White.
We are facing unprecedented change in our recent history and therefore we have to be able to adapt in order to keep up, otherwise we are actually going backwards. The key to this is knowing your "why" and then creating forward momentum, one step at a time.
What is your purpose?
What is your motivation?
These are two key questions to answer and if you need help identifying these please reach out to me at Chris@Chris-J-Baker.com or set up a free strategy call on my website: www.Chris-J-Baker.com
Bob built a 15,000 square foot home in Aspen, he owned a jet plus all the trappings but he wasn't happy. He realized that he was trapped by his purpose. The subtitle to his book, Living and Extraordinary Life, is joy and purpose which is what he believes we all should pursue.
His 4 step understanding of purpose is (in no particular order):
- Survival
- Maintenance
- Leisure
- Contribution
We all have a unique gift and reason for being on this planet so the question to answer is: how are we using this gift?
Robert started waking up each morning thinking: "I have been preparing to get ready for something all of my life, I wonder what it is?"
Robert commits to participating in one new training program every year so that he can continue to learn and grow. He doesn't need to do this but he chooses to because he understands that we all have unlimited potential.
Walt Disney would gather new recruits on a monthly basis and point out that he was wearing a Mickey Mouse watch. He then presented one to each new recruit and asked that they wear it each day. We look at our watches multiple times every day. Walt asked every cast member each time they look at their watch to ask themselves, Am I having fun?
Robert describes how the chapter "I am not enough" in his book, Living an extraordinary life, is about our greatest limiting belief and this is based on his own life. We all have a tendency to think these thoughts and it is one that we need to overcome in order to maximize our potential. You are enough!
You can connect with Robert and subscribe to his inspirational email at www.extraordinarypeople.com
Final message from Chris: Your current circumstance does not define who you are. You are special, you are loved, you are a unique being with unlimited potential and now is the time to rise up to maximize your potential every day.
You can connect with me at:
Website: www.Chris-J-Baker.com
Email: Chris@Chris-J-Baker.com
Learn more about joining The Book Club here.
Facebook Group: Developing Tomorrow's Leaders
LinkedIn: Chris Baker
Instagram: Chris J Baker
To purchase my book 10 Steps 2 Freedom from Amazon click here.
To purchase my book Organizational Culture and Leadership
Our aim is to help individuals and organizations to raise their bars and be on a journey of continuous improvement. Therefore it is important that you know your own values and align yourself with a company that shares those and has a culture that you can get behind.
Are you ready to Raise Your BARS and be the person you want to become?
We want you to become the best version of yourself and to do that you have to break away from the limiting beliefs that other people impose on you and step into your greater self.
We invite you to join our Facebook group, Raise Your Bars - Personal Growth Solutions, and if you are ready to reprogram your current belief systems, click here to watch our free webinar where we talk about how you can become a Legacy Creator or visit our website by clicking here.
