Part 3 - My Secret Ambition Revealed
Twenty-five years ago, I gained clarity on what my soul desired for my outer purpose. I choose to be an Inspirer.
Since this is not a vocation taught in college, nor is it advertised in many job listings, a commitment to this career path would require courage and creativity. I was twenty-six years old when I made this choice.
At that juncture in my career, I felt up to the challenge. I wanted an unconventional career. After all, two years earlier I managed to elbow my way into the upper echelons of the music industry to gain a seat at the table to co-create what would become the longest running musical festival in America, the Vans Warped Tour. Not my dream gig, but a rather significant feather in my cap.
I said to myself, if I can do that, how hard can it be to become a fist-rate Inspirer? My Ego was very much in charge of the PR I fed myself in my twenties.
I began my journey as I always do, with positive and creative brainstorming sessions. I dreamt up ways I could fulfill my desire to be an Inspirer. Even my Ego was seemingly on board. BUT……. it had one requirement. My career path had to make me wealthy.
This requirement allowed the Big 3 of Doubt, Resistance and Fear to do a number on me. This led me to put the brakes on my soul’s first idea on how to become an Inspirer. More on this later, but looking back with a bit more wisdom, I can clearly see how my Ego sabotaged the truest form of what I desired to get what it wanted instead - wealth.
My second attempt was a personal development retreat in 1997 for college students in beautiful Keystone, Colorado. Thanks to my omnipresent Chief Marketing Officer, my Ego, I named it Business Camp. Not much of an inspired brand, but despite the name, the events were exceptional. They were truly inspirational for everyone involved.
I ran Business Camp over two summers, attracting about 100 customers. I loss my ass financially, but I took away many valuable learnings that would help me improve as an Entrepreneur. My Ego was not impressed at all, but my Soul was grateful for the experience. I reflect back on it today as some of my best work as an Inspirer.
My 30’s were spent expanding on the concept Business Camp birthed. I bootstrapped and built a heart-led company to inspire college students to discover and pursue their dreams. I even gave it an altruistic name - University of Dreams. Over 10,000 college students graduated from my company’s programs. To my Egos delight, we were also very successful financially approaching $100 million in sales.
Then we ran into the mortgage crisis, which brought about the brutal Recession of 2008-2010. It did a number on our company and it was never the same again. I sold the business to some employees in 2012. They kept it alive for a few more years but the magic was gone. Outside forces can play a major role in crippling wonderful businesses! Just ask Covid!
One of the reasons I sold University of Dreams was that I had a new focus to feed my desire to be an Inspirer. My wife and I acquired the first of two historic performing arts theaters in California. One in Redwood City and the other in a Monterey.
The best reason I can give for this acquisition is that I had photos of historic theaters all over my giant Vision Board in my bedroom in my 20’s. Isn’t this reason enough to invest $10 million dollars we didn’t have on two beautiful old theaters?
The other big reason is that these acquisitions afforded me the opportunity to inspire through entertainment on a larger scale. In a ten year run, we produced over one thousand live events. We didn’t keep track of total attendance, but I imagine it exceeded one million patrons as both venues were thousand seat theaters. This is how I spent my 40’s inspiring.
I am about to turn fifty-two this October. I have spent the last five years inspiring people to follow their bliss. To my Egos chagrin, the businesses I created to provide the playground for these adventures in inspiration were not financial juggernauts. In fact, they are some of the smallest businesses I have built, but I’m super proud of them. Thru offer a mixture of online coaching and small in-person retreats in beautiful places. This led to my acquisition of Bliss Island.
Having a special beautiful place of mine own to inspire people was always the main vision on my aforementioned Vision Board. My dear friend Elina Stavros can verify this as she rented my room for a few months and had to wake up every day to my giant Vision Board staring at her. She probably remembers it better than I do.
Overall, I can look in the mirror and be pleased with my overall body of work fulfilling my outer-purpose. But……….what about that first idea I had on how to become an Inspirer. You know, the one my Soul chose for me to do! The same one the Big 3 immediately went to work on scaring me out of doing? The one my Ego sabotaged with its stupid wealth requirement?
Twenty-five years ago I began writing a play. It’s an inspirational play about the heroes that inspired me growing up. I think it has a pretty cool concept. I know for sure that I come alive when I work on it. I found the courage to show it to a few people recently. The first two that provided feedback didn’t like it and gave advice on how to make it better. Pretty discouraging.
The third person thought it was sensational and suggested that it could end up being my life’s greatest work. That felt really good!
To ge honest, I needed that last persons support. Without it, I may have continued to suppress it until it became my Putpose Curse. Thank you Patrick Combs for always being on my Souls’s side.
With borrowed belief that I could make a go at this, I was finally able to find the courage to face the limiting beliefs I had about becoming an Artist.
My Ego whispers to me, “You’re a successful Entrepreneur that owns the stages artists perform on. You monetize OTHER peoples art. You’re not an Artist yourself. Why would you want to give up the reputation I helped you build to become a failed artist? That’s so moronically cliche! Stay in your lane pal!”
Now that I have demoted my Ego from being the CEO of me, I have tools to ignore or fight back against its manipulative pursuits. It errors in Busing strategies that worked on my 26 year old self. It’s mistaken. I am a much a wiser adversary now, who listens only to his Soul.
My Soul wants to be a Playwright. I bought this cool t-shirt just for this reveal. Look at me already using props to set a stage! The journey begins…..
This is my secret ambition. Thanks for reading. What is left for you to do?
