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I was recently asked by someone “what do I view myself as being?” This person had been following my Living Undeterred website, my blogs, podcasts and they had read my book. She wanted to know what I was trying to accomplish or what was my “agenda?”
Great question! I had never been asked that. It got me thinking, how do I really view myself? I must have an agenda, right? After some self-reflection here is what I am NOT, in my eyes. I am NOT:
A Motivational Speaker
A Life Coach
A Best-Selling Author
A World-Class Podcaster
A Social Media Influencer
A Therapist
A Consultant
Claiming any Special Divine Knowledge
This confession is by no means a “knock” or a disparaging claim to those who profess such talents or accolades. Power to them and my sincere congratulations. I am genuinely happy for them and they are much needed in this world today.
At the end of day, I know exactly what I am.
I am a storyteller.
I tell my story fueled by an unshakable passion and desire to improve my life while honoring our son, Seth who died from a heroin overdose on 10/4/16. In doing so I quickly came to realize this story has had a positive influence in the lives of others. This realization soon revealed to me that I needed to develop a clearer focus on a mindset I have been using to guide me throughout my life. I call this the Living Undeterred mindset. There ya go, that’s it. No sizzle, no fancy sales pitch, no spiritual guidance, no hidden fee.
I tell a story about my life with the hope in doing so I can help myself, others and honor Seth. Pretty simple and pretty liberating as I am not motivated by money, followers, or public affirmation. May this evolve into an entity that I can profit from? Should I get lured into tracking likes and subscribers? Possibly, I don’t know, maybe I will. I am sure, like many things in life if you follow your “Passion with a Purpose” everything will eventually take care of itself. Time will tell but for now, I am keeping my focus laser-sharp and my mind undeniably open. I am meeting some pretty amazing people. In my first past 90 days on my Living Undeterred Podcast I have interviewed and learned from:
A dad who lost his only two sons to overdose yet raised over $1 million
A woman who lost a marriage to alcohol yet founded her own non-alcoholic beverage company
A woman sexually abused for a decade by her grandfather yet became an advocate and LinkedIn Influencer
A broken woman raped at 16 and a former prostitute, yet now owns her own aerospace company
A teenager publicly discussing his suicidal ideation, started his own non-profit, and is now a mental health advocate
A friend who uses his past athletic fame to become an advocate and active community leader all while raising 3 great kids and living a happily married, strong faith-based life.
A friend who battled cancer and dealt with alcoholism in his family yet became a world-class walleye fisherman and runs a successful website
A dad who discusses self-improvement while navigating personal issues shared publicly
A scuba aficionado who retired from corporate life, opened a dive shop by himself, and now runs one of the most successful dive operations in the Midwest, again all this in retirement!
An adolescent who at the age of 17, came out as gay and has become an advocate for LGBTQ individuals and is an active board member of a local non-profit organization.
An individual who discusses his past addiction life and now has become a leader in innovative clinical programs and initiatives in support of these areas, and a major social media influencer
Last but not least, my brother who in his search for questions on the afterlife has founded one of the most popular “ghost hunting” companies in the Midwest.
And to think all this in 90 days!
I think of what I do as less of a” product” provider but more of a “tether”, a facilitator to bring like-minded people together to share stories and in doing so we can help heal wounds, inspire from within and find sustainable peace. Wow, that was a long answer!
Live Undeterred!