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multipotentialite

Are you a Multipotentialite? – What to Do if You Have More Than One Passion

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I remember when I was first starting New Inceptions, I wanted it to cover a ton of things. In fact, I thought I’d talk about all the big picture topics that we think about in the back of our mind, but really don’t know who to go to and trust to find out answers.

In a way, I still do that, but not in the way that I first set out to do. I’ve stuck with what I know and because of that, the New Inceptions brand has become less about expressing my thoughts on a given subject and more on focusing outward in helping other people become influencers themselves. I’ve gone from wanting to be a talking head to focusing more on what others need help with.

How did this transformation occur?

Well, the short of it is that I realized that there were experts out there that were better situated to talk about a certain topic than I was. Some of the things that I’d want to bring up on the blog were, in fact, topics that others could actually help people better at.

As I realized this, I started discussing and writing more and more about topics that I knew plenty about. But I never was able to limit the focus of the blog or show to just one thing – one topic. In fact, I’d say it was more of a theme.

 

Are You a Multipotentialite?

It was about this time that I had gotten started with Fizzle and one of the hosts of the show passed along an idea.

Choose a topic and stick with it.

In fact, there’s a whole course in there in how to do that.

But what I soon found out is that I’m never going to be someone who can focus on one thing. Believe me, I tried. For about a year, I focused mainly on business building. But I’m no Pat Flynn.

The truth is that I’ve always been someone that’s bounced around from topic to topic.

Maybe you can relate?

Perhaps that’s why you’ve found this site. Maybe, just maybe, you’re having problems breaking your thoughts down into one topic that you’ll be able to discuss on a regular basis.

If so, then, like me, you’re what’s called a multipotentialite. It’s a term that I think Emilie Wapnik first coined for her TEDx talk in 2015:

Does this Sound Like You?

After watching that presentation of Emilie’s – how do you feel? Maybe a little confused? Maybe just downright furious.

It’s completely understandable.

I mean, a lot of popular business influencers say that we need to pick out one topic – but Emilie strongly disagrees with that. I agree with her that some of us aren’t wired to be specialists. Now that I think about it, it’s one reason I had problems doing research – and a reason why I might have trouble getting a PhD.

In fact, what I think that us multipotentialites need to do is search for themes in the things that we’re interested in. It’ll be through these themes in our passions, that we’ll discover our purpose and later preferred processes. When we know these aspects of ourselves, then we’ll be able to tell if we’re on the right path – for us.

 

Action Steps

If you’re struggling to get a business started or starting your own brand, maybe pursuing this idea of having a theme of passions might be helpful. In the next few weeks, I’ll be releasing a new resource that will help you connect the dots.

Until then, here’s my recommendation. Start thinking about times when you’ve been fulfilled by the work you’ve done. Doesn’t matter if it was for yourself or others. Can you make that into a career? How?

Have any ideas that you’re not 100% sure about? Drop a comment below.

How to be a Good Interviewer

Michael O’Neal – Don’t Make It About Your Podcast Gear! – Learning How to be a Great Interviewer (AoL 119)

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When it comes to podcasting, you can get geek out about equipment and marketing tactics all day long. However, what separates the good from the great is, especially when you have an interview based show, is the content.

When you have an interview based show, this means that you should have a good feel for interviewing.

For me, I’ve listened to a number of interviewers styles since I first started: Larry King, Tim Ferriss, Cal Fussman, and Lewis Howes are some of the folks that I’ve tried to emulate.

Another is this session’s guest, Michael O’Neal.

According to Michael, when he first started the Solopreneur Podcast, he wasn’t sure how to help people get better at interviews. It was just something he was naturally good at. But, over time, he’s been able to deconstruct his ability and help hundreds of interviewers get better at their craft.

In this session, we’ll learn about what we can expect from his course as well as some new tips he learned recently at Podfest.

Enjoy!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • How’d Michael end up as a Steelers fan? 9:16
  • What was his experience like being a cohost with Hines Ward? 11:19
  • How’d he realize that he was unemployable? 14:28
  • What was the attraction to podcasting that got Michael started with it? 22:17
  • What’s his process in connecting with influencers and producing the podcast? 25:48
  • Has Michael seen a drop in his Google Analytics since shortening his show notes? What are a few things he learned at
  • Podfest 2018? 28:22
  • What can someone expect from his course “The Art of the Interview”? 32:02
  • Who are three influencers that have helped launch him to where he’s at today? 42:54
  • How does Michael say no to all the opportunities he receives these days? 43:18
  • Something he’s been learning about recently that he’s excited about? 44:44
  • What’s his least favorite social custom? 45:27
  • What’s the secret to achieving personal freedom? 45:45

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

 

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

 

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Michael starts Hand & Foot Combination Practice

Michael on drums at IGNITE 2016

Solopreneur Hour #377 with Pat Flynn

Solopreneur Hour #338 with Hines Ward

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

supply vs demand

Supply Vs Demand: Equal Factors in Innovation?

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Back when I was actually studying entrepreneurship in school… I studied a lot of theory based stuff. But hey, that’s what you do in school – study theory!

One of the things that really opened my eyes about how politics plays a role in the economy was learning about John Maynard Keynes and Friedrich August Hayek. They were two prominent economists of the Great Depression era with sharply contrasting views. The arguments they had in the 1930s are revived whenever we have a global financial crisis (or every 10 years).

Keynes suggests that more spending is the answer to reviving an economy, while Hayek believes that artificially pumping the gas on the economy yields worse busts. He believed that stimulus packages were nothing more interference in a naturally occuring rhythm. 

This year marks the 10 year anniversary of Stimulus Act of 2008. Recently, the Trump administration has been talking a bit about tariffs and trade wars. If any of it imposed, we might see some wild fluctuations in the stock market. So maybe it’s a good time to bring this subject up again?

On August 28th, 2011, I posted this piece about the Keynes and Hayek. If you look at the entrepreneurial space using both of their perspectives, then you can come out ahead regardless of what the government stimulates. Or, on a larger scale, you can see how companies like today’s Tesla create a market which other companies can support in the future. 

I have a chameleon personality by any definition of the phrase. Every source that hints to what my personality should be suggests that I have a gift in seeing the world in a balanced manner. Every personality test I’ve taken has jumped around with a result. When I took the Myers-Briggs test, one day I’d be an introvert – another day I’d test as an extrovert.

Heck, forget the sun sign of when I was born – the planets and moons were in alignment for me being a well balanced person too!

Missing out?

Funny enough, most people don’t have a chameleon personality. While mine is no means perfect (most of the time I’m too busy trying to please everyone!) most people are biased in one perspective or another and don’t consider the other side of the coin. The problem with this is that they’re probably missing opportunities.

Remember true intelligence can be defined by the ability to understand two conflicting points of view and make your own decision. So… QUESTION EVERYTHING!!

Case in point: I recently viewed a couple of videos regarding the current economy and two conflicting ways in how to solve it. Most people will see the problems in the economy from one perspective or another and thus the solution is as simple as doing what “is right” to one point of view.

Part 2:

 

Personally what I get from both of these videos and their perspectives is that demand (Keynes perspective) is just as important as innovation and providing the right supply (Hayek) to the economy. Without demand, income doesn’t exist. Without innovation and supply, then no one will buy anything because there’s nothing to buy. It’s a yin and yang sort of deal. Too much of one might give us results we don’t want. For examples, government subsidies have saved many farmers. However, because we’ve relied on it as much as we have, the soy and corn industries have a stranglehold on modern agriculture.

A More Practical Example

If you see both sides of the deal like what I’m talking about, you’ll realize that you can make your cake and eat it too.

One group of smart entrepreneurs are those that are marketing green technologies. Whether you believe Al Gore or not, there is a lot of interest in being green. Part of being green is producing Earth friendly fuels. So those that are building businesses in the green fuel sector are not only good for the environment, but they’re also smart in that they’re cashing in on a GREAT opportunity!!

Not only are they going the Keynes route by being supplemented by the government, but they’re also practicing a bit of the Hayek route in that cars with engines that can utilize the fuel will be created soon.

Action Steps

So now that you see these two perspectives, how can you use this knowledge in your own business? Is there a pool of money you can tap into before you start actual work? It doesn’t have to be government reliant. Maybe working with a nonprofit and doing their ads? (As an example, Google gives grants to nonprofits.)

Then, once that space is created, how might you be able to capitalize on it?

teach a man to fish

Teach a Man to Fish – How Creating A Business Opportunity Can Make A Real Change

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In 2014, a study came out that suggested that Americans want to give back with their purchases, not charity.

The results of the survey, conducted by a socially responsible marketing consultancy Good.Must.Grow, show these trends for the second year in a row. In a poll of 1,010 Americans, the group found that about 30% consumers planned to increase their purchases from socially responsible companies in the coming year (compared to 29% last year). Meanwhile, only 18% plan to increase charitable giving in 2014, a decline from 21% in 2013.

Here’s a graph of these findings from Fast Company paired with those from 2012 and thosethat were projected for the previous year in 2013.

teach a man to fish

Furthermore, the Midwest was actually the most prone to buy when they knew that part of the proceeds were going towards a good cause.  

teach a man to fish

If you want to check out more about this study here’s the article in Fast Company.

 

Anyhow, keep this in mind for a second. I have a couple of other things to share with you.

 

Direct Trade: A Form of Cause Centric Commerce

Now why do I bring this up? Well, you might remember a book that I started when I was in Honduras, which I’ve since finished. It was called Meaningful Work: A Quest to Do Great Business, Find Your Calling, and Feed Your Soul by Shawn and Lawren Askinosie.

In its pages are several key points.

One of which is their use of direct trade in their business.

Now when I say direct trade, that’s not to confuse it with fair trade. Totally not the same thing. And in fact, fair trade isn’t as great as it sounds. In the book, Shawn says the farmers aren’t compensated as much as we’d expect them to be.

teach a man to fish

Direct trade, on the other hand, is a much better deal for everyone involved. Farmers get compensated more and the actual trading agreements are determined by those involved – not a third party.


Because of this, Askinosie Chocolate has the ability to have a hand in helping a couple of developing countries get off the ground. Not only do they help the farmers themselves by doing business with them, but they also help their communities. This is done through numerous programs.

Shawn has a saying (or perhaps a company motto) that goes “It’s not about the chocolate, it’s about the chocolate.”

Without the farmers that he trades with, his business simply wouldn’t be the same.

It’s the cocoa bean farmers that give his company a heart. But it was Shawn and his company that gave the farmers purpose and a way to actually improve their way of life.

Business On the Border

In Mexico, they don’t have government programs that pay for livelihoods. If you want food, you’re going to have to work for it.

Most of the rest of the world is like this – including those countries that Shawn does business with.

This past weekend, I saw first hand what this situation does for people. It drives the market and stimulates the local economy.

Specifically, in this instance, it was in the border towns of Calixico and Mexicali.

On both sides, people were selling goods to those of us who were waiting in line to cross the border. These goods were anything from fruit and pastries up to small digital devices, carvings, as well as NFL and NBA themed blankets.

teach a man to fish

By far, though, the Mexico side had more of these true entrepreneurs.

I think there’s two reasons for this: 1.) They HAVE to make an income because they’re not relying on the government for a handout. 2.) They probably don’t have as many restrictions as we do on the US side.

 

Regardless, while we were waiting in line on the Mexican side to get across, Maria and I noticed that a good majority of these vendors were young people. And when I say young, I mean anywhere from 6 years old up to folks in their mid 20’s.

By the end of our 2 and a half hour wait to cross, we ended up buying items from a couple of the kids.

 

One, I have to say, was a great hustler already at age 10.

This kid was awesome. He was was selling chopped coconuts with the water in a plastic bag.

We watched him perform the entire prep process. From chopping the coconuts, to pouring the water, and then slicing the coconut flesh itself. Once he had a couple cut up, he’d come out into the street with everyone else.

Not only did he help us buy from him by giving us great value with all the prep he had done, but he was a heck of a salesman.

The coconuts were priced at 4 dollars. However, we didn’t have exact change.

As I was looking through my wallet, he apparently noticed that I had a 20 in there.

He said “Oh hey, I have change!” He even wanted me to count it when he gave it to me!

I love it. Not only did he show hustle to prep the coconuts as well as he did, but he was aware enough to help us get over the obstacles of making the sale.

 

The Magic of Hustling

Now, the reason I brought up the study at the beginning of this post is because I want to illustrate something.

The farmers that Askinosie Chocolate works with and the folks that were selling items on the street in Mexicali – they have something in common. They’re not looking for handouts – they’re not beggars. Instead they’re out making things happen by being members of the free market.

I’m guessing that they’re both getting more of an income from being part of this free market and solving problems then if they were simply asking for money.

Not only that, but they probably have a bit of pride in the work they do. They’re able to actually help provide for their families.

As someone from the midwest, I can understand why our socially responsible buying habits have gone up. I’d sooner help contribute to someone who’s working towards something meaningful (even if it’s just selling items in the street) than give to a charity. For one, there’s direct impact there (like Shawn does with his farmers).

But the other thing is people increasingly want a return for the money they worked for themselves.

 

Action Steps

So here’s something I’m going to challenge you guys with. Instead of rewarding those who need help through charity, help people figure out a way to generate income through their own skills. Help them figure out a way to bring in additional income to build themselves and potentially their community.

In the states, that might be something like helping homeless people become produce vendors. Or perhaps, you can help set up an organization where you rehabilitate these folks to be productive members of society. (This is actually being done by a nonprofit at C317.)

Heck, maybe it’s helping farmers with their digital marketing and helping them sell to customers on the other side of the country.

The thing is, there are people who you could help that want to work their way out of their situation. They’re simply looking for the opportunity to do so.

Look for those people and help them up! I believe that you’ll get more fulfillment than you would if you were to simply donate.

 

webinar marketing

Milana Leshinsky – Telesummits aren’t dead! How Great Webinar Marketing Can Make a Huge Impact for Your Small Business! (AoL 118)

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Webinars, telesummits, and virtual summits. They used to be a staple in digital marketing.

In recent years, however, they’ve become rarer to see.

Why?

Because for the most part, people have used them primarily as a way to build their email list. They used it primarily as part of their funnel.

While this is a function that webinars can serve, we shouldn’t overestimate their power to connect us with thought leaders in our various industries.

Today’s guest, Milana Leshinsky, is on a mission to help people see the power that telesummits (aka virtual summits) can provide for a small business.

On top of finding out how she got to be such a huge advocate of these mediums, we find out how they’ve played a role in her own business. She also talks about the mindset you should have when building your own virtual summit.

 

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • How was it that Milana first came to the US? 9:12
  • What made her change her focus of study in school from music to something completely different? 11:32
  • Why did she quit her IT job in 2002 as a mom of two? What did it get her in a relatively short amount of time? 13:25
  • How has digital marketing changed during her career? 17:10
  • Why should someone do a telesummit and what makes a good one? 19:53
  • In what ways has she been able to get back into her artistic roots? 39:00
  • What’s Milana looking forward to working on? 45:04
  • Who have been influencers in Milana’s life? 47:40
  • What are three books that she tells others about? 49:13
  • What’s something Milana has been good to saying no to? 51:37
  • What is her least favorite social custom? 52:43
  • How can someone find their own personal freedom? 54:26

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

 

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Virtual Summits & Telesummits

Fastest Path to Go To Expert

Future of Video Marketing with Michelle Kopper

Jeremy and Milana on Sales in Coaching

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

happiness in life

Finding Happiness in Life by Not Giving In to Negativity

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In this post (originally posted August 6th, 2012) I talk about why it’s important to not dwell in the negatives. Since I originally posted it, I’ve personally grown to come to a point where I think it’s necessary to see the negative in the world – but to not dwell on it. However, I think to get to that point, you have to actually detox from a negative world and mindset. Only then will you be able to be aware of all of all the stuff we’re being barraged with day after day.

It’s at that point that you’ll be able to make better choices for yourself.

So how do you enter a positive mental space when all the messages you receive are negative by nature?

Here’s a few pointers:

This morning I had the opportunity to be on a coaching call with a gal by the name of Linda. She is battling cancer. Horrifying to to even think about, right? Well… yeah, of course!!

However, what separates Linda from a lot of people, especially those that are going through a tough patch in life, is that while she could be focusing on the negative, she actually chooses to focus on the positive. Even when she’s going through radiation treatments in “gray, dark, lifeless rooms”, she still manages to jokingly say to the staff “It would be nice if we could have some colors in here!”.

Linda doesn’t have to have this courage. She doesn’t have to fill her life with laughter and continued hope. She could easily give in and fill every second and every minute with negativity. But she doesn’t.

I’m sure Linda is not alone in her perspective. In fact, I know that a lot of people who beat cancer actually keep a positive perspective on life as they’re going through treatment. I wonder what the ratio of positive cancer survivors to negative cancer survivor is… I’d be willing to bet that the positive outweighs the negative.

 

Choosing to Be Happy and…

 

What I’ve found out since Mom’s passing is that you can either dwell on the negative or you can get energy from the positive. Either way – you’re going to have to live life! Might as well make it a good experience than a bad one, right?

Once I make that decision to be happy, I have to be able to do something to actually back that decision up. Interestingly enough, nothing makes most people more happy than helping others. Either they enjoy the act of giving to those other people – or they love the feeling they receive from getting recognized for making an impact. Either way, they get something out of it.

I’ve been thinking recently that depression is the opposite of happiness, right? And since one can be happy with helping others, doesn’t it make since that depression comes from the lack of involvement with people? Perhaps Expressives are probably more prone to going through depression due to their need of being the center of attention? That’s an interesting concept…

Adding to that – another thing that leads to happiness is not only having people in your life – but those that you can call positive anchors. Look for those people to share common things with and then get involved with them on a more personal level!

 

Actions to ‘Happiness’:

 

What keeps you happy? It’s different for everyone – but a big part of it is sharing with others. Whether you’re an introvert with a few close friends or an extrovert with plenty of them, you always feel better when you share experiences with others.

What if you don’t know what to share with others? Then here’s a few more steps I’ve found for myself.. (I’m pretty sure I’ve covered this before.)

  1. Figure out your passions. (Passions are things that you do automatically and make you happy.)
  2. Determine your purpose from your passions. All 6 Billion people in this world have different passions thus they have a different purpose. Those that identify themselves as their job usually don’t know their individual purpose.
  3. From your purpose – figure out a plan that includes helping or sharing with others.
  4. Figure out where those others group together and then execute (find them)!!
  5. Keep out all negative sources from your life as much as possible. In the end, there’s nothing more unsettling and unproductful than negative sources. This includes most news, gossip, and other negative people. (Sometimes that last one is EXTREMELY difficult.)

If you’re following your purpose then you’re automatically not giving into negativity because you’re doing exactly what makes you happy!!

  • Bonus: Once you execute, there’s a good possibility that if you’re bringing enough value to enough other people – you might be able to make income on your passion! (Don’t let this be the reason you do what you do, though!!)

Actions Steps

So – how about you? What are great ways that you’ve learned to get and stay happy? Does true happiness always revolve around others? Please, as usual, share your thoughts below!! Look forward to expanding my understanding of this topic!

social innovation

Solving Community Problems through Social Innovation with Harrison Painter (AoL 117)

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Having a business is one thing, but starting one that’s on a mission to make an impact in your community is something else. Especially one that focuses on creating Massive Positive Social Impact.

What does that mean exactly?

Well imagine if your sole focus of your business is to amplify purpose driven entrepreneurs, creators, and nonprofit founders in your community. This is what Amplify Indy and it’s creator, Harrison Painter is all about.

By working with Collaborate 317, Harrison has helped start an awesome community through the Amplify Hope Program.

In this interview with Harrison, you’ll learn what it’s all about and what sparked this vision.

It’s our hope that you’ll want to make Massive Positive Social Impact in your area and join us in the Junto on Facebook.

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • How did Harrison originally get into marketing and event promotion? 7:19
  • How did he realize that it was time to leave the traditional job world and strike out on his own? 13:22
  • What made him move to LA with his business? What’s the difference between there and the midwest? 21:00
  • How did Amplify get off the ground? 33:34
  • What are some secrets to launching and marketing an event? 44:07
  • What’s the Amplify Hope Program all about? 47:36
  • What else is Harrison looking forward to in 2018? 55:43
  • What are three favorite movies or documentaries? 1:04:13
  • One gift he likes giving others? 1:06:21
  • What’s a topic people should be talking about hardly anyone is? 1:07:57
  • What was something Harrison believed when he was 30 and now believes was inaccurate? 1:13:46
  • How can someone be a difference maker in their community? 1:15:27

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

 

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Harrison reveals the Amplify Hope Challenge:

Dr. Pingnan Shi shares with us the Amplify Youth Program:

Thomas “TAG” Griffin shares with us Hearts in Hand Homeless Outreach

Thank You, Sam Ash from HIH: Homeless Outreach

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!