We just passed 12 and a half thousand downloads. 

 

And this blows my mind because for about 4 weeks, there were no new episodes. I originally created the first 10 episodes to go with the life plan template I wrote which you can still download at the link for this podcast or at thetravelingcup.com/yourlifeonpurposeguide. 

 

As I continue to go Your Life on Purpose here, I’m going to focus chunks of episodes by a certain theme. I think of it as seasons, like a tv show has seasons. And the theme this season right now is mindset. But, honestly, for those who know me well, I’m not really good at focusing. I love living organically and going with the flow. Structure is needed to get meaningful work done, but I’ve been held back by structure before, so I hope you allow me to meander when it seems necessary. 

 

Let’s continue the theme of mindset for a while here. I have five episodes I’d like to create on mindset, but honestly, that could all change as I hear more and more from all of you who are listening and sharing your stories. 

 

The different themes for each “seasons” reflect what you need in your life right now. So, reach out to and ask a question. I’d love to hear from you. 

 

[email protected] 

 

To continue on from last episodes focus on The Yet Mindset, I’d like to spend a bit of time talking about being real and vulnerable.

 

As I continue to interview more change makers and prod into their stories of achieving greatness, I’m seeing one commonality. The happiest people tend to be the most real and vulnerable.

Why? Because they have nothing to hide and they are owning their story.

Yesterday, Tim McDonald and I met up for coffee and sat by his pool for a chat. We talked about a lot, then centered a bit on what it means to be real and vulnerable.

 

When he was the Director of Community for the HuffPost, Tim was real and vulnerable. Well, actually he was real and vulnerable before that gig and that’s probably why Arianna Huffington ended up asking him to join their leadership team. He was open when he struggled and used his story to help create an effective discussion for others.

 

That’s how he creates such meaningful communities in his work. He’s human and doesn’t shy away from being human even when at work. 

 

Tim argues (and I’d agree with him) that in the future of work, there will be a very blurry line between work and life balance. 

 

There will be very little punching in and punching out. Very few professions and very few businesses will survive if they don’t become more human-centered.

 

This is especially poignant for freelancers and entrepreneurs because these people are working from their passion.

 

And, since you’re listening to this podcast, chances are your work is your passion too. Right?

 

What do I mean about being real and vulnerable? Well, that’s for you to decide and it depends on your personal brand. But, I just think of it as being open with my struggle and being open with how I am working to get better.

 

For instance, at the beginning of my weekly newsletter, I often say, “Pull up a chair. Thanks for joining me.” I say that because I can learn just as much from you as you can for me. The image of pulling up a chair as if we are sitting at a table puts us on the same level. The same plane. 

 

We’re all geniuses if you just work hard to find your genius. 

 

Like Einstein said, “If you ask a fish to climb a tree, he’ll spend his whole life believing he’s an idiot.”

 

What are some other examples of being real and vulnerable in business sense?

 

Chris Brogan says that businesses need to be more human. Mark Babbit, the author of A World Gone Social, would agree. That’s why so many businesses are on social media now because customers just love it when an actual human responds to a tweet or a message. 

 

People want interaction. Humans want real human businesses, both as a customer and as an employee. That’s why employee perks like the ones at Google are all over the start-up scene. 

 

Literally, just as I sitting down to write down my notes for this podcast episode, two good friends of mine Chris Spurvey and Mario Armstrong, jumped on Periscope for a few minutes as to chat with people before they started their work day. 

 

Chris is a major sales executive and entrepreneur in Canada and Mario is the tech guy you see on The Today Show every week. On Periscope, Chris talked about sales then meandered into talking about his physical fitness goals and how he often times struggles to lose weight. Mario talked about his recent traveling and then what new tech gadgets he’s crushing on. 

 

Chris and Mario are being real and vulnerable here and perhaps this is one real reason they are super successful. 

 

They don’t appear to be better than anyone else, even though their resumes are both extremely impressive. They come across as normal — just like you and me. Because they are.

 

I had an incredible conversation with social visionary Jeffrey Slayter on The Traveling Cup about being real and vulnerable.  Here’s a bit of what Jeffrey Slayter had to say about doing what you love and how our culture influences our identity. 

 

Enter Jeffrey Slayter

 

One of my fears with my entrepreneurial journey is to come across as being too life-coachy. Like “look all that I am able to do and you should follow me” kind of life-coachy.

 

Sure, there are many lessons I can share and you can learn from. But, the truth is, I can learn just as much from you.

 

From time to time, I do share my personal life probably more than other entrepreneurs you may subscribe to and that’s an essential part to my personal brand. And perhaps that’s why you are here. Because something about my story helps you relate to me. I love that.

I’ve had a lot of people, for instance, share their story of struggling through a chronic illness because I often share the journey my wife and I are on to empower her recovery with Lyme Disease. That’s great -- I’m happy to share my story of personal struggle with others if it helps empower others too.

 

“By being real and vulnerable, you can own your story and begin your unique legacy instead of shying from it.”

 

We are all on a particular journey for a reason. It’s not coincidence. So, empower yourself by owning your story.

 

“Dig deep. Be real. That is who you are and your unique gift to give to the world.” 

 

What about you? As you are building your legacy, how are you being real and vulnerable? Or, if you see it another way, I’d always love to hear that too.

 

Just send me an email at [email protected].