Author: Scott

reach potential

"There are powers inside of you which, if you could discover and use, would make of you everything you ever dreamed or imagined  you could become."

- Orison Swett Marsden

As it turns out, Living Your Legend is synonymous with Living Your Potential. That's why we're all here. So let's start with a question:

Are you reaching your full potential?

It's a question that haunts all of us from time to time. A question that casuses people to dream and act big, but also a question that forces people to do some of the most foolish things. A reader recently came to me with this very problem. She didn't feel like she was using everything she had. She genuinely enjoys what she's doing and is damn good at it but feels like something is missing. Like she doesn't use her brain as much as she'd like (as she put it). She mentioned going back to medical school or nursing school - something that had been on her mind since university. She was starting to think a few years of school was the only way to solve the problem. This got me thinking...

Potential is nothing more than a feeling.

Realize that there are a million and one ways to experience it. It's simply a feeling of adequacy and fulfillment with what you're doing. That you're using all the gifts and talents you have. Something only you can be the judge of. Sure we often let others help us decide whether we feel fulfilled but at the end of the day it's bull sh*t. It doesn't matter if the world puts some certified genius on a pedestal for being a surgeon if the person knows deep down that they are only using half their brilliance. Staying in your current role or traveling the typical path may keep others happy, but will it keep you happy? It's doubtful. Sooner or later that feeling will get the best of you. The later you catch it, the harder it is to correct. The good news is you can live your potential in just about anything you do.

Change the world

"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect."

-Mark Twain

Welcome new readers! The last week since the launch of Live Your Legend has been nothing short of insane and legendary in every way. We have over 2,300 new members who joined our cause in the last few days alone. Welcome to the community! Thanks to everyone who's decided to be a part of what we're building. You make this what it is! Also if you're reading this in email or RSS form and haven't seen the new Live Your Legend site, please click here and check it out. ******

Now let's get into today's action:

In case you haven't noticed yet, I believe in taking the road less traveled. I believe it will always make all the difference. It certainly has so far... Last week we heard from 57 Living Legends who were spending their time putting their unique dent in the world. But how did they get there? What do they do differently than the rest of the world? Their stories blew my mind but the habits and beliefs that got them there are where the real magic is. In a word they simply do things differently. Over nearly the past decade, I've made a deep study of the tenets that guide their actions. Those same beliefs now guide all of mine. Over the coming months we will examine, test and experience them in deep detail. For now let's start with the road map. If we are going to change the world by doing work we love, then the below are requirements. I call them a way of life. These are our guiding principles - an Operating Manifesto of sorts. They make up the foundation of Live Your Legend. They're the beliefs that guide every Living Legend I've met. Make them your own and watch what happens. Note: This is meant to be a reference piece going forward. With almost every habit below I've included links to an article or two I've written on the subject. I hope you'll spend some serious time with this. I want you to fully understand our foundation for why we do what we do here. Enjoy.

"No one ever got anywhere by themselves. Find your support and keep them close."

-Anonymous

Who inspires you? Who pushes you to places you couldn't get on your own? It's time to start spending more time around them... Live Your Legend is dedicated to helping you find the work you love. To discover passion and spend your time doing what matters. To putting a dent in the world that only you are capable of making. This comes down to a simple formula:

Learn who you are + get inspired by others + take action = Live Your Legend

If I'm not spending my time in one of those categories, I'm not living. I surround myself with passionate people everyday. They push my limits. They inspire me. They teach me the impossible is possible. We are not meant to go at it alone. I get to live my legend, work on passion and wake up excited because of what I've learned from those who've taken the world by the horns and done something with who they are. Recently I asked a handful of kick-ass entrepreneurs living their dreams (aka: Living Legends), one question:

What's one defining life experience or belief that's allowed you to find your passion and live on purpose? 

The responses blew my mind - I hope they'll do the same for you. I'm grateful to say the below are all people I've met, spent time around or been in touch with in one way or another along the journey. Many of them have become good friends. Whether they know it or not, they've shed light on a path I could not have walked alone. They have built businesses and sold them, written bestsellers, lived and worked all over the world and most importantly helped people in a way only they could. And they did it all on their terms. They've created lives of meaning that, however big or small, are changing the world. And the best part, we are all capable of what they've done. You just have to want it badly enough. Doing work that matters is scary sh*t. One few decide to tackle. You are here because you think differently. We all do. We all have moments that change us. We all have times where fear and uncertainty stare us in the face. It's what we do at those moments that defines us. I have not gotten here alone nor will I go any further without the right people in my corner.

From the shoulders of giants, enter the Living Legends...

Whos Success

"The lack of clearly defined success is what keeps one’s dreams and happiness just out of reach of their reality."

Think about the goals you're running like crazy to accomplish. Think of the promotion you want. The job you'd love. The cars, the houses, all of it. What are you chasing? The thing is most people know what they're chasing but few people know why they're chasing it. Is it because those are things that mean something to you or is it just because they mean something to those around you?

When was the last time you sat down to define what success really means for you?

It's so easy to get caught up in societies definition... That's usually the money, the paycheck, the status, the title, the clout. After all, it's the only thing that can easily be compared, so it's the thing that get's talked about. My last year at university all people wanted to know was what the job paid and was it a name that everyone knew. There was no talk of whether it was something they actually wanted or something they were good at. For most of us that comparison stuck. So we forever adopt, often unconsciously, someone else’s definition and claim it as our own. Then we start to base our biggest life decisions accordingly. All of a sudden we are busting our ass to live societies dreams, giving no thought to our own. Is it any surprise why so many people can't get a grasp on their passion, let alone live it?

  Freedom is not what you think

"Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide."

-Napoleon Bonaparte

There's so much talk on blogs and in books about freedom. You hear it everywhere. About owning your calendar. Being location independent. Having no one to report to. Running your own businesses. The list goes on. Freedom, as well as any value, can be defined a million and one ways. Have you actually sat down to define yours? If you haven't, you'll likely spend your life trying to accomplish someone else's dream. You'll never get there and the journey is going to suck. Is that really how you want to spend your time?

Be Vulnerable

"He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away."

-Raymond Hull

Last week I attended an event called The Founder's Circle. Picture 35 founders from around San Francisco all in one place to eat great food, sip great scotch, snack on local dark chocolate and engage in some of the most inspiring chat I've had in months, all in the setting of a classic antique shop housed in what felt like a 1920's barn.

  deal with misfortune

"Fortune knocks but once, but misfortune has much more patience."

~Laurence J. Peter

Last week this site got hacked. Some guy out in Russia busted into my code and redirected everyone to his site and even caused some serious computer issues for some of you readers. It also effected anyone who tried to leave a comment last week.

In a matter of minutes the site lost nearly 50% of its traffic.The situation was no fun, and to be honest, was pretty damn scary.

First off I apologize for any of you who got tangled up in it. The good news is we got the hack dealt with about 30 hours after it happened and the site is now more secure than ever.

**Sorry folks, the sale is now closed.

"Dedicate yourself to continuous learning & experiment, and passion will always be close at hand."

In case you haven't noticed yet, I am absolutely crazy about learning. Second to doing (which happens to be the best form of learning), there is nothing more important to living a life on purpose and on passion than going to school on yourself.