Wisdom For Extraordinary Living
Passions and Abundance
Note: Today’s post is a guest contribution from Eliot Burdett.
When Jacob asked me to write a post about what inspires me I thought, what the heck am I going to write about without writing a book.
When it comes to passions and inspirations, I consider myself a bit cursed because I don’t have just one or two. I have tons.
I love hanging out with my wife and my family. I love teaching my kids life skills every day and watching them grow up. I enjoy building unique businesses from scratch and making customers happy. I get a huge kick from helping others and seeing them achieve their dreams.
I thrive on intense exercise and being active. I watch as much hockey as I can. I dig listening to all kinds of music. I am pretty much addicted to trying new things and developing myself. I like food in a big way and anyone who watches me will see me snacking and munching 24/7. I have a blast doing extreme sports and I love adventures. I can get lost in fiction or a good movie. I also I like to gear down, relax, meditate and do nothing at least a few times every day. There is a good chance I missed a few things here and oh yeah I like to get a full night’s rest too.
All of this would be fine except there are only so many hours in a day (and, in a life).
Finding Balance In Passion?
Not being one who is able to focus very well, I try to pursue all my passions. Some people might call this some kind of attention deficit disorder. Some might say that I spread myself too thin and don’t reach the heights of achievement that are possible with focus. I don’t know about any of that. I consider my life more of a balance between many different things that bring me joy and inspire me.
Author Chris Guillebeau said that balanced people don’t change the world. That may be true, but I am not out to change the world. For me life is about being happy, and feeling good about my place on this earth. I don’t apply other people’s measures of success to my life. If I am at peace with myself, I know I am doing what I am meant to be doing.
And it’s not like I haven’t tried to be focused. I have tried to reduce my pursuits and focus on a just few things, but it just doesn’t work for me. When I cut stuff out of my life, I feel unbalanced, then get distracted by the things that I cut out, and find myself gravitating back to where I started before I cut things out.
If you are like me and have many passions, then you know there are some real consequences with all of this. Most of all, you need the time to fit everything in.
I create time in my day by starting early, when I am freshest and most productive. Every day, 7 days a week I get up by 4:30 am, so I can have quiet time by myself to think and exercise before my kids rise and then be present with them when they are awake. Sleeping in is not an option for me.
Pouring Yourself Into What Matters
There is also the little issue of getting into the flow of something you love. I have a tendency to get engrossed in one thing and forget the rest of the world exists. I love letting go and really getting into something, but the downside for me, is that when I surface from periods of extreme focus, I feel unbalanced, exhausted and disoriented because I have poured myself into one thing that matters to me and forgotten others. To safeguard myself against feeling this way, I have elaborate systems for managing my time and staying grounded.
Personal branding is also an issue. My blog will never get the traffic that others do because mine is all over the map in terms of topics. A reader called my blog a “self-actualization shangri-la” which kind of sounds cool, but I don’t really have a brand. I and I am basically just some dude who likes to laugh a lot and share ideas about healthy living, being successful and being happy.
Relationships can be tough as well when your attention is scattered all over the place, but there is nothing that I love more than my wife and kids and I never take them for granted. No matter what excites us, we are all happier when we have strong relationships and I could never let my pursuits eclipse the most important people in my life.
Of course everyone is different. Some of us are capable of that focus and some, like me, find it elusive. It’s all good. Whatever way you are wired, it’s a crime not to pursue your passions with commitment and enthusiasm. Find your balance and go after what excites you.
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Eliot Burdet is a husband, father, entrepreneur, vegan, rec athlete, hockey nut, blogger, author, and a partner at Peak Sales Recruiting. He believes that life is good and everyone can achieve more success in business and life by pursuing their passions and leading a balanced, healthy and full life.
On Purpose,
Jacob
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13 Responses to Passions and Abundance
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Sal. Your words are like a jolt of great energy. Thanks for taking he time to read. Eliot
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Great outlook on life Eliot. I'm on the same track that you are. Love for my wife and kids is all one really needs. All the other fin stuff is just a bonus. What some call unable to focus, I call random multitasking.
Take care man!
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Great to hear your family is your priority. You can never take that for granted. Take care!
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hey Elliot,
I really appreciate your from the heart attitude and I think you have your priorities in a good order.
Thanks for the look in your soul kitchen!
love and light to you! -
Thanks for the great post elliot. I love to hear people talk about their passions, it energises me every time! I really admire your early rising and finding the time to do things for yourself so that u can be present for ur kids. Im interested to know, what time do u go to bed and What do you do when u have to stay out late for a dinner party or other event? Glad to hear that you're doing so great!
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James – thanks for the comments. I like to get to bed by 930 pm, that way I will get 7 hours of sleep. I can survive on less, but I do best with at least 7. If I am out late, I don't change a thing – even if I a only getting 2 hours of sleep. The trick to getting up early is to do it 365 days a year so it is mechanical. If I get shortchanged on sleep one night, I make it up the next night. I wrote a post on how to do it earlier this year.. .http://eliotburdett.com/how-to-get-up-early/
Take care!
Eliot.
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Yo Eliot,
Great post. And I've been seeing how you've pulled out all your puzzle pieces and are playing with how they fit together…and now you're starting to share them with people. And by the way, you do have a brand…"Eliot Burdett" is your brand! 'Success through lifestyle' says it all (for now, until you sharpen it in a year or three).
Aaron
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Hey buddy!! Congrats on your wedding. Saw the pics – it looked wonderful! Thanks for the positive vibes and encouragement. As always, you rock!
Eliot.
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Great post Eliot!
I like Aaron's tagline for you…Success through lifestyle! I, too, am multi-passionate and struggle with "balance"… I realized that I was striving for the wrong thing. HARMONY, for me is where it is at. Like a tightrope walker, balance is fleeting. Balance exists momentarily, then we're wobbly…then we adjust and rebalance…then back to trying to find that dynamic tension and sweet spot. Instead of focusing on those perfect moments of balance, I'm enjoying being a tightrope walker carrying spinning plates with my husband juggling and my kids bouncing on the line. We fall off, we break plates, we laugh, we get up and keep walking. The tick tock of a clock may be perfectly balanced, but I want my life to be a song- a harmony, full of lots of different notes and varied tempos coming together. More than I intended to say- can you say COFFEE? :) Jacob, psyched for your podcast, Yo! :)-
Hey Electra!!! love the harmony analogy. We break plates, we laugh…lol. Awesome. Laughter is wonderful medicine isn't it? We can't take life too seriously.
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Me too E Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooogie!
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Dude, I am going to check out your blog right NOW because from what I am reading here… we might have the same site!!!
To hell with what Chris says about balanced people changing the world…. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Da Vinci, Jefferson…. All "renaissance" type men who did MANY things… They changed the world…
Chris also said in his own eBook, that his own blog was not very focused. Neither are a lot of famous bloggers (i.e. Tim Ferriss…) That might be what makes your blog great. It is not just a reference of information but an insight into the way you feel about things. (many things)
I am the same way with my site, as in my life. I LOVE to do so many things, but most importantly I am VERY passionate about them, so I strive to optimize my way of life to make me feel fulfilled about conquering ALL of them.
Great post man, keep kickin life's ass!!!
Surfs up,