A few months ago Wayne and I attended the UK Podcasters Pub Crawl in London and after being tanked up on free booze we we’re requested to do an impromptu talk about podcasting and share some of the lessons we had learned along the way.
After ten minutes or so of slurring and dropping more f-bombs than any talk really needs we were rather excited by the impact our talk had on some of those attending.
At the end, one lady approached me and mentioned how my point about being selfish really hit home for her. I had mentioned that starting The Powerful Nonsense podcast began with my own self-interest in speaking to and learning from inspiring people but also as a way for me to process and retain the learnings I had taken in from all the books I was reading.
She had also been thinking about starting her own podcast but was worried about coming across as too self-indulgent even though her idea for the podcast was to focus on supporting those who had been diagnosed with HIV.
“Every creativity endeavour begins with a selfish act.”
The word selfish gets a bad rap. After all, everything we do from brushing our teeth to reproducing is done in our best interest yet we often focus on the ME part of the equation rather than the by-product of our ‘selfishness’ and its impact on others.
“It’s impossible to be selfish in a world in which our actions are interconnected.”
For this lady it was to start a podcast because she believed that the current perception of HIV was a “death sentence” yet she had many friends living happy lives managing their illness.
It’s a common trait for wantrepreneurs to get caught up in ME ME ME of entrepreneurship; “I want to start a business because I want more money, more freedom, more sex etc.” But society or the universe weeds out these fakers. These are the kind of people who are always looking for the quick win, they never take action and certainly don’t spend their evenings attending meetups and networking but this lady was different, she wanted this but was getting in her own way.
“In this interconnected universe, every improvement we make in our private world improves the world at large for everyone.” – David R. Hawkin
In order to sustain momentum in anything you decide to pursue there must be a healthy level of selfishness and a willingness to indulge in the things that light you up.
“The best way to serve yourself is to love and care for others.” – Alan Watts
When you do good with all your heart there can only be a win-win outcome for yourself and those on the receiving end. So please don’t delay. Be selfish. Go create.
