Update: The winners for this giveaway have already been chosen. Subscribe to Tiny Buddha for free daily or weekly emails and to learn about future giveaways!
Also, Steve’s team has informed me that you can download the digital version of Journey to You for free by subscribing for his newsletter! You can access that here.
The winners:
Have you ever felt like there’s one thing you were born to do, and you’re not doing it?
This isn’t actually something I’ve thought, because I don’t believe in fate.
For this reason, I felt a little reluctant when I recently received an email about Steve Olsher’s bestselling book, Journey to You: A Step by Step Guide to Becoming Who You Were Born to Be.
Still, a part of me was intrigued. Even though I don’t personally subscribe to the idea that I was born to do one specific thing, I believe there are certain paths that will provide a far greater sense of purpose and fulfillment than others.
I also believe it can be difficult to identify those paths when we’re out of touch with ourselves, divorced from our instincts, confused about our priorities, and overwhelmed by obstacles.
I read Journey to You with an open mind, eager to glean insights about living a meaningful, passionate life.
There were some parts of the book I connected with more than others, but on the whole, I found it to be a highly instructive guide for anyone who is looking to reinvent themselves. Whether you believe in destiny or not, you will likely find some useful tips and tools to help you create a life that gets you excited.
The Giveaway
To enter to win 1 of 2 free copies of Journey to You: A Step by Step Guide to Becoming Who You Were Born to Be:
1. Leave a comment below.
2. Tweet: RT @tinybuddha GIVEAWAY and Interview: Journey to You http://bit.ly/yy4YlX
If you don’t have a Twitter account, you can still enter by completing the first step. You can enter until midnight PST on Friday, January 27th.
The Interview
1. What inspired you to write Journey to You?
I wrote Journey to You because of an experience I had with my step-father a number of years ago. He was on his death bed, very sick. The illness that had consumed his body for years had finally taken over and he was in the last days of his life. As I held his hand, I had a vision of my funeral.
Though he could no longer verbally communicate, I believe he was able to connect with me through that physical connection and was showing me my inevitable fate. I could hear the words being spoken graveside: “Here lies Steve Olsher. He dedicated his life to chasing the almighty dollar.” That’s all that was said.
It hit me really hard because I’ve always felt like I was meant and made to do something extraordinary, but just couldn’t quite identify what it was. It was certainly clear to my step-father I was heading down the wrong path.
I faced what I call a YaNo (pronounced YAY-NO) moment. I could choose to go in one of two directions: Either farther away from attaining congruence with who I inherently am; or, down the path that would allow me to honor my inherent blueprint and make a difference in the world not just on those who share this lifetime with me, but also on those of lifetimes to come.
I chose the latter and began putting pen to paper to share the tips, tools, strategies and shortcuts that had worked well for me in my life with others.
2. Much of your book is about unlocking the greatness within. Do you believe there is a connection between achievement and greatness or can one be great without pursuing professional success?
I do not believe the two are mutually exclusive. It is absolutely possible to achieve a high-degree of success while making an extraordinary income doing what it is you’re compelled to do. That said, it does not have to be that way. In other words, you don’t have to necessarily realize what many would define as “greatness” whereby notoriety and professional “success” is achieved in order to have an inordinate impact on our world.
Mother Teresa is a phenomenal example of this. She absolutely provided comfort, care, and healing to those in need, but was she financially and professionally successful? Certainly not by the common definition. However, I do believe that, from purely a professional standpoint in terms of representing her profession, she was extraordinarily successful.
Again, you should be paid extraordinarily well for whatever it is you do better and/or uniquely different than anyone else and if money is not your bag, then give it away. But let’s be real—we all have financial obligations. Money is a necessity. And, if you can get by with minimal needs and don’t care for the excess cash, then great—support or start your own charity and help those in need.
3. You outline a process to help people discover their WHAT—the one vocation we are compelled to pursue. Do you believe that everyone has just one vocation? Or, are there many possibilities that will lead to professional fulfillment?
I do believe there is just one thing we are each absolutely compelled to do. Now, don’t get me wrong. Your skill can be applied in myriad ways. For instance, you could be a phenomenal communicator, therefore sometimes you’re a writer and other times you’re a speaker. Or, maybe your gift is music and you play as well as compose.
It’s possible that not only do you play and compose, but you might also teach. After all, teaching leads to being a better player and composer, and also helps generate consistent income. It is certainly not necessary to be stuck within one element of the profession.
And, as you grow, you’ll realize there are other options that complement what it is you’re compelled to do. The important thing is that it all stays within the general framework of the one area of your life that really makes your soul sing.
So, sure, there are multiple opportunities to develop professional fulfillment; however, your life and your love for it is going to revolve around one specific area that specifically reflects your WHAT.
4. You are known as America’s Reinvention Expert. In your experience what have you found are the main reasons people want to reinvent themselves?
People typically seek to reinvent their lives, number one, as a result of circumstance. Either they are fired, divorced, dissatisfied with their life, realize it’s not what they bargained for, etc.
Number two, many wake up one morning and say, “There’s got to be something more to this life.” They finally hit the wall and know they want to have a more powerful impact on this world, get paid well for what they’re good at, and may not know exactly what that is or, if they do, are unclear how to bring their gifts to fruition.
It is often about a shift in perspective. Something happens in their life that dramatically alters their state of mind and they choose to move in a different direction.
5. In this time of economic uncertainty, many people are struggling just to make ends meet. Do you believe anyone can reinvent themselves from right where they stand or do we need to create a sense of financial stability before we can change careers?
Fact is, we all have mouths to feed and bills to pay. I’m not one of those people that’s going to sit there and tell you to “Do what you love and the money will follow.” That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Run away as fast and as far as you can from someone preaching that message, because immediately pursuing your passion without having the financial wherewithal to carry you only leads to your situation becoming dramatically worse. This is not what we want.
Bottom line, don’t quit your day job. You must be willing to enter the transition. The transition involves being clear as to where you are now, where you’re headed, and begin to take baby steps to get there.
Think of the transition as a recipe mixture. Right now, 100% of your income is derived from what it is that you don’t want to do and 0% of your income is derived from what you do. Once you take that first step, the recipe mixture starts to shift. So maybe now, its 99.99 parts what you don’t want to do and .01 parts what you do.
As income is derived from what it is that really stirs your soul, you begin to recognize when you can make the full-on shift. For some, it’s when they’re able to generate 50% of their typical income; for others, maybe it’s 60, 70, or 80%; and, still others won’t be able to make the complete transition until they’re at 100% of their typical income being derived from what it is they’re compelled to do.
You can try to deny it, but everyone needs financial stability and patience. If you choose to be a brain surgeon, this may mean you’re in a state of transition for 16 years.
6. Journey To You was honored by USA Book News as the Best Self-Help Book of the Year. Why do you think the book has been so well-received?
I think the book has been so well-received because it provides a no-holds-barred, cut-to-the-chase, non-flowery approach to creating a life you can be proud of and teaches you specifically how to do it. Too many books out there speak in theoretical terms. Life doesn’t happen in theory. It happens right here and right now.
Specific steps are required to reach your destination. Few other books provide a step-by-step guide for identifying specifically what it is you’re compelled to do andhow to bring it to fruition. Journey To You provides the reader with poignant, proprietary exercises that helps them discover their WHAT, create a plan of action for making it happen, and doesn’t insult the reader with flowery, woo-hoo prose. I believe this is why the book resonates so well.
7. What is the main message you hope readers take from the book?
The main message I hope readers take from the book is that life is organic and constantly evolving. The destination is the road and the journey is the destination. In other words, you are exactly where you’re supposed to be.
Life starts over right now, right now and right now. It literally starts over every single second of every single day. You can choose to hang onto what’s behind you and drag it kicking and screaming into the present, or choose to move towards what’s in front of you. The key is to move in the direction of specific goals and objectives. Everything behind you is irrelevant and has no bearing or place in your life right now.
Wayne Dyer said it best: “Everything that happens in life, no matter how painful, eventually leads us to a place of higher value.” My hope is that Journey to You is far from painful and leads the reader to a place of higher value.
Thank you so much for your time and your attention.
Learn more about Steve Olsher, “America’s Reinvention Expert” at SteveOlsher.com.
FTC Disclosure: I receive complimentary books for reviews and interviews on tinybuddha.com, but I am not compensated for writing or obligated to write anything specific. I am an Amazon affiliate, meaning I earn a percentage of all books purchased through the links I provide on this site.
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