Passion Struck with John R. Miles - Igniting Your Creativity and Unlocking Your Potential w/John R. Miles EP 0

Episode Date: February 11, 2021

Today’s show is a special one, as John shares his big WHY that pushed him to start this show. John is a former NAVY combat veteran, multi-industry CEO, and human performance expert. He discusses his evolution and lessons for igniting your creativity and unlocking your potential.  The Passion Struck podcast is meant to ignite your creativity, and unlock your hidden potential. In this show, business leaders, athletes, and entertainers shall be sharing their life story, their biggest fears, and how they pursued their passions in face of all odds.  We may not like to admit it, but there has been a steady decline of social forces in the United States. Start-up action is easing up, and development is slowing down. Fewer and fewer people are taking the leap of faith. As we embrace apathy and comfort, we are shunning the risk-taking, growth mindset that made our country the largest economic power in the world.   So, if you are looking for some inspiration to nudge you on, then join our evolutionary community now!   What You Will Learn In This Show How to ignite your creativity and unlock your hidden potential Has American society gone into a steady state of decline? Cultivating a risk-taking, growth mindset And so much more…   Follow John R. Miles Here: Website - https://passionstruck.com/ ​Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/passion_struck_life ​ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Johnrmiles.c0m ​ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Milesjohnr ​ Medium: https://medium.com/@JohnRMiles John's Website: https://johnrmiles.com/ - John's New eBook - The Passion Struck Framework https://passionstruck.com/coaching/ About Your Host, John R. Miles:  Combat veteran, multi-industry CEO, entrepreneur, and Author John R Miles is on a mission to make passion go viral by helping growth seekers to overcome their fear, self-doubt, and adversity. His new podcast Passion Struck provides inspirational interviews and powerful guidance for people to take their lives to the next level. Watch as these high achievers weigh in on life's biggest questions and challenges as we journey on the path to becoming passion-struck!

Welcome to the PassionStruck podcast. My name is John Miles, a former combat veteran and multi-industry CEO, turned entrepreneur and human performance expert. Each week we showcase an inspirational person and message that helps you unlock your hidden potential and unleash your creativity and leadership abilities. Thank you for spending time with me today, and let's get igniting! [♪ Music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, for you to join us today. actress Hillary Swayne said, I have this motto, make a choice, make it happen,

and work every day towards whatever that goal is. Step into the sharp edges, do something that scares you. Don't pull away and don't overthink. Ever since I heard those words a few months ago, I have been so inspired by them and they played a critical role performing this podcast today and the slogan that I use for it. Today I am so excited because

I'm coming here with the origin episode for this show and why we started it. I have a personal goal to make passion go viral for millions of people all over the planet and I want to use this new passion struct brand to help do that and this podcast and new YouTube channel played a huge role in doing that. I wanna give you both inspirational interviews and messages that will come to you on Tuesdays and Fridays, where we will showcase the hidden steps, inspirational content, and overall tips,

knowledge and skills that you can apply to help you unlock your hidden potential and live the purpose-driven life you've always wanted. And today I'm going to discuss the background for why this podcast came into existence. And I'm going to go into a little bit of my career. I will do more on a personal origin story that'll come out later this season. But what I really want to share in my momentum Friday messages, and I want to teach you

what I have learned along the way. From my time starting out as a combat veteran to transitioning into professional services who going into industry and serving in executive positions, ultimately becoming a sea level and a Fortune 50 company, and then to more recently becoming a multi-industry CEO, and how I use the passion-struck framework to ignite the potential of those around me

in every role that I went into. Thank you so much for listening to this show and if you love it I would appreciate you subscribing and iTunes for Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen. And please share it with growth seeking friends that you have so that they can learn the secrets to unlocking their potential too. And have them share it on their social media accounts and tag us on Instagram at I.M. PassionStruck. Thank you so much, and I hope you will enjoy this show and the hundreds of more that will

come after it. Let's get igniting your passion today. I want to start to show off with a simple thought exercise. In your mind, or better yet, on a piece of paper, write down one or two of the biggest dreams, aspirations, you have ever wanted to accomplish. I want you to really take your seatbelt off for this one. Really did deep and thank what is it that you are truly driven about that would make your life just I'm alive for you. Have it written down? Now I want you to flip over that same piece of paper and write down this question.

What is the biggest fear or obstacle that is holding you back from achieving that goal? As an entrepreneur, in just a few minutes, I could write down literally countless pages of ideas and thoughts that I have. Things that could not only change my industry and revolutionize the world as we know it, but things that could alter my life for the better. But what is stopping me? It's the shadows that are lurking all around us, that inner voice, those friends, those social pages, that partner, those things that all around us influence the way we react and perform every day.

It's those fears, influences, actions that are keeping us away of pursuing what could be a truly purpose-driven life. Are you happy with your life? In other words, are you living what you would consider to be comfortable existence? It's a simple question in one that we often answer with an intrinsic yes. But I would urge you to dig deeper

and go beyond yourself. I was once like you. And by most standards, I was living on the surface what seemed like an amazing life. I had achieved many awards and recognitions throughout my career that most would die to achieve. And yet, something was missing. As much as it seemed like everything was perfect, it wasn't. Inside, I was living a pinball life that was on autopilot. In the future, I'll do a whole episode

on pinball life and pinball leadership. But in an essence, if you're in a pinball machine and you're that ball, you're going around with absolutely no intentionality. The urgent things that are around you cause you to shift and move in almost any direction. And it's only when you can press those two buttons on the side of the machine that you have control. And I think that's what's happening with so many of us today. Like me, we are getting into what I call the portfolio career. We keep taking these different positions and different experiences. Then on the surface, maybe okay,

but they're not what is truly helping us achieve that goal in life that we want, that dream that you wrote down on the piece of paper when you started this podcast. And I am not alone. There are literally millions around the world who are just like me. And that is why I started this show. Because I believe we are on the cusp, if not in the middle of, not only a national emergency

here in the United States, but a global emergency in almost all areas of Western culture. You see the two forces that made the United States the aspiration of the world, entrepreneurship, and business fatality are dying. Different studies showing very diverse ways of measuring this indicate that this drop started over two decades ago. And the decline in both business fatality and entrepreneurship levels in the United States and in western countries not only continues on a steep decline, it's getting worse. National emergency or global emergency may sound stark, but I believe it's an accurate description of what's going on nevertheless. On the off chance that there are fewer and fewer organizations that are being created, what ends up happening is that the talent that goes into these organizations stops being recycled and it starts to just fit and portfolios of larger organizations and doesn't cultivate

itself into the meaningful workforce that it could be. This later situation is compounded by the baby boomer generation having to hold on to their jobs for even longer. And that is in some ways brought on by financial necessity and in other ways because our health and life are being extended. And so the desire to want to live longer and work longer is keeping people in their jobs longer. And this creates less upward movement, not only for my generation, but more importantly for the millennials and generations of Z who are coming behind us. An examination distributed in December 2015 by the National Bureau of Economic Research shows that the startup action in the United States has been easing for around 30 years, dropping in the course of the last 10 years. Startups represented

13% of all organizations in the 1980s, yet just about 8% 20 years later. A further working institute study found that the startup rate, one of the new organizations at the level of all organization had fallen in half since 1978. And as I said, the problem is not in the United States alone. In addition to these studies, there are even more on a global basis that are showing this steep decline around the world. So what is causing this malice in the United States and in these Western countries? Well many experts would point to the fact that the student loan debt just in the United

States alone is 1..5 trillion. And that because of the student debt, millennials and generation Z are unable to go after the positions they want because they're stuck in debt. And I'm not discounting that this isn't true, but I don't think it's the primary reason at all for what's going on. I believe the bigger issue is that we're facing an identity crisis. The bigger problem is I feel the American dream, and in many cases, the global dream of entrepreneurship is facing an identity crisis. You and fewer people are taking the leap of faith that is necessary

to pursue their dreams and to start their own business or take the steps that they need to to go on their passion journey. While technology is the next generation's oxygen while technology is the next generation's oxygen and complements the fourth industrial revolution, which is all around us. I believe that the culprits are somewhere else. I think we are facing the culprits, a comfort and apathy, the contagions of the mind and the contagion of the human spirit. When things get tough, or a new offer, or something else is put on the table, instead of going after it with everything inside us, who many of us out here today end up jumping ship just at the point when we should be taken that leap of thing. I believe it's that prevailing attitude which is giving rise to the portfolio career that I talked about earlier in this podcast. And that portfolio

career is becoming more the norm because of comfort and apathy. In essence, what is happening, more and more people is that they can't align their self identity to that of a growth seeker, of an entrepreneur, of a creator, of a visionary, of someone who can muster the courage and power to do something more, to do something great, to become a mission angler, to become someone who is constantly looking for that mission that drives them inside.

More and more people are failing to ingrain these risk-taking capabilities inside themselves. And the major reason for it is fear, fear of failure, fear of letting other people down, fear of not being able to achieve financial success we want, fear of the image that we present, fear of not being able to afford the car we drive, fear of not looking like we should on social media. Fear of getting halfway through it and realizing you may fail.

Well, as my friend and former colleague, Steve Shirley used to say, at our executive team meetings at Lowe's, you must fail fast and fail often. It's something that is all about the agile methodology and something that you can also apply inside through personal agility, you need to face those fears and along the way you are going to fail. But through this podcast, I hope to show you by looking at high achievers and giving you inspiring

words of wisdom through my own career, ways that you can shortcut those obstacles, those fears, and overcome them. Did you know that the millennial generation has been labeled as the cautious generation? It may be why, and this was absolutely shocking. Did you know that the average age of a startup founder is now 45? It completely blew me away. 45 years old. Yes, you heard that correctly. I believe this higher average is because more and more companies are forcing their employees were getting up an age out the door, which is causing them to have to reinvent their career. And they're being forced into this position.

And it's not an easy one to come into. And at this point in your career, have to reinvent yourself and go after something completely new. I'm not too proud to admit that some of my deepest fears are the reason that it has taken me as long as it has, to truly go after my passion. And my goal today, with the creation of this podcast, is to make action go viral. I want to help each and every one of you learn how do you unlock your hidden potential

and live a life that you want that is filled with purpose, where you can unleash your creativity and leadership abilities. That is because the biggest predict we ever face is that person we're looking at in the mirror. It's ourselves. And until you realize that you're not going to change. But I want to introduce you to stories from high achievers who are literally just like you. They were living in many cases a comfortable life and then something happened to make them change.

And I want to help and be your guide to helping you face your fears, overcome them, and lead the success that you want in your life. That is why it's so important to understand why do we cover in the face of what could be life-changing opportunity. Why don't we go after that thing that we know is inside of us. What we aspire to want to do, I believe it is those two contagions again, the contagion of the human mind and the contagion of the human spirit. We let comfort and apathy get in the way instead of truly pursuing our life. And in many cases it starts with these four letters. I can't make time for that. I can't possibly do that on top of what I'm doing. I can't figure out where to start. I can't let other people down. But by doing all these things and saying, can't life-changing opportunities,

you are letting yourself down. And that's what I want to help you change. At the beginning of this show in the introduction, I talked about Hillary Swain, and I was recently listening to another podcast and I have to tell you I before this didn't know much about Hillary Swank but as I started to hear her podcast so much of her life lessons and what she has had to go through to achieve what she has become today stuck with me. And especially the quote that she said, I have this model.

Make a choice. Make it happen and work hard every single day. Work hard towards whatever that goal is. Step into your sharp edges. Do something every day that scares you. Don't pull away and don't overthink. Hillary Swanks' words have stuck with me ever since I first heard them a few months ago and they are a primary motivational reason for why I started this

show. To help you make the choice, the work card, the step into your sharp edges, and to start doing something every day that scares you. But I want to ignite and cultivate that passion journey. I want you to make passion go viral with me. I want you to help cultivate this evolutionary Ashen struck community and movement where we concentrate on positivity and passion and not the negativity, comfort, and apathy that prevail. I talked about many figures around the show today, and I want to summarize that back

now. In 1996, future leaders launched 35% of all new businesses, and it dropped to 18% in 2018, and it continues a downward bunch. How do we stop this friend? How do we overcome our fears? How do we start taking the path, the executing on a passion journey that can take you to the purpose of your life that you want?

As Hillary Swink said, we have to make a choice, work hard, and step into our sharp edges. And I want to help guide you to do just that. Please listen to us every week on Tuesdays and Fridays. On Tuesdays, I'm going to bring on an Iachever, someone who was once just like you. They were a growth seeker who wanted something more out of their life. And they decided to make that choice to do something greater. They went through the steps that it took to analyze what was the brutal reality that they had to confront. Then they worked hard, midded to it, executed it on every day.

They stepped into the sharp edges, they stifled their fears, and overcame them. On Fridays, I want to go and give you inspirational messages and tips of wisdom from throughout my career. Thank you for helping me make passion go viral. I hope you will subscribe to this podcast and listen to it religiously, and that it will help change your life for the better. Thank you. change your life for the better. Thank you. Thank you so much for joining us.

The purpose of our show is to make passion go viral. By sharing the knowledge and insights you can use to unlock your hidden potential. To hear more, please subscribe to the show in iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you'd love this episode, we'd appreciate a five-star rating on iTunes where if you simply tell free of your most driven and motivated friends about the show and post to your social accounts, that would help us grow our PassionStruct community too. If you want more tools to unlock your potential, please make sure to also visit our website, passionstruct.com, sign up to our email list, as well as check out all the links and resources in the show notes.

Be sure to tune in on Tuesdays and Fridays for our next episodes, and remember, make a choice, work hard, and step into your sharp edges. Thanks again, and I'll see you next time.