On a Living Spree

The Power of Purpose: How Clarifying Your "Why" Can Transform Your Work and Life

Have you ever found yourself going through the motions at work, feeling disconnected from the bigger picture and wondering what it's all for? If so, you're not alone. In today's fast-paced, always-on work culture, it's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks and lose sight of the deeper purpose behind what we do.

But here's the thing: having a clear sense of purpose is essential not just for our personal fulfillment and well-being, but for our effectiveness and impact as leaders and team members. When we're connected to a larger mission and vision, we're more motivated, resilient, and inspired to bring our best selves to work every day.

So, how can we clarify our sense of purpose and use it to guide our actions and decisions? One powerful exercise is to create a personal purpose statement. This is a short, concise statement that captures the essence of what drives us, what we stand for, and what impact we want to have in the world.

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The Missing Ingredient in Employee Engagement: Fostering a Sense of Belonging

Employee engagement has become a hot topic in recent years, with countless studies and surveys highlighting the link between engaged employees and better business outcomes. But despite all the attention and investment in engagement initiatives, many organizations still struggle to move the needle. Why?

One often-overlooked factor is the role of belonging in driving engagement and performance. A sense of belonging – feeling accepted, valued, and included in a group – is a fundamental human need. When we feel like we truly belong at work, we're more likely to be motivated, committed, and willing to go above and beyond for our team and organization.

But fostering a sense of belonging is easier said than done, especially in today's diverse and often remote or hybrid work environments. It requires a conscious and ongoing effort to create a culture of inclusion, trust, and psychological safety, where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued for who they are.

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Invest in Your Employees Dreams, Watch Your Business Grow - Get Our New FREE Toolkit Now!

Invest in Your Employees Dreams, Watch Your Business Grow.

We created this book to provide tools for everyone from small business owners to CEO’s of global brands to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, supported, and inspired to be their best selves, both personally and professionally – which directly impacts the bottom line.

In our research for the book Experiential Billionaire: Build a Life Rich in Experiences and Die With No Regrets, we asked 20,000 people about the most valuable things in their lives. The majority of participants cited their dreams, goals and experiences as the most important. This illustrates the deep-rooted human desire for purpose and fulfillment, which can often be found in the pursuit of our dreams. On the flip side, the study also revealed that the number one regret people have at the end of their lives is not following their dreams. This highlights the importance of dream pursuit for well-being and overall life satisfaction.

In the context of the workplace, supporting your employees' dreams can have a profound impact. It can drive engagement, productivity, and loyalty, while also enhancing the organization's reputation and its ability to attract top talent. Helping employees follow their dreams is not just a feel-good initiative, but a strategic imperative for any organization that wants to thrive in today's fast-paced, ever-changing world of remote work, AI, and a multi-generational workforce.

 

By recognizing the importance of dreams, providing the resources and support employees need to pursue them, and creating a culture that celebrates progress and achievement, leaders can unlock the full potential of their people and their organizations.

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The Ripple Effect of Pursuing Our Dreams

Have you ever watched a stone being thrown into a still pond? The impact creates ripples that spread out in every direction, each one creating its own mini-wave that influences the water around it. In many ways, the pursuit of our dreams works the same way.

When we take steps towards our goals and aspirations, we set off a chain reaction of positive impact that extends far beyond ourselves. We inspire others to chase their own dreams, we create opportunities for collaboration and connection, and we contribute to a culture of growth and possibility.

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Rethinking Corporate Gifting: The Case for Experiential Rewards

Let's be honest: most corporate gifts end up collecting dust on a shelf or getting lost in the back of a desk drawer. While the intention behind these gifts is admirable, the execution often falls flat. After all, how many branded pens or generic gift cards can one person really use?

But what if we approached corporate gifting not as a box to check, but as an opportunity to support our employees' growth and development? What if, instead of giving more stuff, we gave experiences that aligned with our team members' personal goals and aspirations?

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FREE 82 Page Toolkit Now Available

Invest in Your Employees Dreams, Watch Your Business Grow.

We created this book to provide tools for everyone from small business owners to CEO’s of global brands to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, supported, and inspired to be their best selves, both personally and professionally – which directly impacts the bottom line.

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Here's Your Permission Slip - the Story of LSTN and Delta Air Lines

When you were a kid, you needed permission for everything. Permission from your parents to watch TV, permission from the teacher to go to the bathroom. Raise your hand, get in line, wait your turn. Obviously, that goes away as you get older… but maybe not entirely. 

Because many adults act like they’re still waiting for permission to do what they actually want, especially when what they want isn’t so easy to reach. They tell themselves they can’t, for all kinds of reasons. It’s not the right time, they’re not ready, they’re not good enough, it’s a silly idea, it’s not prudent. No one else around them is doing that kind of thing. It would be selfish or reckless or arrogant to try.

How would you feel if we said right now that you have permission? 

Here it is, in black and white: your permission slip. You have permission to take an acting class, go to Bangkok, paint a mountain landscape, learn to make Ethiopian food. To ask for a promotion. To try something new. To change. Even to fail. 

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How Richard Branson got me to think differently about fear
I stood side stage at the Ace Hotel’s theater in downtown Los Angeles. Peering out, I saw hundreds of reporters and attendees staring up at a man who had made billions disrupting the music and airline industries, bought tropical islands, crossed both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in a hot air balloon, gone to outer space, founded over 100 companies, and generously gave back while doing all of that. A rebel who rose to the top without a fancy degree or inheritance, just big dreams and the gumption to go after them. Someone who I aspired to be.
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How to Arrest Time Thieves

Time is truly our most valuable natural resource… but we don’t treat it that way. In fact, people tend to be pretty oblivious about where their time goes and why. That’s how they end up “busy” from dawn to dusk and yet somehow not doing anything they actually want to do. When we (mistakenly) act as if there will always be more time, we never get around to achieving our dreams and goals.

“Time” is a paradox. Something that parents of young children say all the time is that “the years are short, but the days are long.” And that’s how life actually is. 

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How to Let Your Vision Evolve Over Time

This was all possible because I had allowed my dreams to evolve and grow over time.

Like mine, your vision is not set in stone. It will change as you get older, discover new things, and meet new people—and that’s okay. You may find that after years or even decades pursuing the same thing, you’ve gotten everything out of it that you can, or it turned out to be different from what you expected, or it just doesn’t excite you the way it once did.

Stay attuned to those feelings. As risky as it may feel to change course, the greater risk is staying in a career, business, or relationship even when it no longer feels right. Sadly, people do this all the time. They get trapped by golden handcuffs, trading years of misery for shiny benefits they may or may not live to enjoy. Or they look back at all the time and effort they’ve invested in their path and can’t bear to see it go to “waste.” Or they feel overwhelmed by the challenge of starting something new.

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Interview: City Current - Bridget and Joe discuss lessons from book, Experiential Billionaire, and power of urgency
During the interview, Joe and Bridget discuss some of those experiences and how they shaped their deeper exploration around the importance of shifting people's mindset from living "someday" to living today. They talk about their book and speaking, and both share valuable tips to renew a sense of urgency to achieve personal and professional goals and investing in the power of experiences. 
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Interview: Mind Love (#1 Mental Health Podcast)

When’s the last time you did something just for the sheer fun of it?

I’m not talking about big vacations or meticulously planned outings. I mean those little, impromptu acts of joy. Like diving into a pile of leaves, fully knowing you’ll have to rake them up again. Or maybe having a random dance-off in your living room, or deciding to cook a fancy dinner on a Tuesday night, just for kicks.

Or maybe it is it is about those bigger dreams – like finally taking that trip you’ve always talked about, riding in a hot air balloon, or learning to snowboard, regardless of your age.

These moments, big or small, are what make life vibrant. They remind us that joy isn’t just in grand gestures or milestones. Often, it’s the spontaneous, simple things that leave a lasting impression.

So that’s what we’re talking about today.

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Peloton.com Interview: The Science Behind Trying Something New—And Why It Feels So Tough

Bridget Hilton, author of Experiential Billionaire: Build a Life Rich in Experiences and Die With No Regrets, says the brain’s amygdala is largely responsible for the adult urge to opt out of new activities. “The amygdala is responsible for processing emotions and can trigger a fear response when faced with uncertainty, making individuals hesitant to step out of their comfort zones,” she says. “When you’re in fight-or-flight mode, everything you do or don’t do teaches the brain something about the perceived threat. When you avoid or flee the situation, your brain experiences a wave of relief. The amygdala learns that avoiding that situation is how you stay safe from that threat.”

Because neural pathways become more established with age, many of us find it increasingly difficult to branch out and try new things as adults. “Children are generally more open to exploration due to their natural curiosity and the brain’s heightened plasticity,” Hilton says. While everyone is different in terms of when and why anxiety arises at the prospect of new experiences, adolescence typically introduces fears of failure and social rejection, while adulthood exacerbates pressures to conform to social norms while established routines and habits are continuously reinforced. 

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Connect the Dots: If you knew it was your last day, what would you do?
At every talk, Joe Huff and I ask people what they would do if they had a year, a month, or a day left to live. At a recent keynote for Connect the Dots, this epic 74 year old adventurer (who just got back from hanging out with elephants in Thailand) tearfully told us that she'd spend her last day truly forgiving herself. But that she'd spend the rest of TODAY doing that now.
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Bridget Hilton Joe Huff Optimize Yourself Keynote Speakers Experiential Billionaire

Bridget and Joe surveyed over 20,000 people from all walks of life and the result is eye opening. People’s regrets are very similar no matter their age and income status and in our conversation, we talk about why people often put things that matter in the fictional world of ‘someday.’ But more importantly, we talk about the exercises described in their book that can help you have that sense of urgency to start doing the things you love.

If you have a bucket list that you’ve stowed away in that fictional world of ‘someday’ because you think you don’t have the time or resources to do them or they’re simply too big to make them happen, this episode is for you. Our conversation will walk you through the actions you can take to start building a life rich in experiences with no regrets.

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Bridget Hilton | Keynote Speaker | Burnout Mental Health Motivation Workplace Belonging | Author Experiential Billionaire
In this thought-provoking episode, we delve into the concept of experiential wealth and living purposefully, challenging the conventional definition of wealth. Bridget Hilton and I navigate through discussions about complacency in finance and relationships, we explore how discomfort can be a catalyst towards achieving our goals. We touch on practical ways to challenge comfort zones and the importance of shared experiences in nurturing relationships. In this episode, Bridget seeks to inspire you to redefine your perception of wealth, live purposefully, and create meaningful memories through simple experiences.
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Take Time to Play Today

Fourteen years ago, I went with four of my friends to get our photo taken with Santa at the Burbank mall. Were we far too old to be doing this? Absolutely. Did we care that we were the only group in line that did not include young children? Nope. Is Santa kinda creepy with five grown women sitting on his lap? Definitely… which makes it even more hilarious. What was meant to be a one-time joke turned out to be so fun that it became an annual tradition, complete with themes and costumes. Even as our own families and lives grow and change, it’s a once-a-year event where we can feel like kids again with each other.

Over time, the things you used to play at become serious endeavors, or to-do list items, or no longer worth doing at all. Running around with your friends outside becomes running on the treadmill at the gym, scheduling coffee dates to see your friends, and attending networking events to make new ones. We think of those activities as good and healthy, but they’re actually remarkably unnatural, not to mention not very fun. Because if you saw a kid doing any of those things, you would feel like you were in an alternate universe. Kids don’t run to stay fit, they run to feel the wind on their face and the grass beneath their feet. Kids don’t network to climb a career ladder, they bond through joyful moments. Kids go for what they want without worrying about why or what for—they just want to have fun. As adults, we deny ourselves that luxury without understanding the incredible benefits we’re missing out on.

 

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Interview: Successful Bookkeeper Podcast - Living A Life With No Regrets

Life is short. We know this all too well, and yet rarely make changes to ensure we are living a life without regret. Research shows that we feel the loss and regret of the thing not done, far more than the things we did, but got wrong.

Not only that, but our biggest mistakes often prove to be the greatest factors in our growth. Teaching us and pushing us beyond what we thought it was possible to endure, allowing us to expand in emotional and intellectual intelligence and problem-solving. 

Our choices ripple out into the world around us, when we think about what it means to live a life without regret, consider your legacy, your ripples, and whether they left the world better or worse. At the end of our lives, we don’t regret making enough money. But we do regret all the time we lost to the grind.

Bridget Hilton, author and keynote speaker at Experiential Billionaire, is this episode’s featured guest. She speaks powerfully about what it means to live a life with no regrets, how new experiences empower us to be bolder, and how your life can transform when you give back.

If you find yourself putting your dreams off, or worse, not even daring to dream them, then this is the episode to get you thinking about today, not someday!

During this interview, you'll learn...

  • The value of new experiences
  • How to live a life with no regrets
  • The importance of giving back 
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