How Might We Discover Our Passion?

Are you currently asking yourself, “How do I discover my passion?” If so, then this post is just for you. Two weeks ago, I was listening to a 7 hour business mastery course and this very same question was addressed. To spare you the 7 hours, let’s hop right into it!

1. What Are We Curious About?

We must ask ourselves, “What are we curious about?” It’s important that we make time to go out of our comfort zone to wander, explore, and discover new things. As a former record executive and the author of “The Tanning of America”, Steve Stoute says, “Without curiosity, there is no innovation.”

In order to seek purpose internally, we must be curious externally. Be a scientist, poke around, run experiments and tests. We must see what works for us and what doesn’t. It’s the only way to differentiate what we like from what we don’t like. Just because we may be “adults” certainly doesn’t mean that we can no longer explore!

2. Create a List!

Once we’ve gone through the discover phase, it’s important that we create a list of the things we actually enjoy. What interests us the most? Why? Can we invest in it as a hobby? Better yet, how can we go about turning it into something that we can do for a living? These are all essential questions that we definitely must ask ourselves.

3. Ask People What We Are Good At:

Asking people what we are good at is probably one of the best ways to identify our own personal strengths. Once we know what we are good at, it helps us to focus more on the direction most suitable for us to pursue in life. Let’s view it as helping to narrow down our road map. For some people, discovering our passion may be difficult. For others, narrowing down our options may be of more importance. Either way, once we know what we are good at and what we actually enjoy doing, we are then in a better position to discover our passion point(s).

How Did I Find My Passion?

When I was a child, I was infatuated with architecture and construction. I would always be amazed at how structures were built and developed. I loved playing with legos more than anything else. I was enamored with the idea of connecting little tiny pieces of plastic together in an effort to form a finished product. As I had grown older, I eventually gravitated over to drawing, playing sports, and creating music. Today, my creative outlet is essentially a combination of all of my childhood endeavors. Instead of connecting legos and building blocks, I connect people and build brands.

Find your PASSION! #ALOVERSAmbition

_________________________

(Uh • Kway • Us) Aquaus Kelley is a forward-thinking Brand Strategist, Educator, and Music Publisher. As the Founder of A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group, he specializes in identifying talent and creating opportunities for brand development, exposure, and growth. Aquaus has worked with companies and organizations such as Cornerstone Agency, City Year Miami, Universal Music Group, and W Hotels. He is extremely passionate about helping companies adapt to culture and building value between brands and their consumers centered around love. His ultimate mission is to use his influence to project positivity across the globe and invest in the collective future of society through the arts, education, entertainment, and leadership.

How Might We Discover Our Purpose?

Back in December of 2015, I listened to episode 263 of Lewis Howes’, “School of Greatness” podcast. In this particular episode, Lewis sits down with Brad Lomenick, author of “The Catalyst Leader” to discuss how to go about mastering confidence, humility, and leadership. A little less than halfway through the podcast (14:42), Lewis poses the following question to Brad, “How might we go about discovering our own unique purpose?”

Here is some very helpful insight in regards to helping us discover, identify, and pursue our own unique purpose in life:

1. Identity:

Our identity is who we are. It consists of all of the things which we cannot change. For example, we cannot change our ethnic background, our family structure, or when and where we were born.

(Ex: Hello, my name is Aquaus Kelley and I am of African-American descent. I am from Staten Island, NY and I graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Communication).

2. Calling: 

Our calling is what we are meant to do. It is why we are here on this planet. It is our purpose or social mission. In Victor E. Frankl’s book, “A Man’s Search For Meaning” he calls this our “Will to Meaning” (Pg. 99). If we are unaware as to what our purpose may be, we may want to start with discovering our own interests and passions.

(Ex: My calling is to lead people towards becoming the best versions of themselves in an effort to set them up for personal success. Overall, my social mission is to use my influence to project positivity across the globe and invest in the collective future of society through the arts, education, entertainment, and leadership).

3. Assignment:

Our assignment is our current day to day role or vocation. Ideally, this should align with our calling. When our assignment does not align with our calling, it may cause Noögenic neuroses. According to Dr. Frankl, noögenic neuroses is the cause of frustration due to the misalignment of our calling (purpose) and our assignment (vocation). 

(Ex: My current assignment is that of a brand strategist, educator, and music publisher. I curate content and develop brand strategy through A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group, I work with middle school students in the field of education, and I specialize in identifying talent and creating opportunities for emerging artists as a music publisher).

Think about it. How do we feel when we are in a profession that does not allow our own purpose to flourish? Once we are able to discover, identify, and pursue our calling, we are then better equipped to select and manage which assignments are best for our own ultimate success!

_________________________

(Uh • Kway • Us) Aquaus Kelley is a forward-thinking Brand Strategist, Educator, and Music Publisher. As the Founder of A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group, he specializes in identifying talent and creating opportunities for brand development, exposure, and growth. Aquaus has worked with companies and organizations such as Cornerstone Agency, City Year Miami, Universal Music Group, and W Hotels. He is extremely passionate about helping companies adapt to culture and building value between brands and their consumers centered around love. His ultimate mission is to use his influence to project positivity across the globe and invest in the collective future of society through the arts, education, entertainment, and leadership.

Embrace What’s Difficult: Tai Lopez

Question, would you agree with me if I shared with you my opinion that many people in the world don’t enjoy doing what’s difficult? Ask yourself, do you honestly enjoy doing what’s difficult? Not always? Who does?

Elon Musk once said, “We get paid in direct proportion to the difficulty of the problem(s) that we solve.” Think about it, people who are usually very wealthy contribute a significant amount of energy, time, and value into the problems they are looking to solve. Let’s examine equity for example. My personal philosophy goes as follows: “If you put in the work and trust in yourself, the money will catch up.” The key words are work and trust. We must put in the hard work while maintaining faith and trust in our ability to attract new opportunities and increase our earning potential.

One good way to embrace what’s difficult and increase our earning potential is to figure out the things that other people don’t want to do. One of Tai’s first business mentors said, “Millionaires just do stuff that everyone else won’t.” Although I’m not a millionaire yet, I have heard from people who are very wealthy that the mindset required for being a millionaire entails just this. It’s an ability to take action, clear out distractions, and execute on whatever vision it may be that we lay out for ourselves. In addition, as I was revisiting Sean Covey’s, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens”, I came across a very thought provoking quote summing up Albert E.N. Gray’s years of studying successful people. It goes as follows:

“All successful people have the habit of doing the things failures don’t like to do. They [successful people] don’t like doing them necessarily either. But their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose.”

When we identify our purpose and do a little bit extra, it all begins to add up. From there, it’s only a matter of time before we begin to reap the rewards. It’s important that we learn how to embrace what’s difficult and strive for excellence while overcoming our adversities. We can all aspire to be our greatest selves. Now’s the time to get up, get out, and make it happen!

_________________________

(Uh • Kway • Us) Aquaus Kelley is a forward-thinking Brand Strategist, Educator, and Music Publisher. As the Founder of A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group, he specializes in identifying talent and creating opportunities for brand development, exposure, and growth. Aquaus has worked with companies and organizations such as Cornerstone Agency, City Year Miami, Universal Music Group, and W Hotels. He is extremely passionate about helping companies adapt to culture and building value between brands and their consumers centered around love. His ultimate mission is to use his influence to project positivity across the globe and invest in the collective future of society through the arts, education, entertainment, and leadership.

7 Days of Wisdom (Episode 16)

7 Days of Wisdom is an original weekly video series presented by A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group and hosted by Aquaus Kelley. Our mission is to foster growth and create a community of success and significance. Through sharing meaningful advice, knowledge, and insight gathered throughout our daily experiences, we aim to empower, encourage, and inspire our community to achieve their most passionate aspirations.

In This Weeks Episode We Discuss:

  1. Time Telling The Truth (1:05)
  2. Paying Attention To Details (6:53)
  3. Tapping Into Resources (13:11)
  4. Quotes of The Week (15:25)

This Weeks Resources Include:

  1. Time Tells The Truth: Tai Lopez
  2. iPad Mini Courtesy of Tai Lopez

_________________________

(Uh • Kway • Us) Aquaus Kelley is a forward-thinking Brand Strategist, Educator, and Music Publisher. As the Founder of A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group, he specializes in identifying talent and creating opportunities for brand development, exposure, and growth. Aquaus has worked with companies and organizations such as Cornerstone Agency, City Year Miami, Universal Music Group, and W Hotels. He is extremely passionate about helping companies adapt to culture and building value between brands and their consumers centered around love. His ultimate mission is to use his influence to project positivity across the globe and invest in the collective future of society through the arts, education, entertainment, and leadership.

iPad Mini Courtesy of Tai Lopez

Earlier today, I received a notification from Tai Lopez’s YouTube channel in regards to his latest video upload entitled, “5 Ways Personal Branding Can Increase Trust and Credibility.” An hour or two later, I made some time to check out the video while cooking dinner and washing the dishes. To my surprise, the video was actually a live stream. I had no idea how long the stream would last. Nonetheless, I did know that whatever information was being offered, it would be extremely valuable.

I learned a lot to say the least. It also happened that one of the members on Tai’s team, Andrew Copp is from Staten Island, NY just like myself. Considering the level of admiration I have for Tai Lopez, I definitely found Andrew’s story to be very inspiring to say the least. Towards the end of the live stream, Tai and his team always run contests to give listeners and watchers opportunities to win prizes via multiple social media platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, and Peeriscope. I have never been a huge fan of contests. However, because I just spent the last 2 hours listening and paying attention to the live stream, I thought that I might actually have a pretty solid chance at coming away with something in addition to all of the wonderful gems I had just learned.

Prior to me even knowing that there was going to be a contest taking place, I did my usual due diligence…RESEARCH. I like to get familiar with the people who I am listening to when it comes to  learning new information. When I checked out Andrew, I already knew that he was from Staten Island. I was curious to learn more. I looked into his LinkedIn and Twitter profiles and a few minutes later Andrew asked the following questions for the contest to win an iPad Mini:

  1. What was the name of the agency that I worked for when I dropped out of college?
  2. What was the first and last name of the person who hired me?

I already knew that I was equipped with everything that I needed to answer both of these questions. Sometimes it’s not about how much we know but rather it’s where we need to go to get the right information. Hence, because I just finished checking out Andrew’s LinkedIn, I had the answers right there in front of me (Answers: 1. MicroFame Media, 2. Michael Shein). Talk about taking notes! I spent 2 hours of my time investing in a free education and I also ended up coming away with an iPad Mini. Not a bad ROI. I owe it all to activating prior knowledge (research), paying attention to details (listening), and knowing how to properly utilize resources (LinkedIn).

Lesson learned? These are skills that could and should be applied to our everyday lives. Knowledge is key, knowledge is power. Let’s take action in applying and investing in the steps aimed towards helping us to achieve success. #ALOVERSAmbition

_________________________

(Uh • Kway • Us) Aquaus Kelley is a forward-thinking Brand Strategist, Educator, and Music Publisher. As the Founder of A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group, he specializes in identifying talent and creating opportunities for brand development, exposure, and growth. Aquaus has worked with companies and organizations such as Cornerstone Agency, City Year Miami, Universal Music Group, and W Hotels. He is extremely passionate about helping companies adapt to culture and building value between brands and their consumers centered around love. His ultimate mission is to use his influence to project positivity across the globe and invest in the collective future of society through the arts, education, entertainment, and leadership.

Time Tells The Truth: Tai Lopez

Yes…I finally have a four word answer to one of the questions I receive pretty often, “Aquaus, how are you so patient?” As my virtual mentor Tai Lopez says, “Time tells the truth.” Indeed it does!

I’ve always believed that I will find out everything that I need to know in due time. I also believe that all of the questions that I pose to myself, others, and the universe at large will always be answered when the time is right. If I don’t have an answer, the time isn’t right. However, this definitely doesn’t mean that I just sit around waiting for answers. No, no, no. In order to execute anything, we must first begin. Once we begin, the race kicks off. However, as I like to say, “Life is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.”

Patience allows us to see many things. As time elapses, we receive various indicators as to how to navigate the myriad of realms in our lives. This includes business, dating, friendships, and relationships just to name a few. When we learn how to love and embrace time, we also learn how to listen and we begin to understand how time tells us the truth. Time tells us what we deserve. We must respect it and keep it on our side. Time must not be taken for granted. When we’re patient, humble, and attentive, we position ourselves to receive what is true for us at a time when it can have the greatest impact on our lives. 

_________________________

(Uh • Kway • Us) Aquaus Kelley is a forward-thinking Brand Strategist, Educator, and Music Publisher. As the Founder of A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group, he specializes in identifying talent and creating opportunities for brand development, exposure, and growth. Aquaus has worked with companies and organizations such as Cornerstone Agency, City Year Miami, Universal Music Group, and W Hotels. He is extremely passionate about helping companies adapt to culture and building value between brands and their consumers centered around love. His ultimate mission is to use his influence to project positivity across the globe and invest in the collective future of society through the arts, education, entertainment, and leadership.

7 Days of Wisdom (Episode 15)

7 Days of Wisdom is an original weekly video series presented by A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group and hosted by Aquaus Kelley. Our mission is to foster growth and create a community of success and significance. Through sharing meaningful advice, knowledge, and insight gathered throughout our daily experiences, we aim to empower, encourage, and inspire our community to achieve their most passionate aspirations.

In This Weeks Episode We Discuss:

  1. Morning Routines (1:05)
  2. Small Gains (7:00)
  3. Staying Cool Under Pressure (8:34)
  4. Quotes of The Week (14:12)

This Weeks Resources Include:

  1. Take The Humble Road: Empty Your Mind
  2. Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

_________________________

(Uh • Kway • Us) Aquaus Kelley is a forward-thinking Brand Strategist, Educator, and Music Publisher. As the Founder of A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group, he specializes in identifying talent and creating opportunities for brand development, exposure, and growth. Aquaus has worked with companies and organizations such as Cornerstone Agency, City Year Miami, Universal Music Group, and W Hotels. He is extremely passionate about helping companies adapt to culture and building value between brands and their consumers centered around love. His ultimate mission is to use his influence to project positivity across the globe and invest in the collective future of society through the arts, education, entertainment, and leadership.

Take The Humble Road: Empty Your Mind

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine jokingly told me that she hates when my actions are deliberately a reflection of hers. My response, “I’m like water.” She then asked me what I meant by that statement and I sent her a direct link to the source…the legend himself, Mr. Bruce Lee.

Today, as I recorded my 7 Days of Wisdom video for Episode 15, one of the discussion points I mentioned was “Staying Cool Under Pressure.” Once again, I revisited Bruce Lee’s “Empty your mind, be like water clip.” According to my knowledge, this clip originates from “The Way of the Intercepting Fist.”

This time around, in my 7 Days of Wisdom video for Episode 15, the focus of discussion was on staying cool under pressure and taking the humble road. In my experience, I personally believe that when we remain calm and tranquil as humans, we allow the emotions of others to bounce off of us as a reflection of their own actions. That reflection, whether positive or negative, then gets directed back to the owner of those emotions. When we act as a mirror, we allow people to see themselves through us. In many instances, this approach requires a ton of patience, confidence, and taking the humble road.

In author Sean Covey’s national bestseller, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens,” he gives a great example of being proactive vs reactive. Covey uses the analogy of being like soda vs being like water. He mentions, “Reactive people make choices based in impulse. They are like a can of soda. If life shakes them up a bit, the pressure builds and they suddenly explode.” On the contrary, “Proactive people make choices based on values. They think before they act. Unlike reactive people who are full of carbonation, proactive people are like water. No bubbling, no fizzing, no pressure. They are calm, cool, and in control.”

As Bruce Lee says:

“Empty your mind. Be formless. Shapeless, like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. Put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or creep or drip or crash…be water my friend, be water.” – Bruce Lee

_________________________

(Uh • Kway • Us) Aquaus Kelley is a forward-thinking Brand Strategist, Educator, and Music Publisher. As the Founder of A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group, he specializes in identifying talent and creating opportunities for brand development, exposure, and growth. Aquaus has worked with companies and organizations such as Cornerstone Agency, City Year Miami, Universal Music Group, and W Hotels. He is extremely passionate about helping companies adapt to culture and building value between brands and their consumers centered around love. His ultimate mission is to use his influence to project positivity across the globe and invest in the collective future of society through the arts, education, entertainment, and leadership.

7 Days of Wisdom (Episode 14)

7 Days of Wisdom is an original weekly video series presented by A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group and hosted by Aquaus Kelley. Our mission is to foster growth and create a community of success and significance. Through sharing meaningful advice, knowledge, and insight gathered throughout our daily experiences, we aim to empower, encourage, and inspire our community to achieve their most passionate aspirations.

In This Weeks Episode We Discuss:

  1. 12 Things We Learned From Tai Lopez on Snapchat (4:02)
  2. Overcoming Insecurities (13:25)
  3. Quotes of The Week (17:11)

This Weeks Resources Include:

  1. 12 Things We Learned From Tai Lopez on Snapchat
  2. Experiences We Love: Synchronicity

_________________________

(Uh • Kway • Us) Aquaus Kelley is a forward-thinking Brand Strategist, Educator, and Music Publisher. As the Founder of A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group, he specializes in identifying talent and creating opportunities for brand development, exposure, and growth. Aquaus has worked with companies and organizations such as Cornerstone Agency, City Year Miami, Universal Music Group, and W Hotels. He is extremely passionate about helping companies adapt to culture and building value between brands and their consumers centered around love. His ultimate mission is to use his influence to project positivity across the globe and invest in the collective future of society through the arts, education, entertainment, and leadership.

Experiences We Love: Synchronicity

Couple Holding Hands at Sea Sunset

On December 7, 2015 I came across a post on “Synchronicity” courtesy of thetreeawakening.com. I was so astounded by the article that I had to read it again, and again, and again. I’ve come across a lot of similar information in the past as it relates to the law of attraction and manifest destiny. However, I have never come across a piece that combines the practices of all of these experiences so well.

Being the curator of information that I am, I extracted the points that I feel are of most relevance to my personal life experiences and hopefully yours as well to create a short passage:

“Did you know that we can influence chance and luck in a precise way? That’s where synchronicity comes in. The first step to improving our luck is to accept that it exists.The experiences of us all are written into the database of the universe. So we have access to all the knowledge of the past, present, and future. Synchronicity can organize random chance events to create an outcome of our choosing. Chance events align themselves to our advantage when we focus our attention on them. If we are not open to believing, something could be right in front of us and we still will not see it. Our energy has its own unique signature. By focusing our emotions on what we want, we engineer our future. Events can be set in motion to answer our requests. This is called Reality Creation. When our vibration matches that which we seek, we are destined to collide. Our intuition is a strong signal from the universe. We need to be in harmony with what we think!”

So…what do you think?

_________________________

(Uh • Kway • Us) Aquaus Kelley is a forward-thinking Brand Strategist, Educator, and Music Publisher. As the Founder of A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group, he specializes in identifying talent and creating opportunities for brand development, exposure, and growth. Aquaus has worked with companies and organizations such as Cornerstone Agency, City Year Miami, Universal Music Group, and W Hotels. He is extremely passionate about helping companies adapt to culture and building value between brands and their consumers centered around love. His ultimate mission is to use his influence to project positivity across the globe and invest in the collective future of society through the arts, education, entertainment, and leadership.