7 tips with Jordan Hart, Author of Steel Rainbow

We can gain so much from talking to other people.   Here are Seven Tips I took from Jordan Hart during the OSR podcast 008.  I take these tips and try to slide them into my daily life.  I hope you read and find some new ways to reset your life.

Listen to the interview: OSR 008

 1. Always follow your own path.

Jordan always knew that he always wanted to start his own business.  Instead of talking about it for years, he took action and did it.  It was tough, but having a supportive group of people around him allowed him to step outside of the box.

Be prepared to have others suggest you might be making the wrong decisions.  Remember it’s your life; if you don’t take risks you will never see your true potential.

2. Understand your personal passions, and keep them alive in your life.

Jordan knew if he continued on the 9-5 job cycle he would have to cut out things he loved.  He did not want to give up the things that made him happy, so he took a road less traveled.

Every one of us should keep doing things that we love.  There is no need to have a job smother our true love, whatever it may be.  Take time to enjoy your life.  Enjoy what makes you happy.   If you can’t enjoy what makes you happy, adjust your life so you can.

3. Keep your connections. Never burn your bridges.

When Jordan started his own business, he did not think more of himself or make himself seem better than the people around him.  He was humble. Being humble allowed Jordan to keep his connections in his old workplace, and it allowed him to keep the business connections he made while working his normal job.

Never make yourself seem better than others. Once you do, your peers and business contacts will want to see you fail instead of succeed.

4. Why did this happen to me?

Jordan thought of himself as  a healthy guy - a young man with a positive outlook on life.  That was taken from him when he woke up one day coughing up blood.  When the doctors told Jordan that he had blood clots, he was taken to his knees.  He became angry, sad, depressed, and lost all sight of staying positive.  Little did Jordan know this was his time to take something horrible and transform it into a life-changing moment he would never forget.  The blood clots slowed Jordan’s lifestyle down and allowed him the time to write a book, a desire he had craved for years.

Things happened for a reason. It’s tough to see that when you are in dark moment in your life. Jordan did not see any good in the situation right away, but he figured it out quickly to capitalize on the moment.  Understand in your own life that there will be some things you cannot control.  Then maybe the next time you face those hard situations, you will look for a way to capitalize on the moment.

5. Make yourself Happy!

When Jordan was at his lowest point, he knew there was still one thing that would make him happy.  That was laughter.  Jordan believed that laughing allowed his body to heal much quicker than any medication.  Jordan wrote Steel Rainbow not only to tackle his dream of writing a book, but to keep himself laughing.

At the end of the day, all you have is you; and sometimes you need to do anything you can to make yourself be happy.  Find your true bliss. When you do, your life will heal before your eyes.

6. I don’t know any book publishers. Should I quit?

Jordan had no connections in the book publishing business, but he never used that excuse to hold himself back from achieving his dream.  He went to Barnes and Noble and wrote down all the publishers he could.  He went home and emailed them until he made a connection.  This did not come easy, but the most rewarding moments in each or lives never come easy.  If it were easy, everyone would have a book published.

Take the time to hustle.  If you want it bad enough, you will find the answers you need to keep on going.

7. Go and keep making connections.  Never be satisfied.

Even though Jordan wrote and published a book, and he never stopped the hustling.  He keep on moving forward and asking people if he could write for this or do that.  The connections he made did not fall into his lap because he was an author.  He still keeps the hustle going and is still constantly making connections.

Never feel satisfied.   Once you feel satisfied, your drive for greatness has come to the end.