Embracing My Journey ~ Living with passion & purpose!

Welcome Shel Horowitz of: http://shelhorowitz.com

Living the life of one’s dreams is something many people believe to be a myth….yet; you are living proof that one can achieve this goal…

Tell us about the path you traveled to arrive where you are today:
Basically, I’ve always been driven by a few motivations that don’t fit well into the corporate world: creating positive social change, ideally on a large scale…a lifelong quest for knowledge in a wide-ranging sphere of interests (some might call that ADD, but I call it being interested in the world around me, and my role in that world)…low tolerance for bureaucratic stupidity or “we’ve always done it that way” mentality…a love of travel…and a personal work schedule that does work in short creative bursts with a lot of time off in between. Since these attributes don’t make for a very good employee, I’ve run my own business since 1981. I’m blessed with excellent writing and speaking skills, and a fresh analytical eye, and I’ve used these skills to create a very satisfying and satisfied life as a consultant, writer, and speaker. This in turn allows me lots of opportunity to spend time with my family, hike my neighborhood mountain, travel, cook, read, and enjoy myself. Now, if I could just figure out how to stay on top of e-mail and paper flow, I’d be all set.

What kept you moving forward on the days things were not going exactly the way you were hoping they would?
The idea that life is an adventure. Curves are more exciting than straight lines. If I don’t know my exact destination or exactly how I get there, it doesn’t overly worry me. Fairly little in my life has come out the way I’ve planned it, but I’m optimistic and I have confidence that it’ll turn out right, so I go where life takes me, and don’t get bent out of shape if it’s somewhere different from where I THOUGHT I was going.

What piece of advice would you give to someone who has decided they would like to live in a world of their own creation?
Do it. You can get by on fairly little money if you have to. Build good support networks (emotional, logistical) and take the plunge.

What special things do you do for yourself daily to maintain your momentum and energy levels?
I hike almost every day, bike a few times a week, read enormously, cook (very therapeutic, I find; I’ve been a vegetarian since 1973, and cooking was at first a survival skill in a veg-unfriendly world. Now it’s just fun.) I also see lots of live music and theater, travel as much as I can

If you could spend 3 days on a deserted island with two people of your choosing, who would they be and why?
Two from a very long list: Either Gandhi, Mandela, or Lech Walensa, to talk about how nonviolent people’s movement can effect such great change as to bring down governments–and maybe Alice Walker or Mark Twain to have a long conversation about literature’s place in the world.

What is your favorite audio material and what do you enjoy most about this material?
I grow professionally listening to two animated and well-informed people discoursing on pretty much anything. Recent ones that stick in my mind: George Kao interviewed by Susan Harrow on social media (we’re doing a call together–brilliant guy), Brendon Burchard interviewed by Steve Harrison on getting sponsorships and three-way partnerships with a business and a nonprofit. And then, for pure pleasure, there’s nothing quite like listening to the author-narrated full-cast recording of Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy; it’s gotten us through two long driving trips.

What is your favorite reading material and what gives it that special place in your heart?
I read several business books and dozens of newsletters a month, usually on the themes of marketing, ethics, copywriting, and customer service. I’m a voracious reader and also read a lot of juvenile fiction, women’s literary friction, travel-adventure, and whatever else strikes my fancy. Favorite authors include Alice Walker, Margaret Atwood, Lois Lowry, Phillip Pullman, J.K. Rowling, Madeleine L’Engle, and of course, my wife, D. Dina Friedman. On the business side, Clayton Makepeace, Gary Bencivenga, Susan Harrow, Stephen M.R. Covey, Mark Joyner, Dave Lakhani, and that’s the tip of the iceberg.

Who has inspired you and what is it about them that you found inspirational?
Anyone who has worked to make a difference in the world, and harnessed movements of other people: the long list includes Martin Luther King, Maggie Kuhn, Saul Alinsky, Dave Delinger (who I was privileged to know), Ben Cohen (yes, the ice cream guy), Pete Seeger, a remarkable 90-year-old friend named Frances Crowe, and thousands of others.

What do you see in your future?
More speaking and writing on issues that matter, more helping writers become published authors. Ideally, I’d love to become a syndicated newspaper columnist and/or radio host, discussing ethics and green perspectives in business and in life. I’m very excited about my forthcoming eighth book, Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green: Winning Strategies to Improve Your Profits and Your Planet (co-authored with Jay Conrad Levinson), which Wiley will publish next year.  http://www.guerrillamarketinggoesgreen.com

Where is your favorite place in the world to spend time, what is special to you about this location?
I’m blessed to live in Paradise: a 1743 antique colonial farmhouse on a working dairy farm, nestled between a small mountain and a river. We bought the house (not the farm) in 1998, and since then, I’ve stopped talking about one day retiring to Mexico. I do enjoy travel, however, and hope to see more of the world. So far, our best trips have been Guatemala and Italy. I’ve seen a  lot of Europe and North America, but want to explore much more of Asia, Africa, and South America.

Who has been your greatest support system and how have they shown you their support?
My wife, novelist D. Dina Friedman, always encourages me even when she doesn’t understand where I’m going, or frankly thinks I’m nuts. We’ve been together 30 years, and the relationship continues to grow and nurture.

What / who are you most thankful for and why?
I give thanks every day for the many blessings in my life. Years ago, I decided that I’d rather be happy than unhappy, and that the world is an abundant place that will share its abundance with those who ask. Those were two very good decisions. Another very good decision was to behave as ethically as I can, and to apologize quickly and sincerely if I blow it.

What is your favorite way to contribute or give back?
I like to be writing and organizing for social and environmental justice. I’ve been involved in community organizations working toward these goals since my teens, and see myself as a conduit of information and ideas, not only through my own writing and speaking, but by sharing resources and passing along ideas as I find them. Recently, for instance, I blogged a link to a company in Africa that makes bicycles out of bamboo.

Please share the top three things you feel people would benefit from doing if they truly desire to create the life of their dreams?
Personal happiness
Knowledge that they are helping the world
Ability to explore, both internally and externally, the things that give life meaning

Anything I missed that you would like to share?
What products and services do you offer to assist others on their journey?
Of all the many products I offer, which you can see here , the one most useful for creating a dream life would be my eighth book, Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green: Winning Strategies to Improve Your Profits and Your Planet (co-authored with Jay Conrad Levinson).  It discusses how to run your business in ethical and eco-friendly ways that provide powerful success momentum, and thus make the dream lifestyle possible, even easy.

Thank you Shel for taking the time to speak with me.  I invite everyone to visit Shel’s website at: http://shelhorowitz.com and connect with him today!

Be healthy, be focused and be the best you that you can possibly be!

In gratitude,
Caryn

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 at 7:43 am and is filed under Caryn's writing, Living the life of my dreams. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.