Growing up I was always encouraged to use my imagination and to basically just go for things. As I have grown older, this mindset has led to the ability to dream big, be ambitions, and go for the adventure. One of these adventures came in the form of a band called the Primordial Penguins. I created it a few years ago with my Geeks Corner co-host Johnny 5. It originally started out as just a joke. My brother had a band thing that would take popular songs and re-write them as if written by pirates. We decided to re-write one of their songs as if written by geeks.
Originally, that one song was the entire scope of our imagination with this band. However, once we had finished the project we realized we had a lot fun creating music together. We also soon discovered we had ideas for original music and decided that the Primordial Penguins should be a thing. The songs we created are quirky, geeky, and pretty eclectic really. We decided we would do the music we wanted to write. To make a long story short, the pursuit of this passion soon led to us performing for the first time in front of a live audience… of thousands. For me, it was something I had never even considered doing. For Johnny, it was the realization of a long time dream to be a rock star. We had stumbled onto success… some would say accidentally.
“So what’s your point?” you may be asking. There are two things that I have taken away from this experience (well many more, but two I’ll hit on today) that are integral to success. These two things also showed me that the success of the Primordial Penguins was no accident.
The Power of Passion
Passion is an incredible powerful tool on the quest for success. It is something that just can’t be faked. It is what separates the good from the great. Passion provides purpose. Passion provides inspiration. Passion provides determination. Passion is fuel for the fire of success.
Passion also does one other thing. When you are passionate about something, it really doesn’t matter what other people think. You do it because you are passionate and not because you are trying to win someone else’s approval. Pursue the passion and passionately pursue your dreams and you will be in for one heck of a ride.
The Power of Positivity
Being positive is an incredibly powerful tool for success. One lesson I learned growing up from my Grandpa was that everything was an adventure. The tougher the situation, the grander the adventure. I can remember one time piloting the boat across a straight that was probably a bit too big and too rough for the Puff (name of the boat). We were probably in a little bit over our head but instead of being traumatized and terrified by it, we had a great adventure and pushed on through. The outcome could have been the story told of how crazy and horrible of a day that was but because of a positive mindset the story instead was of that great adventure aboard Puff that culminated in me sleeping for 12 hours after we were back in safe waters!
Positivity creates more positivity…. so does negativity. This doesn’t mean being positive to the point of being unrealistic. It means looking through a lens of realistic positivity at every situation. I recognize that the Primordial Penguins may not ever be known outside of our little circle of influence. We may not be the greatest musicians in the world. We may even dress funny (we probably do). However, I also recognize that what we do is fun and also makes people smile. Today the Primordial Penguins regularly writes music for the Reliv Kalogris Foundation to help build support to feed impoverished kids around the globe. This is an incredible positive cause and we are honored to be a part of it. We are part of something bigger than ourselves that is really making a difference despite any challenges we may face with arrangements, lyrics, technology, or creative differences.
A positive mindset with the goal of positive outcomes will lead to a successful outcome more times than not. Will it be the exact outcome you originally had in mind? Not necessarily. Life is never that easy. However, with a positive mindset that celebrates each win, little successes will add up and create a culture of success that is really a lot of fun.
And then I became a Penguin…
Today when visiting Reliv events around the globe, I’m not known as Mr. DAPs. I’m known as one of those penguins. We have been recognized in airports, events, and sometimes even at Starbucks while traveling for business. We have performed in different places around the United States now (I guess that means we’ve been on tour?). This was never a goal in my life. Instead it is the result of the pursuit of passion with a positive mindset. Often success is the result of pursuing specific goals. In this case the goals were pursing a passion with a positive mindset. It’s amazing how far that has taken us.
Take a moment and consider what you are passionate about. Are you positively passionate about it? Do you pursue it? Now take a moment to consider all the hurdles in your life. Do you view them as tough situations or as grand adventures? I challenge you to start thinking in terms of adventure. Just remember, the tougher the scenario the grander the adventure! Let’s go pursue our passions and find some adventure, what do you say?
Make it a GREAT day!
- Mr. DAPs
