Moving Forward is also available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
Joseph Bonner is the host of the nationally syndicated, The Joseph Bonner Show, founder of Daril Bonner PR and Legend Men’s Magazine. Today, Joseph is going to kick off 2017 and inspire you by sharing his philosophy of “I just figured it out.”
Successes at a glance:
Exec. producer and host of The Joseph Bonner Show.
Certified mental health professional.
Motivational speaker.
Founder of Daril Bonner PR.
Founder of Legend Men’s Magazine.
Exec. producer of The Joseph Bonner Reports.
Setback failure or time when things fell apart:
For Joseph, there was a time in his life when he was transitioning and figuring out who he was as a professional. As it happened, several events occurred that hit Joseph hard. Not only did he experience an emotionally turbulent break-up with a long-time girlfriend, he faced a serious financial setback with his first entrepreneurial venture, an educational based company. As a result, Joseph lost his car and his home, all at the same time.
The “aha” moment that sparked a pivot:
One of the things that kept Joseph going was the volunteer work he was doing in the community. While many would scale back on charitable or volunteer work during dire straits, Joseph actually increased how much he was doing and giving back. Much of Joseph’s volunteer work consisted of teaching The Bible.
Another revelation Joseph shares is that he never planned or set out to do what he is doing now. In the early part of his career, Joseph worked in education. While he enjoyed working with kids, there was a restlessness growing inside him. One day, he was sitting at his desk thinking “man, I could be doing more!” At that moment, it just so happened that one of Joseph’s students was working on an art piece that he presented to Joseph. On that piece were the words “dream big.” Taken aback, Joseph asked the student what it meant and the student replied back with six powerful words, “whatever you want it to mean.” Joseph hung the picture on his wall for months just thinking about how he could be doing more. At the time, Joseph realized he had a talent for putting together events and attracting media attention, so he began to wonder if he could do this on his own. That seed of an idea eventually led Joseph to start Daril Bonner PR. From PR, Joseph branched out into print and online publishing and then radio. What’s inspiring about Joseph’s story is that he started on his own, from the bottom and figured his way as he went along. Think about what it would take to launch a magazine. For many of us, we wouldn’t allow ourselves to even contemplate such a feat much less actually do it. Joseph, though, wasn’t about to let fear or doubt hold him back. The words “whatever you want it to mean” drove him to launch Legend Men’s Magazine. That’s not to say it was easy. As Joseph describes, he just jumped into it and by doing so, went past the point of no return. After conducting interviews and all of the prep work, there were now people expecting this magazine to launch. There was no turning back. Or as Joseph put it, he was determined to put that first issue out, whether it was “good, bad, ugly,” he was going to “figure this out.” Three months later, the first issue of Legend Magazine (now Legend Men’s Magazine) came out. Although, in Joseph’s own words, that issue was “horrible,” he had accomplished what he set out to do. Listeners, this is how you move forward. You don’t make strides by worrying about what you don’t know and by procrastinating in search of perfect. You move forward by doing. And that’s what Joseph did. Was that first issue perfect? No. Was that first issue exactly the way Joseph would have liked? No. Does Joseph have any regrets? Absolutely not. Within three months, Joseph had launched a fully functional, digital magazine. Shortly after that, the magazine was working with the teams behind such luminaries as Taylor Swift and Oprah Winfrey.
Another “aha” moment came when Joseph started reaching out to podcasters and radio show hosts. On one occasion, Joseph was hoping to connect with a prominent show host but after some initial conversation, the individual ghosted on him. That’s when those same words from that 11-year old student inspired him to launch his own radio show. And like the magazine, Joseph just did it. Even though, in his words, the first 30 episodes were “atrocious,” Joseph was making strides as a budding media entrepreneur. Today, The Joseph Bonner Show is a hit syndicated radio show on one of the biggest streaming networks in the world.
Moving Forward listeners, it is now 2017. If you spent last year thinking about making a pivot, whether in your business or career, now is the time to start moving, to take action. Get inspired from Joseph’s aha moment and start moving forward today.
Incidentally, “pivot” is one of Joseph’s favorite words and on this week’s episode, he recalls this hilarious scene from the sitcom, Friends.
Knowledge bursts:
Resource or cultural experience that inspired Joseph to move forward:
October Sky (Blu Ray | Streaming): a film adaptation about the life of Homer Hickam.
Favorite app / website / resource or productivity hack:
Grammarly: an online grammar, syntax and spell-check program. Joseph recommends this as a must use for anyone who is creating content online.
How Joseph recharges when facing a roadblock or challenge:
I Love Lucy (multi-platform | Streaming): Joseph grew up as a kid watching this sitcom. For Joseph, this is like visual comfort food whenever he is feeling down or stressed.
Support the Podcast:
The Corporate Cliches Adult Coloring Book: makes the perfect stocking stuffer or white elephant gift.
Try out Audible (affiliate link).
Try out Amazon Prime (affiliate link).
Advice to past self while going thru a difficult time:
Joseph’s advice to his 10-year younger self: “Even when you lose everything, it’s not the end of the world. You’re going to be ok. The sun is going to shine again and you’re going to be able to use your story to help others.”
Parting wisdom (in a few words):
“Success must give up never!”
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