Dan Miller is the author of the New York Times best-selling book 48 Days To The Work You Love. His 48DaysEagles.com community is a gathering place for those desiring to activate their dream.
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Guest Resource
An Understanding Heart – A culmination of weekly inspiration shared with Dan Miller’s inner circle over the years.
3 Value Bombs
1) Build on where you are in life. It’s never too late to have a new beginning.
2) Sometimes we hang on to things really tightly, but just being generous may open the door to some riches that you didn’t expect.
3) Being wise connotes more than just having a degree. Lean into things that increase your ability to have an understanding heart, not necessarily another piece of paper to hang in the wall.
Sponsors
HubSpot: Meet HubSpot’s new AI-powered Campaign Assistant, a totally free-to-use AI tool tailor-made for the marketers and business builders who spend hours each day on content creation! Head to HubSpot.com/campaign-assistant to test-drive Campaign Assistant for free!
Thought-Leader: Ever thought about giving a TEDx talk? Visit Thought-Leader.com/fire to join a free training and learn how to land a TEDx Talk and spread your message to millions!
Masterclass: Boost your confidence and find practical takeaways you can apply to your life and at work! This holiday season, give one annual membership and get one free at MasterClass.com/fire! Offer terms apply.
Show Notes
**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.
Today’s Audio MASTERCLASS: 48 Days to the Work You Love
[1:05] – Dan shares something that he believes about becoming successful that most people disagree with.
- The idea that to have more you gotta work more is so counterintuitive. You can work in ways that give you freedom, time-wise and income-wise, and still not be doing 60 hours a week.
[2:02] – Being selfish may increase our ability to serve others well.
- It’s in those selfish times you can deepen your own life in ways that allow you t0 serve others much better, at a much higher level.
- Just giving all the time gets you depleted. Being selfish with your time and resources helps you grow.
[3:35] – If we want more money, we need to learn to be more generous.
- Sometimes, we hang on to things really tightly, but just being generous may open the door to some riches that you didn’t expect.
[5:56] – Having extraordinary gifts can’t be expected to live an ordinary life.
- The opposite of courage is not weakness. It’s conformity.
- Those unique gifts that each of us have – the very things that have opened the doors to live the kind of extraordinary life you get to live today – we need to lean into those, not ignore those.
[7:52] – A timeout to thank our sponsors!
- HubSpot: Meet HubSpot’s new AI-powered Campaign Assistant, a totally free-to-use AI tool tailor-made for the marketers and business builders who spend hours each day on content creation! Head to HubSpot.com/campaign-assistant to test-drive Campaign Assistant for free!
- Masterclass: Boost your confidence and find practical takeaways you can apply to your life and at work! This holiday season, give one annual membership and get one free at MasterClass.com/fire! Offer terms apply.
- Thought-Leader: Ever thought about giving a TEDx talk? Visit Thought-Leader.com/fire to join a free training and learn how to land a TEDx Talk and spread your message to millions!
[10:45] – Quitting without giving up.
- Giving up can free up time that seemed to be so emotionally draining and unproductive.
- Giving up doesn’t negate the fact that you’re moving to a bigger dream.
[12:52] – Being wise without a PhD.
- He did not do his dissertation, and instead wrote 48 Days to the Work You Love.
- Being wise connotes more than just having a degree. Lean into things that increase your ability to have an understanding heart, not necessarily another piece of paper to hang in the wall.
[15:14] – Looking for more than just money.
- Rich means more than money.
- Being rich means having a positive mental attitude, sound physical health, harmony in human relationships, freedom from fear, hope of future achievements, and on and on…
- If you think about what it really means to be rich and start living that way, then your finances will show up in unexpected ways.
[16:44] – Dan talks about an understanding heart.
- There are benefits to doing something well that go beyond just the money.
[19:12] – Dan’s key take away and call to action.
- An Understanding Heart – A culmination of weekly inspiration shared with Dan Miller’s inner circle over the years.
- Build on where you are in life. It’s never too late to have a new beginning.
[21:37] – Thank you to our Sponsors!
- HubSpot: Meet HubSpot’s new AI-powered Campaign Assistant, a totally free-to-use AI tool tailor-made for the marketers and business builders who spend hours each day on content creation! Head to HubSpot.com/campaign-assistant to test-drive Campaign Assistant for free!
- Thought-Leader: Ever thought about giving a TEDx talk? Visit Thought-Leader.com/fire to join a free training and learn how to land a TEDx Talk and spread your message to millions!
Transcript
0 (2s):
Boom shake the room, Fire Nation. JLD here and welcome to Entrepreneur on Fire, brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals with great shows like Marketing Made Simple. Today we'll be breaking down 48 Days To The Work You Love. To drop these value bombs, I brought Dan Miller and EOFire Studios. Dan is the author of the New York Times best-selling book 48 Days To The Work You Love. His 48DaysEagles.com community is a gathering place for those desiring to activate their dream. And Fire Nation, we'll talk about being selfish. We'll talk about what to do if you want more money, we'll talk about having extraordinary gifts, Fire Nation and so much more.
The Gold Digger Podcast (44s):
And a big thank you for sponsoring today’s episode goes to Dan and our sponsors, The Gold Digger Podcast, hosted by my good friend, Jenna Kutcher is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. The Gold Digger podcast helps you discover your dream career with productivity tips, social strategies, business acts, inspirational stories, and so much more. A must listen episode is one of Jenna's recent on everything you need to know about affiliate marketing. Listen to Gold Digger, wherever you get your podcasts
Thought-Leader (1m 14s):
ever thought of giving a TEDx talk, it's one of the most powerful ways to share your message with the world. In four time TEDx, speaker Taylor Conroy from Thought-Leader can help you get there. Visit Thought-Leader.com/fire to join Taylor's free training where he teaches you how to land a TEDx talk and spread your message to millions.
0 (1m 35s):
Dan say What's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with.
1 (1m 44s):
Well, you know, I think some people do agree with it at this point, but it's the old idea that to have more, you gotta work more. Wow. And it just is so counterintuitive. You, you can work in ways that give you freedom timewise and income wise and still not be busting your butt, you know, 60 hours a week.
0 (2m 5s):
I love that. It was actually something that you and I were talking about in our pre-interview chat. You know, I mean, I'm essentially the only thing that was on your calendar here today, and you've had a lot of time to deep work and to deep think today and tomorrow because you set up a team, And A life, And A business that allows you to do that. And Fire Nation. That's why we're gonna be talking today about 48 Days, To, The, Work, You Love. And I wanna ask a question about being selfish. 'cause a lot of people think there's some negativity around that word, and it can be in certain circumstances, but you believe that being selfish may increase our ability to serve others Well, tell us more.
0 (2m 45s):
You
1 (2m 45s):
Know, what you just mentioned is a real key to that. The fact that I have Thursdays and Fridays marked off as deep work days to just think and create. That may mean reading or just going for a walk on a beach. You know, that could be selfish. Gee, you, I'm not really serving other people, but it's in those times that I deepen my own life in ways that I can serve others much better, much higher level. So if I'm just give, give, give all the time, I become depleted. It's gonna be like just exhale and you're gonna turn blue and pass out. But if I take time to breathe in, which on the surface may look like I'm just being selfish with my time and resources, no, I'm growing so I can go deeper with people.
0 (3m 26s):
Fire Nation, we're gonna be talking about so many important things along this line that's gonna maybe shift in a big way, the way you do things or think about things or maybe even just a little bit. But that little bit can have a big impact in your life. And one of the topics I wanna talk about next is money. Because again, Fire Nation, it's a lot easier to do the things you want in life to have the impact you want in life if you're not stressed about where the next dollar's coming in, if you're not stressed about where that next meal's coming in, if you're not stressed about how the shelter is going to be happening in your life to protect those that you love, to protect yourself, your family. So let's talk about the fact that you found dam, if we want more money, we need to learn to be more generous.
0 (4m 13s):
Can you share what this means and actually give us an example of how you've seen this work in real life?
1 (4m 18s):
Yes, actually, there's a little story that I love to connect with this. It's about a monk who was traveling in the mountains and he found this really precious stone in a stream. So the next day he met another traveler who was hungry. And A Monk opened his bag to share his food, but the traveler saw that really precious stone in there, and he asked the monk to give it to him, and the monk did without the hesitation. Well, you know, the traveler left just really happy about his good fortune. He knew that stone was worth a lot of money, would give him security for the rest of his life. But a few days later, he went back looking for the monk and returned the stone and said, I've been thinking, he said, I know how valuable this stone is, but I give it back to you in the hope that you can give me something much more precious if you can give me what you have in you that enabled you to give me this stone.
1 (5m 5s):
Ooh. I mean, that's a really cool kind of picture of that, that sometimes we hang on to things really tightly and we think that, gee, if I can get another 50 cents, I'm gonna hang onto that. Well, no, just being generous with that may open the door to some riches that you didn't expect. I
0 (5m 23s):
Love that. And actually brings me back to a quote that was one of the major inspirations to launch Entrepreneur on Fire 11 years ago. Now, Dan, if you can believe that, that's an Albert Einstein quote, which is try not to become a person of success, but rather a person of value. And when you kind of break it down, like that's what I was trying to do, I was like chasing the 50 cents. I was trying to become successful doing like jobs that I was never gonna love a lawyer, a corporate finance, commercial real estate. But when I read that quote and said, wait a second, what if I just became a person of value? What if I just gave people something of value for free and just gave, gave, gave, gave, gave, which of course was a daily podcast for free interviewing entrepreneurs that are amazing, like Dan, who's one of my first guests.
0 (6m 6s):
Then that's the thing that changed everything for me. So you can think about these things in a different kind of way. Fire Nation. And now we all know that Dan has extraordinary gifts, but Fire Nation, so many of you listening right now. In fact, all of you listening right now have extraordinary gifts. It's just the fact of you identifying and uncovering that. But you believe, Dan, that those who have extraordinary gifts can't be expected to live an ordinary life. What do you mean by this?
1 (6m 32s):
You know, there's a scene from the old movie Little Women where Urbano white writer is the lead character in that. And she's frustrated with herself because she's rejected the proposal of the next door neighbor, which everybody knows would make perfect sense for her little girl from a small town marry this guy. And she just did. And then she's frustrated, she said, I'll never be normal. And her mother discomforts her by saying, you know, you have such extraordinary gifts. How could you expect to live an ordinary life? You know, a lot of people try to conform that. That's one of the key principles in the old audio from Real Night Andal, the Strangest Secret, we, the opposite of courage, you know, is not weakness, it's conformity.
1 (7m 14s):
We just try to fit in. And I know it may sound like that's a smart thing to do, but oh my goodness, it doesn't accentuate those unique gifts that each of us have. So those things that make me different than the kids I grew up with makes me different than the kids from my little hometown are the very things that have opened the doors to live the kind of extraordinary life I get to live today. and we need to Lean into those, not ignore those
0 (7m 38s):
Fire Nation. Couldn't you just sit back and listen to Dan all day? I know I could, and I know I have in the past with this great podcast and we have a lot more to talk about when it comes to this topic and more when we get back from thanking our sponsors.
Hubspot (7m 53s):
Artificial intelligence has been a hot topic this year. Even if you're not using it, you've likely heard about the many benefits it can provide, like helping you save time, brainstorm ideas, and tackle your to-do list. But how do you put this into practice? If you find yourself spending hours each day on content creation, then I've got a tool that will help you do just that. Meet HubSpot's new AI powered Campaign Assistant, a totally free to use AI tool tailored for the marketers and business builders who spend hours each day on content creation. Campaign Assistant will transform the way you work by crafting personalized emails, ads, and landing pages. We'll just say few prompts in a matter of minutes and you can start seeing the benefits fast. Just pick the content type, add key selling points, and let AI take it from there. Campaign Assistant isn't just free, it's also fully integrated with HubSpot's smart CRM. So you can publish the AI generated content directly into your landing pages and emails from your CRM. So work smarter not harder. Head to HubSpot.com/campaign-assistant to test drive campaign assistant for free.
MasterClass (8m 56s):
As the host of a daily interview podcast, I know how important storytelling is. So recently I jumped on Masterclass and took a class on storytelling. I'm always looking to improve. And with the holidays upon us, Masterclass is a meaningful gift that can help you and someone special in your life. Become the best versions of yourselves with classes on everything from leadership to effective communication to cooking with Masterclass. It's like having your own personal mentors without the massive investment that one-on-one classes from the world's Best would be with Masterclass membership start at just $120 per year for unlimited access to classes with all 180 plus Masterclass instructors. Plus there are new classes added every month, like Aaron Sorkin's screenwriting class, which is the one I took to learn more about masterful storytelling, Boost your confidence and find practical takeaways you can apply to your life. and at Work This holiday season, give one annual membership and get one free at Masterclass.com/fire. Right now you can get two memberships for the price of one at Masterclass.com/fire Masterclass.com/fire offer terms apply.
0 (10m 6s):
Do you have a message inside that you know is meant to be shared with the world? Giving a TEDx talk is one of the most powerful ways to share your message with the world. And Thought-Leader can help you get there. Thought-Leader is a speaker coaching company that has helped over 550 and counting coaches, speakers, entrepreneurs, authors, and experts land TEDx talks. Thought-Leader is not affiliated with Ted or TEDx, but they're able to get these results because their founder Taylor Conroy is a four-time TEDx speaker himself and past EOFire guest. You might be thinking a TEDx talk. Sounds great, but where do you start? Taylor has put together a free training that is going to teach you how to land a TEDx talk. And as little as 90 days join Taylor, learn exactly what TEDx organizers are looking for in their speakers, how to write a talk that goes viral once it goes online and more.
0 (10m 53s):
Visit Thought-Leader.com/fire. Join Taylor for his free training and get your message out of your head, out of your heart, and out into the world where it belongs. That's Thought-Leader.com/fire. Dan, we're back. And a Lot of people associate quitting with just giving up, but you actually believe that we can quit without giving up. Can you expound upon that thought?
1 (11m 18s):
That story was gonna prompted by me trying to raise bees. I decided with that we had lived, we were living out in the country at the time and was, I'm gonna be a bee raiser. So I engaged a lady to teach me how to do that. We were gonna share the, the honey that was produced. And after two years I just said, you know, I can't do this. You know, disease came in. There were so many things that seemed to just be challenges and I, this is just something I'm not gonna do. So in that sense, I gave up, but what that did was freed up that time that seemed to be so emotionally draining and unproductive that I could then invest in something else. A lot of times, you know, I see things in life like that. Where is this really worth the time and effort that I'm putting into it?
1 (12m 1s):
So in that particular situation, I'm giving up, but it doesn't negate the fact that I'm moving to a bigger dream. There's always something bigger that I'm moving toward. It's just, is this activity productive and helping me move toward that? And if not, you better believe it. I'm gonna give up. I mean, there are things in my business that I don't do. I'm horrible at managing the finances. I don't wanna do that. But I got a lady who excels at that. She loves that. She's wonderful at that, Hey, I'm gonna let her do that. So it's a matter of finding what is my zone of Genius? What are the two or three things that I do really well and spend my time there and bring people alongside whose gifts compliment mine, where they're better in those areas that I am, stay with what I do and stick pretty tight to that.
0 (12m 47s):
All we have is time, Fire Nation, that's all we have. All we have is time. And it is ticking, ticking, ticking. And I love the quote, when you say yes to one thing, you are saying no to everything else you could have otherwise been doing during that time, during that energy expended bandwidth that you've given out. So think about that the next time you say yes, because you are actually saying no to a lot, a lot of potential and, and hey, and maybe it's the right yes, but maybe it's not. So think about it. And very few of my listeners, myself included, have a PhD, but you believe we can be wise without a PhD, which I'm really excited to hear. So tell us more about that.
0 (13m 28s):
You
1 (13m 29s):
Know, there's a funny story behind that because I actually did my doctoral work at Oxford. Oh wow. So, you know, very prestigious. I completed all, all the work. And then they said, okay, now we need your dissertation. And I sat down with these four old guys, scholarly guys, and I said, okay, as I understand it, I can spend a year And A, half, two years, you know, working on this dissertation, be written in a scholarly form. So it's not something anybody will pick up and read at all. It's not like design like that. It's just so you four guys can read it and then if you approve, you gimme a piece of paper, I can hang on the wall. Or maybe I could take that same period of time and write something that people would want to read that could encourage them and maybe make me a little money in the process.
1 (14m 11s):
That's exactly when I wrote 48 Days To, The Work, You Love. I did not do my doctoral dissertation. I don't have that PhD. I wrote a book instead that has inspired some people and made me a few million bucks along the way. But Being wise, connotes more than just having a degree. You know, when I look at, even in the Bible and we talk about Solomon being the wisest man who ever lived, when I look at what it really says, he didn't ask God for wisdom. He said, God, you give me all these responsibilities. Please give me an understanding heart. I thought, oh my gosh, if that's a source of wisdom, I want that. So I Lean into things that increase my ability to have an understanding heart, not necessarily another piece of paper to hang in the wall.
0 (14m 53s):
Fire Nation, great story shared by Dan reminds me actually of Tim Ferriss back in the day was talking about how he had put aside like a couple hundred thousand dollars to go to graduate school, to go like a business school to get his MBA, but then he was looking at it, he was like, that's multiple years, huge investment. And then I'm gonna come out and then I gotta start looking, you know, for ways to pay back, you know, the, some of the debt I might have accrued, you know, this above and beyond a couple hundred thousand dollars and then and start getting a job. He's like, what if I actually took that money and invested in some other companies that I actually believe in right now that I'm seeing in San Francisco that have a lot of promise. And he took that and made little investments in Uber and Twitter and others and guess what? So I think those investments have done just a, okay.
0 (15m 36s):
So a lot of ways to skin a cat for sure. And that being said, a lot of my listeners wanna be rich and you have advice that's to look for more than just money. Can you share an example of this?
1 (15m 49s):
Yeah. And I share this speaking as a very rich man. Now, at first glance, that probably sounds really egotistical, but here's what I'm talking about. Rich means more than money. When we look even in the book, think and Grow Rich, the old classic by Napoleon Hill. And when he talks about being rich And A, lot of people reject that book 'cause they think, oh, it's just greedy. You know, it's a way to take advantage of other people. No, he talks about being rich as having a positive mental attitude, sound, physical health, harmony, and human relations, freedom from fear, hope of future achievements. It goes on with a whole whole list of things like that. I tell people that I'm a m millionaire, that means I am so rich in my family.
1 (16m 30s):
Mm, my children, my grandchildren, I'm a m millionaire, those are the areas where I want to be rich. Now does is having finances so you aren't strained part of that. Well, sure, but it's a very holistic, balanced picture that leads to that. Not just a focus on money. Money is a byproduct of living a rich life. You know, if you wanna be a millionaire, think like millionaires do. You don't start thinking like a millionaire after you have a lot of money. It's works the other way around. So if you think like a millionaire, if you think what it really means to be rich and start living in that way, and then the finances will show up in unexpected ways.
0 (17m 9s):
Dan, talk to us about an understanding heart.
1 (17m 14s):
I sent you a copy of my latest book and Understanding Heart, and it's so counterintuitive and I chuckle when I even think about it because I did everything that publishers tell you not to do. It's got a soft imitated leather cover, it's real s soft when you fold it, it hold it in gorgeous hands. It's gorgeous. It's more, it's got color all the way through. It's 406 pages. It's got a satin bookmark, it's got a little eagle up in the left hand corner when you first open it up. And as you go through the book, that little eagle flies across the pages all the way over to the right. It comes in a hard box that is designed and it has quotations around the edges. All those things, publishers say, no, no, no, no, no.
1 (17m 55s):
Well, I I I just did it anyway. I, it's a passion project. I love the interactions that it's allowed and I, I love being able to give those away to people whose friendships I crave. It's just, it's a conversation piece, but it's been a marvelous process and just a way to express myself again in a way that a lot of, if anybody would look at it from a business standpoint and say, no, don't do that, but there are benefits to doing something well that go beyond again, just the money that it attains
0 (18m 28s):
Fire Nation. You can see why Dan and I have been such good friends for such a long time because he sees things in a little different way. Like back in 2016 when I was launching the Freedom Journal, everybody said, Hey, you are doing it all wrong. It's way too expensive per unit. I wanted it to be a big, big Journal. I wanted it to be faux leather golden embossed. I wanted there to be gold trim on the pages, a satin bookmark. I wanted it to just be this gorgeous, gorgeous thing that people could be proud of. And I just ignored them. And I went ahead and I did it. And it's did $453,000 in sales in just 33 days. Became the sixth most funded, published campaign of all time on Kickstarter, because I did it a little bit different because it wasn't just a quote unquote profit money grab.
0 (19m 14s):
It was, I wanted to create something that people would enjoy and would be special to them. They could pass down to their children's and children's children. And that's what Dan's created with an understanding heart. I mean, when I was holding that thing in my hand, I'm like, yes, he gets it. And I, I've known that he's gotten it for decades. I mean, he's gotten it a lot longer than I've gotten it too. And he just continues to impress. So Dan, where can Fire Nation go to learn more about an understanding heart?
1 (19m 40s):
You know, it's not even available on Amazon because the, the numbers don't work. It's funny, I have publishers who are knocking on my door asking if they can buy the book from me so they can put it into distribution, talk about a reversal all the way around, but it's at an understanding heart.com. We got our own website designed for that to tell people more about it. And I love just sharing that with people in ways that will inspire and encourage them.
0 (20m 9s):
Fire Nation, you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. You've been hanging out with DMM and JLD today. So keep up that heat. For links to everything we talked about, visit EOFire.com , type Dan in the search bar, the show notes page will pop right up. And by the way, if you've loved what you've heard today, I've done a number of episode s with Dan and when you search Dan Miller and the search bar, all those episode s will pop up. Go on a little Dan Miller binge. You won't regret it. Everyone's a gem. Dan, final words for Fire Nation go.
1 (20m 44s):
You know, it's never too late to have a new beginning. I hear from people who are 27 who think they majored in the wrong thing in college, or people at 56 who got downsized and now thinking they're having to start over. Nah, you just, you Build on where you are in life, but how exciting it is to have a new beginning. So that's my word for people. It's never too late to have a new beginning.
0 (21m 6s):
Dan, thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation. For that we salute you and we'll catch you on the flip side.
The Mastery Journal (21m 15s):
Hey, Fire Nation, a huge thank you to our sponsors and Dan for sponsoring today's episode and Fire Nation's. Successful entrepreneurs are great at three things, productivity, discipline, and focus. That's why I created the Mastery Journal so that you can master those three things, productivity, discipline, and focus in a hundred days. And we're talking step-by-step. So visit the MasteryJournal.com and I'll catch you there. Or on the flip side,
The Goal Digger Podcast (21m 39s):
The Goal Digger Podcast hosted by my good friend Jenna Kutcher is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. The Gold Digger podcast helps you discover your dream career with productivity tips, social strategies, business acts, inspirational stories, and so much more. A must listen episode is one of Jenna's recents on everything you need to know about affiliate marketing. Listen to Gold Digger wherever you get your podcasts.
Thought-Leader (22m 4s):
ever thought of giving a TEDx talk. It's one of the most powerful ways to share your message with the world. In four time TEDx. Speaker Taylor Conroy from Thought-Leader can help you get there. Visit Thought-Leader.com/fire to join Taylor's free trading, where he teaches you how to land a TEDx talk and spread your message to millions.
Killer Resources!
1) The Common Path to Uncommon Success: JLD’s 1st traditionally published book! Over 3000 interviews with the world’s most successful Entrepreneurs compiled into a 17-step roadmap to financial freedom and fulfillment!
2) Free Podcast Course: Learn from JLD how to create and launch your podcast!
3) Podcasters’ Paradise: The #1 podcasting community in the world!