Seth Godin on Living with Purpose & Mission

Seth Godin discusses on the Ideation Podcast how entrepreneurs and idea makers can better discover their purpose and life mission. Topics discussed in this episode include:

Creating a Mission for Your Life - Seth shares his personal journey that led him to discover his purpose.

• “[The]ability to matter is open to just about everyone. And for me mattering means changing something.”
• Successfully fulfilling your mission doesn't come without failures.

Habits for Success - Seth explains the pitfalls of looking for a formula for success.

• The secret to success is there are no shortcuts. “The seeking of the habits is a way of hiding. What you're hiding from is responsibility. The responsibility to be in a situation where you are afraid. That’s what it means to make change - is doing something that might not work.”
• The real formula to success is overcoming the fear of failure in order to find out what works and what doesn't.
• Successful people aren't successful because they did something others couldn't; They did what others didn’t. He offers as an example American poet Sarah Kay  who began performing her poetry at fourteen. “Sarah cared enough to do something that might not work. And when it didn't work, to do something else again. So that's the only habit. The habit is signing up for a practice where you are willing, in a respectful way and with dignity to other people, to expose them to ideas that might not work.”
  

Practical Applications for Cultivating an Idea Mindset  - Seth lists important steps to putting ideas into action, which he covers in depth within his 4 week intensive online workshop, Alt MBA

1. How to have a perspective that is different from everyone else.
2. How to make the right decisions with practice.
3. How to persuade other people to support your ideas.

Staying True to Your Mission – Amidst Opportunity - Seth offers tips for entrepreneurs and idea makers to stay on the right path. He explains:

• Why principles are a key factor in continued success.
• “...we do our best If we know other people are watching us...And if we can just apply that principle from the first day to the last it so much easier to be consistent in what you stand for.”
• The value of learning to be different, creating your reputation, remaining consistent with your principles, and setting boundaries of what you will and will not do.

Inspiration for Pursuing a