22/11/2014
Just got this email. It's well worth a read :)
Duncan,
At my most recent 4-Man Intensive, there was a guy who reminded me a lot of me...a go-getter entrepreneur with lots of hobbies, ministries, and side projects he's passionate about.
But, unlike me, he's in a family business and he doesn't have 100% final say about what he can do in the business...or even outside it.
He explained to me that if he pursues his outside passions too much, the other principals in his business, his family members, might see it as him shirking his responsibilities...they may even label it laziness.
So I told him a story about a space slingshot.
I told him how both Voyager 1 and 2 employed something physicists call a "gravitational assist" to increase the relative speed of a spacecraft.
It's a complicated formula, but the simplified version is that the space craft, by interrupting it's path to make a pass around a large planet, can greatly increase it's relative speed, thus conserving fuel and reaching its destination faster.
So, a little detour around something with a massive gravitational pull actually speeds up your ship.
I told him to think of his side projects like that. To keep his brain, heart, eyes, and ears open for insights and ideas that will help him grow his business.
Because, if he's passionate enough about them, if the gravitational pull is deep enough, he will find those insights and ideas everywhere. Guaranteed.
I've noticed it again and again and again in my business. My passion for biology, electrical engineering, music, spirituality and family have always provided with me breakthrough insights that have powered my business forward like a "gravitational slingshot".
On December 7th, I'm headed to China to adopt my son. I'll come home with a child I get to cherish for the rest of my life...And I guarantee I'll slingshot back to the US brimming with new energy, new insights, and new ideas for my business. It just always seems to work that way.
So, today I want to say " Blessings on your passions. May they slingshot you to the stars!"
Carpe diem,
Perry Marshall
PS: Oh, and after I gave him my space analogy, the 4-man guy told me he's an avid astronomer and even builds telescopes in his spare time. So, I'm guessing he really got the message!
