Brian Schwartz

Brian is the award-winning author of 50 Interviews: Entrepreneurs Thriving in Uncertain times.

If today were my last day on Earth and I could share 500 words of brilliance with the world, here are the important things I'd want to pass along to others...

The keys to finding fulfillment in life may be different for each of us, but here is what I have discovered to work for me... and the essence of what I've discovered after my nearly 40 years on this wonderful planet. I hope these insights launch you into the next decade with powerful new renewed force and energy.

I discovered these four distinctions in the 50+ entrepreneurs I interviewed, but I do believe at their core, they also lead to a more fulfilling life:

1. Embrace a consuming passion by sharing it with others. Surround yourself with others who share your passion and you'll find they fuel that passion to take it further. Like a plant, if you don't give it sunshine to grow, it will die. Never let your passions die! The 'sticky' passions are those more important to others than they are to you. The more you share it, the stronger it becomes. Sharing it can be like adding a drop of Miracle Grow!

2. Pursue an impersonal goal. When you discover a purpose greater than yourself, you are willing to do it despite the money. It's more about the impact on other people than on you. I have found that by focusing more on others, I am both energized and I avoid depression.

3. Learn to embrace risk. A way to shift your perspective is to see risk as dashing into the future with hope and the possibility to move closer towards an impersonal goal/greater purpose. Many entrepreneurs that I interviewed shared that once they mentally accept the worst possible outcome, they feel empowered to take action. For more on this, read Bob Parsons' 16 Rules.

4. Emulate to learn, but innovate to earn. Emulating is a great way to get onto the field, but all great accomplishments in the world have stemmed from someone doing something different. Eventually, you need to blaze your own trail and innovate to find success. Once you realize this, you will no longer be worried about the competition because everyone can bring their own unique experiences to the table.

Those are the 4 principles I live by and strive to create every day. When you think about the one purpose we all have in common from cradle to grave it's simply TO CREATE. So get out and create something today. The most memorable experiences are those we create for ourselves. Give yourself a big hairy audacious goal to work towards it from now until your last breath. Make the goal more about others than yourself and assure you it will be more satisfying when it arrives. Every day you have the opportunity to create something awesome, so get to it! The last thing I want to share with everyone: "If you are not where you want to be in life, surround yourself with those who are."