All ABOARD! No this is not the “Magic Bus” but I wouldn’t blame you for confusing the two.

I am talking about the “Passion Bus,” a vehicle that will carry you to your PASSION.  You might be thinking Brian you have really outdone yourself a vehicle for your passion.

Humor me for a bit and let me play with this BUS metaphor.

What is the definition for a vehicle anyway?

“A medium through which something is transmitted, expressed, or accomplished” Sounds good to me.  I would love to transmit, express and/or accomplish my Passion.  Hence the “Passion Bus” the official vehicle of the Personal Passion Project.

Here is the deal.  The Personal Passion Project kicks off tomorrow August 4th at 8pm EST (via Teleclass call in from any phone).  I have a number of people who have been kicking the “Old Passion Buses’ Tires” so to speak over the last few weeks.  These people have some really cool projects and passions they want to uncover, develop and fulfill.  With summer vacations and such a number of people can’t join the call tomorrow.  Since the Personal Passion Project happens to be my Personal Passion Project I wanted to be sure as many people who are “Ready to Ride Their Passion Bus” can be involved.

I don’t know about you but I have just about had enough of the low budget summer TV programming.  Yes “America’s Got Talent” but “America’s Got Passion” as well.

So, tell me.

Do you have enough  PASSION in your life?

What are you aching to do?

What can you not live without?

What are you doing today that will get you from here to there (PASSION)?

For me; “I can’t live without making a difference in peoples lives?”

How about you?

Jump on Board the Passion Bus and let me do the driving?  I have taken the time to create a set of maps to help you find your Passion.  I am calling it the Personal Passion Project.

For those who have already signed up for the Personal Passion Project we are moving forward as planned but I have added a “stop” for those who are just boarding the bus.

Intro Teleclass (The Telecass formerly known as Teleclass#1) August 4th 8pm-9pm EST
“The Personal Passion Project Itinerary”
Were going to take a little time to learn where everyone is going on this bus trip and review the roadmap for finding your Passion.

You can hop on the bus for Fre**e August 4th, but you need to buy a ticket/registration if you plan to take the entire trip.

Click Here for Full Details on the Personal Passion Project

Teleclass #1 August 11th 8pm-9pm (The Bus Officially Leaves the Station)
Teleclass #2 August 18th 8pm-9pm
Teleclass #3 September 8th 8pm-9pm
Teleclass #4 September 15th 8pm-9pm
Teleclass #5 October 6th 8pm-9pm
Teleclass #6 October 13th 8pm-9pm (New Date for Class)

Next Steps:

• Sign Up for Class – Click Here

• Get Call In Information for August 4th Intro & Planning Session – Learn about the PPP at no charge Register for Intro

• Call me to discuss:  513-549-4276

or

Is your Passion on Pause, Press Play?

Play is a funny word if you think in terms of VCR’s and DVD players versus the act of playing.  It is even funnier when you pair it up with a concept like Passion.

I think a lot of people suffer from a misdiagnosed passion problem.

Most people as they get older lose touch with their passion and believe their passion has become a lost cause.

I am suggesting possibly their passion is merely on pause.

Being my day job is in the audio visual production industry this metaphor should be a slam dunk for me.

Were talking about Passion being like the media in your CD player or DVD Player.  It is the music or the movie you play for enjoyment.

What happens when you press pause.  It holds the music or enjoyment at a certain spot.  That is right where you left off.  To get it started again you just press play.  Nothing fancy, nothing overly technical.  Just press the stinking play button.

I am suggesting you merely need to Press Play to get your passion and enjoyment started again.

So back to the word “play,” and one more metaphor, isn’t play something you do for enjoyment.  You play with your toys.  You play with your friends.  You play with Passion.

That is right.  Play is the answer to your Passion problems.  Press Play.

If you need some help finding your Passion Play button checkout The Personal Passion Project.

http://budurl.com/PassionProject

Nearly 2 years in the making “The Personal Passion Project” is about to launch.

Back in the summer of 2008 I had an epiphany of sorts.  My wife was around 6 months pregnant and I was experiencing something familiar or maybe unfamiliar.

I was experiencing excitement.  It reminded me of when I was about to graduate high school or right before Megan and I were married.  I had something bigger than myself to share with the world.  It was what some people call “Mojo.”

As I get older I have noticed my life has gotten stale from time to time and these moments of excitement are more spread out.  As children we have the excitement of each summer or school year to look forward to.  In high school we have sports activities and graduation to look forward to.  In college we have independence and exploration to fuel our spirit.

Life is one right of passage after another but life tends to settle in and the excitement starts to dwindle.

This is when most people enter what I call the “Work, Work, Work,” phase of life.  My buddy Jeff and I even have a made a joke about it.  We used to chuckle about running into an old friends and asking them about their life, and all they have to say is “Oh, just work, really busy with work.”  We haven’t seen you since high school and all that you have to share with us is “Work, Work, Work.”?

Back to the story about having a baby.  Leading up to Ella’s birth I realized how much easier it was to connect with people when they asked me about my life.  I had something exciting to share.  I was having a baby, correction, my wife was having a baby.  What could be more exciting than having a baby?

As I mentioned I had an epiphany.  I realized I had become “the butt” of my own joke.  Life had become all about “Work, Work, Work,” and I realized wanted a different experience moving forward.  I wanted to be just as excited as I was about having a baby all the time.  I took some time to think back about some other times in my life where I was excited.  I remembered training and running the New York City Marathon in 1997.  In 2001 I launched my personal coaching business.  In 2007 I produced a single event with a budget of which was equal to a years worth of business for me typically.

All of these situations were exciting projects and I was engaged (in the projects) and wanted to share them with the world.  I thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be great if everyone had a Personal Passion Project to share?”  I was so excited about the idea I bought the Domain Name PersonalPassionProject.com .

So here is the deal:

I have reserved 6 hours for “YOU” to get engaged in your very own “Personal Passion Project.”  Something that is going to excite you.

A Personal Passion Project can be just about anything.  It might be starting a new business or learning a new hobby like painting or guitar.  It could be something to benefit the world like launching a non profit or charity.  Maybe you just want to improve your health or even better you don’t know what you are passionate about.  Whatever your passion is (or to be discovered passion) I have 6 hours on standby to get you started and to prime your PASSION pumps.

Who should sign up for the Personal Passion Project?

• Someone who has a clear idea about a passion they want to explore and bring to life.
• Someone who is confused and wants to clarify what their passion might be.
• Someone who’s life has gone stale and is looking to spice it up.
• Someone who has their “Mojo” rising and wants to channel it.
• Someone who is looking to inspire the world through by being engaged in their passion.
• Someone who has become disconnected from their passion and wants to rekindle their spirit.
• Someone who is a risk taker and just wants to try something new.
• A reader of Expert in the Rough who would like to connect with other EITR readers.

What can you expect from the Personal Passion Project:

• A new excitement for life.
• A technique to explore and engage in new passions throughout your life.
• A network of people on the same journey.
• Increased momentum in the DIRECTION of your passion.
• SPACE for your passion to grow.  (Think of the PPP as a greenhouse garden for your Passion)

The Details:

The Personal Passion Project is 6 weeks over a 3 month period including a bonus “Introduction to Passion” an Interview with Mike Monahan, CEO of  Life Success Seminars.  The class is via Teleclass format which you can call in to from any phone.

Dates:

Updated Event Dates:

Intro Class Added
Learn about the PPP at no charge Register for Intro

Wednesday August 4th, 2010 8pm-9pm EST

Teleclass #1

Wednesday August 11th, 2010 8pm-9pm EST

Teleclass #2

Wednesday August 18th, 2010 8pm-9pm EST

Teleclass #3

Wednesday September 8th, 2010 8pm-9pm EST

Teleclass #4

Wednesday September 15th, 2010 8pm-9pm EST

Teleclass #5

Wednesday October 6th, 2010 8pm-9pm EST

Teleclass #6

Wednesday October 13th, 2010 8pm-9pm EST

*EITR reserves the rights to change class times at its discretion.

Tuition:

$147.00

Bonuses:

• 2) 15 Minute Live Coaching Sessions with Brian Monahan (Time Slots will be posted each month)
• Free Intro to Passion Interview with Mike Monahan. (You can register for this night without registering for the class) Listen to Recorded Audio

• Archive recordings of all teleclasses for 90 days after the live class is completed.
• Weekly email updates for the duration of the class.
• “Passion Catcher” Moleskin notebook to document your very own “Epiphanies” —–Snail Mailed before the first class, late registrations may delay delivery.
• Personal Passion Project – Founding Member Status (You can use on your websites, blogs or t-shirts).
• 1) Free Registration for future or updated Personal Passion Project Class (for registrant only)

Guarantee:

If you are not completely satisfied EITR will refund your registration in full, no questions asked. There are 2 options for requesting a refund.

• After completing at least 4 of 6 classes you may request a full refund until 7 days after the completion of the class.
• You can request a full refund within 48 hours of the completion of the first class.

Like the infomercials, the “Passion Catcher” is yours to keep.

Registration Info:

NEW PAYMENT OPTION AVAILABLE NOW! –

CLICK HERE

Listen to Recorded Audio from previous Intro to PPP featuring Mike Monahan, CEO of Life Success Seminars

Links:

PersonalPassionProject.com (In Development)

Do You PK?

I do and so does Cincinnati!  Sleepy and conservative Cincinnati has joined the international movement known as Pecha Kucha Night.

You are probably thinking Pecha Kucha, isn’t that one of the Pokémon characters and why is Cincinnati celebrating a “Pocket Monster?”  I don’t blame you for the confusion.  Pecha Kucha and Pokémon do have a common root as they are both English translations of Japanese words.  Pecha Kucha simply translates as “the sound of conversation.”

Pecha Kucha Nights are the creation of a pair of architects, Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham as a technique or style of presentation for designers to share their work without boring the daylights out of everybody involved.

Klein and Dytham came up with a simple idea of 20 slides or images timed at 20 seconds each.  6 minutes and 40 seconds, pure genius, with the limitation of 20 slides at 20 seconds each, the presenters are forced to present only their best work allowing the cream to rise to the top.  If there is no cream to rise the presenter is limited and no awkward yawning from the audience because their time is up.

I was introduced to the concept of Pecha Kucha by Daniel Johnson Jr. the founder of New Media Cincinnati, a local group of social media addicts who meet monthly to share ideas and to be “social.”  In November our monthly meeting was conducted Pecha Kucha style.  I was immediately attracted to the idea due to my nearly two decade career in audio visual productions and sitting through hours, days, weeks and years of really boring PowerPoint presentations.  Pecha Kucha is an answer to my prayers.

My inspiration led me to whip up a Pecha Kucha in under an hour since my 3 week old daughter did not allow for much more.  I parsed my notes for a business networking e-book I had been working on for a few months and “20 Ninja Networking Secrets” was born.

You can view my slide share below:

After the meeting I was inspired to research hosting a Pecha Kucha Night in Cincinnati and I started creating a team of advisors to help me launch the project.  I emailed Klein and Dytham and did not hear anything back.  Pecha Kucha is a trademarked concept so I did not want to step on any toes.  Over the holidays I shelved the project and planned to start gathering a team after the first of the year.

A good friend from the past contacted me over the holidays looking for audio visual assistance for an event she was putting together with a coworker.  She asked about my experience in the Contemporary Art Center in Cincinnati and asked if we could meet.  She had no idea I had any knowledge of Pecha Kucha.  I asked about the event and she mentioned designers and artists would be sharing their work at the event.  I asked, “Is this a Pecha Kucha Night?”  She was floored.  Although Pecha Kucha is an international movement, the average person will look at you a bit funny when you mention the name.

I shared with her that I had a vision of hosting Pecha Kucha nights in Cincinnati promoting the city to attract conventions and meetings.  I shared that I wanted to host one on Fountain Square in Downtown Cincinnati, her team had the same idea.

I must admit at first I was a little disappointed, my ego wanted the glory of bringing Pecha Kucha Night to Cincinnati but I quickly realized that a ready made team was the way to go.

My friend invited me to a planning meeting and it just so happens that the Pecha Kucha founders replied on the same day with their contact info for the Pecha Kucha Cincinnati team.  I must admit it is interesting how life’s twists and turns often lead to the same place.  Pecha Kucha found me.

I am now an official member of the Pecha Kucha Cincinnati planning committee and my employer Prestige AV & Creative Services is on board as a sponsor of the event.

I hope you join us on February 13th at the Contemporary Art Center.

Visit DoYouPK.org for more details.

Follow on Twitter @doyoupk