It may seem odd to you that I am on the cover of this month’s BIZ. Magazine. I know it is odd to me. It is also that this “January” edition is on the streets before January begins. Both of these things are odd to me. Allow me to explain the reasoning behind both.
First, there is apparent nepotism and self promotion with the cover story. Ok, you’ve got me there — well sorta. You see, the mission of BIZ has always been to educate and inform folks in the business community to help them do what they do better. Yes, we are a business news journal, but we are also a businessperson improvement publication.
If you think about it, BIZ has always provided opportunities for business person development and growth. From the columns we publish each month from experts in their respective fields, to events like the BIZ. Breakfast, 21st Century Business Forum and more, this new course is just a natural progression of that mission. How it came into being was nothing short of miraculous.
A little over one year ago, two of my closest friends and associates approached me with the idea of creating a course that would help people become the best version of themselves by teaching them the steps they needed to take to achieve purpose in life. Sounds lofty, doesn’t it?
My friend, Tom Hammel, had just released his Amazon best-seller, The Life You’re Meant to Lead, and he was searching for a way to take some of the principles in the book a step further. Dave Ross, a mutual friend of ours in the leadership and health space, came to the table with a “dreamer’s perspective.” Dave is really good at helping people dream and see their world through a different lens. The three of us knew we had unique gifts and abilities to bring to the project, so we decided to make it happen.
First thing we realized was we needed to be more practical than lofty. There is plenty of content out there about finding one’s purpose, but just about nothing on how to make that happen.
After several meetings, including two trips to California to shoot video, we completed Step Into Purpose: Life Purpose Development Course. You can learn all about it in this edition of the magazine.
Now, why the early edition? That is simple — timing. With BIZ hitting the streets on Dec. 23, our readers can contemplate what they want to do in their own life, before New Year’s Day. I am well aware of the fact that many readers may not be in a “self improvement state of mind” right now, but in just three days, that will most likely change.
The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is usually a down time for many business people. However, they don’t just shut down and walk away. We all have thoughts, plans, and maybe resolutions, we are contemplating during this time. Step Into Purpose will hopefully be a part of those thoughts. Taking action before Jan.1 will help you be prepared to hit the ground running as soon as the holidays end.
So, take a few minutes to read about Step Into Purpose, and make the decision for yourself. If it is a fit for your dreams and goals for 2022, great. If not, all good too. Just be sure to do something that takes you one, or more, steps closer to achieving your purpose in this world. This world needs you to do that.
Happy New Year.
David A. Specht Jr. is publisher and editor of BIZ. and President of Specht Newspapers, Inc.
