4 Things Scott Dinsmore Taught Me About Living Your Life Purpose Now

Do you ever wish you could leave the 9-5 life and do what you really love? Scott Dinsmore did just that. Frustrated with a job he hated, he left paid employment in order to pursue meaningful work. And find it he DID!

This blog post is inspired by the late Scott Dinsmore of the Live Your Legend community whose aim is to change the world by helping people find work they love and encouraging them to surround themselves with the supportive people who will make it possible.

Scott, 32, was an inspiration to many, but sadly he passed in an accident climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. Falling rocks hit him as he neared the summit. He was with his wife, Chelsea who’s safely back in the U.S.  His last blog post I’m Going Off the Grid: Therapy for an Addicted & Over-Connected World is here. Leo Babauta of Zen Habits shares his heartfelt tribute here.

I first came across Scott through the blogosphere, then became part of his online community. Those emails he sent helped me set up my blog and introduced me to courses on taking first steps to living a more fulfilling life. He’s living proof it can be done. If you choose to believe it, trust the process, open yourself up to the opportunities, and surround yourself with like-minded people, it will happen eventually. Here are four overarching lessons I learned from him.

1. Live your life now because “someday” may never happen. Life is short. By the time you feel “ready” for your dreams, it may be too late. This involves having the courage to leave something that does not work for you.

In my blog we’re all about getting rid of stuff to make space for the things that matter, and that’s not just physical clutter, but mental clutter. Our own internal roadblocks that are 9 times out of 10 self-imposed. Did I tell you, Scott also gave this amazing Tedx Talk here?

The job didn’t work for him so he got rid of it to make room for what did matter. Finding work he was passionate about and speaking to successful people like Warren Buffet to get advice on how to do exactly that.

Scott had two choices, either leave an uninspiring job, or do something about his situation. The first piece of “sage advice” was to just take any job to build up his resume. Then he spoke to Warren Buffet who said, “Taking a job to build up your resume is like saving sex for old age.”

Fortunately he chose the latter and chose to let go of a job that did not work for him because if he didn’t, he’d never have created this awesome Live Your Legend Community that we have today.

2. Time is finite, make sure you fill it with amazing, cherishable experiences. By leaving an uninspiring job, Scott was able to create space to pursue his passions of community building and world travel. Check out his Instagram feed here. Had he kept his day job, he may have fallen into the trap of having an unfulfilling life with a home and stuff he didn’t need. But he chose experiences over a lifetime accumulation of things.

Here’s a tip for you. What if you chose to ditch mindless online or retail mall shopping for experiences? Instead, use that money towards a great experience, like a family cruise or vacation, or some adventure travel rather than another shirt that happens to be on sale that happens to be something you already have at home? Experiences are also a great opportunity to recharge from work and spend time with family and friends. What a better way to do it than to travel or pursue something on your life bucket list.

3. When you do something awesome, you’ll inspire others to do the same. After Scott quit his job, he spoke to many others frustrated with their jobs, and after talking to him, about 80% of the people he spoke with quit in order to fulfill their dreams. In a way, his example gave others the “permission” to do what they really wanted.

In a small way, after I finished a triathlon a friend mentioned I inspired her to run a 5K which was pretty cool. Yay, go me! By doing something fun you’ll encourage others to do the same thing too and give them the inspiration to fulfill their dreams.

It’s like that Marianne Williamson quote:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

4. You’ll get out of your comfort zone and meet cool people in the process. When Scott was on the east coast trying to do something with his blog, no one read it except his immediate family. Once he moved to San Francisco, everything changed. He started meeting interesting people who were doing great things. He even met blogger Leo Babauta who was able to make a living off his writing for his family of eight. But the environment helped a lot as you’re the average of the five people you surround yourself with.

So don’t wait any longer, and if you feel overwhelmed at how you’d even start on your Life Bucket List, then go small. Research what you want to do next, schedule for when you want to take action, and then go do it. And remember the above reasons as to why your doing it. It’s your life. It’s your time. Live it on purpose.