A strong sense of purpose appears to be one of the keys to a happier and healthier life. When we live a purpose-driven life, we not only are more likely to achieve our life goals, but also feel satisfied and fulfilled as we work to achieve them. We know who we are and are willing to work for what we want as we pursue an authentic life.
It sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? And it certainly can be. But there’s a potential catch. While we may feel good about living an authentic life, we may not achieve all of our life goals. And while ideally living a purpose-driven life can in and of itself be fulfilling, people who feel filled with purpose may still risk feeling disappointed if they don’t achieve their goals. For example, many people dream of being professional musicians but very few will commit to working hard to achieve that goal. And while many who do put in the time, effort and dedication into pursuing their purpose of becoming a professional musician are more likely to achieve that dream, they also risk being more acutely disappointed if they put in all that effort and don’t achieve that goal.
This was the dilemma that musician Myles Kennedy faced as a young man. Kennedy has had a long and successful career in music, including his work with the rock band Alter Bridge and his new solo album The Ides Of March. But before he was a rock star, he found himself in the same situation that many aspiring musicians face. How do we develop a strong sense of purpose and work hard to achieve our life goals without succumbing to the frustration and disappointment of high expectations? Well, in our conversation for The Hardcore Humanism Podcast, Kennedy shared his secret – something he called “soul investing.”
So, what is soul investing? According to Kennedy, it is similar to any form of investing in that we are putting in ongoing effort as we try to attain a goal that is not assured. Thus, in most cases, we need to invest over the long haul to increase our likelihood of achieving our goals. “Investing in something, whatever it is, whether it’s your passion or relationship, or your soul … it takes a certain amount of risk. Obviously, it takes time, energy,” Kennedy told me. And so, you have to look at it especially as time goes on. And I’ve come to realize that as you continue to invest in yourself, that hopefully you will realize those gains down the road.”
Unfortunately, the more ambitious our goal, the more likely we are to have detractors. In fact, Kennedy was often skeptical about his own chances of success. Even for someone with Kennedy’s talent, becoming a professional musician is a long shot. And so, he had to believe in the wisdom of investing for the long haul in his dream. “When I first started out … I’m putting so much effort into learning this craft and doing something that most people look at you like, ‘You’re crazy. You want to be a recording artist?’” Kennedy recalled. “Your chances of doing that are slim to none … It’s a gamble. Just like when you go to the stock market and you buy a share of something… So, I think that, for me, soul investing is important, because I want to invest in myself. Invest in my happiness. Invest in my future. And somehow it worked out. But there were times along the way where I thought of selling at a loss.”
One of the reasons that Kennedy considered abandoning his dream was that he had a specific timeline in mind for achieving success. Specifically, as Kennedy worked as a guitar teacher and worked on his craft, he implicitly agreed to pursue his dream of being a professional musician until he was 25. He recalled reassuring his parents that if he hadn’t “made it” by 25 he’d choose another career. But when 25 came and went, Kennedy just decided to keep soul investing. “I was teaching private guitar, and then I was playing gigs and I was really hustling. But then it was when I started writing my own songs, that was when the investment started… or I should say, in a way, the gamble started. Because the amount of time that took and to develop that and build that brand…,” Kennedy described. “And once I hit 25, then it was like, just another year…And I just kept kind of extending it until I finally had my first major label deal. And then the journey really started.”
Kennedy used the metaphor of driving as a way of understanding his soul investing approach to his career in music. He felt it was important to keep his eye on the road. “You look straight ahead. You look where you’re going. You don’t look to the left. You don’t look to the right,” he said. “Because if you do, you’re gonna end up in the other lane, or you’re gonna end up in the ditch. And that’s kind of the way I look at life. It’s like, keep your eyes focused on where you want to go. And don’t stray from that.”
One could argue that this laser-focus is easy for Kennedy to say. He ultimately made it as a professional musician. But according to Kennedy, he had to resolve early on that “making it” would not be measured simply with tangible success. Success would be a life dedicated to what made him happy, regardless of specific outcomes. “Did I want to be a quote unquote, rock star? No, I didn’t. That seemed unrealistic to me. And that seemed a little bit too grand,” Kennedy explained. “I just wanted to play music. And I just wanted to have a way to create because it makes me so happy … I just wanted to follow my bliss. I just wanted to be my true self.”
Kennedy credits his parents for teaching him that soul investing was not done with the intention of material gain. The outcome of the investing is emotional, regardless of the tangible outcomes. “I knew that one thing, beautiful thing that I did learn from my parents was the idea that it’s not necessarily about material gains, that’s not necessarily going to bring happiness. Be a good person, do the right thing. And, you know, everything will work out…,” Kennedy recalled. “I’ll never forget one day, I think it was in the shower of all things and things were not looking great in terms of the future and for following my bliss and doing what I really hoped to do. And I’ll tell you what, man, I’ll never forget just even though it seemed like there was just no way to get from point A to point B at that point in my life, there was just this weird feeling deep down inside that’s like, ‘It’s gonna work out.’ It was really it was just like this quiet knowing somewhere deep in my soul that was just like eventually you will get there but you have to continue to just be a complete hardhead and keep hitting your head against that brick wall and it will break, eventually.”
All in all, Kennedy feels that his soul investing has paid off. “I think I did it. And I’m happy. And I followed my bliss,” Kennedy said. “I wake up every day and I love what I do.
“I have purpose.”
Photo credit: Chuck Brueckmann
