Ep175: Defining Your Own Version of Success & Overcoming the Loneliness of Being a Freelancer | with Michael Baumann

<blockquote> <p>"You have to think how can I create those moments, those celebrations, the appreciation, the presence in this moment so that I can actually enjoy the accumulation of my life of days rather than trying to hang it all on one momentous achievement."<br /> - Michael Bauman</p> </blockquote> <p>As a freelancer or entrepreneur, it’s easy to get caught up in “the grind,” endlessly pursuing what others define as “success,” but one of the overlooked effects of doing so is often loneliness (whether you are at the bottom or the ladder or the very top).</p> <p>When I first started my career in Hollywood, I was so focused on perfecting my craft and building a resume of credits that I literally had no social life outside of work. Having friends, hobbies, and doing things outside the job simply wasn’t a priority for me...until I realized how detrimental it was for my work to become my identity, not only to my physical and mental health but also to my creativity and overall well-being.</p> <p>My guest today, <strong><a href= "https://successengineering.org/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">Michael Bauman</a></strong>, knows all too well the pain of loneliness as a creative professional and entrepreneur. Michael is the CEO of <a href="https://successengineering.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Success Engineering</strong></a> and a Tony Robbins certified coach who after failing at starting his own personal training business and having no money to support his wife (and soon-to-be child) uncovered and untangled his own feelings of loneliness and not "enough-ness" so that he could pursue a more fulfilling version of his goals. He now uses his own experiences of failure, loneliness, and hitting rock bottom to help others redefine their own meaning of success in their lives.</p> <p>If you struggle with defining what success means to you, and you are often so consumed by your work and running on the empty hamster wheel chasing success that you find yourself burned out, this candid conversation is a must-list