EIL 20: Living an Earned Life: Navigating the Path to Fulfillment with Marshall Goldsmith

Are you guilty of putting a ‘when’ condition on your happiness, that you won’t find yourself being genuinely happy unless you achieve this, this, and that?
 
The great Western myth of “I’ll be happy when…” has greatly affected people worldwide that lots of people have now associated their value to their accomplishments or their actions’ results.
 
We all want to be happy but don't always know how, and at some point, it just led to this.
 
But what happens if you have achieved numerous accomplishments already, and yet, you’re still feeling empty?
 
Or worse—what if your time has come to an end already, and yet, you haven’t lived the life you deserve to live happily, just because you’re so fixated on wanting more, more, and more from what you’ve already achieved?
 
There’s nothing wrong with accomplishing goals; what shouldn’t be done is making your wins an equivalent of your value as a human being. Join us as we learn how to live the earned life with today’s guest, Marshall Goldsmith.
 
Dr. Marshall Goldsmith is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 'What Got You Here Won't Get You There', 'Triggers', and 'The Earned Life'. His books have sold over 2 million copies. He's the only Thinkers50 two-time #1 Leadership Thinker in the World. Before being inducted into the Hall of Fame, he was the top-ranked executive coach for ten years.
 
 
Why you have to check out this episode

• Learn to align your aspirations, ambitions, and actions;
• Understand why you should never fixate on results and enjoy the process instead; and
• Find out why you should learn to let go of the addiction to putting a when on your happiness and just live life as happy as you can be every moment

 

“There’s nothing wrong with the achievement. I’m not saying they should stop trying to achieve; that’s not going to happen anyway. On the other hand, never place your value as a person on the outcomes of what you achieve…You're not going to be happier when you spend more time with the family. You're not going to be happier when you do different work. Key to being happy is to be happy.”
 
– Marshall Goldsmith
 
 
Topics Covered
 
00:30 – Dr. Marshall answers: Why do leaders need coaching, even if they’re already very successful?
 
02:04 – What coaching can do for a very successful leader: Dr. Marshall discusses what makes his coaching unique and different from other coaches
 
04:24 – To be better people with the people they care for: On making sure behavior change exists along with a better life during the Life Plan Review coaching
 
10:27 – Dr. Marshall’s Stakeholder Centered Coaching process explained: “I only work with people that care”
 
16:35 – The Earned Life: Discussing how we need higher aspirations in life, how our ambitions are related to our achievements, and why we need to enjoy the process
 
20:03 – “Never place your value as a human on the outcomes of what you achieve”: How Dr. Marshall helps people let go of addiction to the Western myth of ‘when’ happiness
 
24:22 – The marshmallow story: Sharing the story behind Dr. Marshall’s decision to write his latest book, ‘The Earned Life’
 
26:16 – “They did it, not me”: On people who study and teach Dr. Marshall’s stuff starting a school and other people using his stuff
 
27:16 – The new project: What Dr. Marshall has been working on recently
 
31:37 – A piece of advice, from Dr. Marshall, to coaches and leaders
 
 
Key Takeaways
 
“As I changed in my coaching and my clients became more and more successful, I began to realize that more achievement is not what they need; they need to be happy and make peace with life.”
 
“One of the people in our group is Safi Bahcall. Safi Bahcall is a brilliant scientist. He said, “I finally realized something. Happiness and achievement are independent variables. Achieve to achieve, and be happy to be happy. Achievement is not going to make you happy.””
 
 
People/Resources Mentioned
 
The Earned Life https://marshallgoldsmith.com/book-page-the-earned-life/ 
 
 
Connect with Marshall Goldsmith

• Website: www.marshallgoldsmith.com
• Email: [e-mail]  
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marshallgoldsmith/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Marshall.Goldsmith.Library