Favorite Parts Of Being A Self-Employed Author And Business Owner
Erik enjoys the flexibility of being self-employed, but the highlight is "getting to meet so many interesting people" through book projects, including entrepreneurs, billionaires, and innovators. Working with these individuals has significantly elevated Erik's own performance, inspiring the adoption of habits like meditation, goal setting, and exercise.
Self-Employment, Networking, Authoring, Personal Growth, Entrepreneurship
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Erik Seversen
Author, Business Owner
Innovative Educational Services; Thin Leaf Press; Self-Publishing Center
UCLA
Anthropology, University of Virginia, MA
Anthropology, Sociology
Consulting & Related Professional Services, Education
Consulting
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient
Video Highlights
1. Flexibility: Being self-employed offers the flexibility to attend important personal events and manage your own schedule, allowing for a better work-life balance.
2. Networking with Interesting People: The role involves meeting and working with accomplished individuals from diverse backgrounds, such as entrepreneurs, innovators, and experts in various fields, providing opportunities for learning and growth.
3. Adopting Success Habits: Observing and adopting habits of successful people, such as meditation, goal setting, visualization, and exercise, can contribute to personal and professional development.
Transcript
What do you enjoy the most about being in your role?
"For sure it is. What I enjoy about being 100% self-employed is the flexibility.
When my kids were younger and still at home, I could attend their Wednesday soccer or volleyball games. If a friend wanted to go hiking on a Tuesday, I could do that too.
But by far, my favorite part of my day-to-day work is meeting so many interesting people. While writing books, I often help fascinating individuals write their own.
These include people who have climbed Mount Everest, or one person who rowed a boat alone from New York to Ireland, taking 121 days across the North Atlantic. I've also worked with a founder of Hotmail, and many billionaires and entrepreneurs.
Right now, I'm producing a book on AI, so I'm speaking with cutting-edge people whose ideas make my head spin. I wouldn't normally have these conversations if we weren't collaborating on a book. Meeting these amazing individuals has been wonderful.
Sometimes, when I'm about to meet someone famous, I repeat a mantra: "They're a person just like me. No better, no worse." This mantra helps me stay calm.
More than once, someone accustomed to people being nervous around them has said, "I love spending time with you." They appreciate my relaxed demeanor, which comes from remembering that they are just people, and so am I.
Even though they might be billionaires who have achieved amazing things, this perspective helps. Getting to rub shoulders with these incredible people has definitely elevated my own game.
Simply by working with them and being in the same room has significantly improved my approach. And talking with really interesting people has inspired some habits.
I meditate and pray almost every single day. I also write down my goals, visualize my future, and exercise. These are practices that every super successful person I work with seems to do.
So, I try to emulate them, and it appears to be working. Meeting people is, by far, my favorite aspect of my work."