"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."
- Michael Bauman

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).

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.

My guest today, Michael Bauman, knows all too well the pain of loneliness as a creative professional and entrepreneur. Michael is the CEO of Success Engineering 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.

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-listen.

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Here's What You'll Learn:

Michael's origin story of how he started his own podcast called Success Engineering.
How the book, Start with Why, helped him climb his way out of rock bottom in his life.
What led Michael to realize that success and happiness wasn’t about money or financial gains.
The many moves and transitions Michael has navigated in his life.
Why Michael was interested in helping entrepreneurs feel like they're enough and not alone.
What the different layers of success are and how you can equate it with being enough.
What Michael believes to be the greatest gift he can give to the people in his life.
The link between identity and behavior change.
KEY TAKEAWAY: Emotions are a warning system or a fundamental need that is going unmet.
A valuable tool to deal with emotions in order to enable behavior change.
The unexpected link between my lifelong snacking addiction and my job satisfaction.
Questions to ask yourself when you are caught in a bad habit or behavior you don't like.
The difference between subjective and objective loneliness.
KEY TAKEAWAY: The quality of your relationships is a better predictor of health than your cholesterol levels.
Tools for dealing with loneliness.
The paradox of vulnerability in others vs. ourselves.
Why you should be “upgrading your interactions” and how to do it.
What James Clear’s Goldilocks rule has to do with habit change.
Dan Sullivan's approach called the Gap and the Gain.
Using a "Done" list to celebrate what you've done at the end of every day.
What Michael does to celebrate his own accomplishments each day.
Michael's advice to his younger self.
BONUS: The secret to upgrading your networking game.

Useful Resources Mentioned:

Start With Why | Simon Sinek

The Gap and The Gain: The High Achievers' Guide to Happiness, Confidence, and Success: Sullivan, Dan, Hardy, Dr. Benjamin

Podcast - Success Engineering - Michael Bauman

Max Headroom

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Guest Bio:

michael-bauman-bio

Michael Bauman is the CEO of Success Engineering and Tony Robbins certified coach. He help entrepreneurs feel that they are enough and not alone, along with optimizing every other area of their lives including their habits, productivity, health and relationships.

He is also the host of the podcast, Success Engineering, where he interviews experts and industry leaders, from Broadway Directors and actors, to multi-millionaire CEO’s, to neuroscientists and more to uncover how they define success, how they create it on a daily basis, and explore the challenges they have overcome both internally and externally to achieve their personal definition of success.

Show Credits:

This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, and the show notes were prepared by Debby Germino and published by Glen McNiel.

The original music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Joe Trapanese (who is quite possibly one of the most talented composers on the face of the planet).

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

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