“I believe the world would be an altogether different place if we all did work that actually mattered to us.” – Scott Dinsmore
_____
This week I cried with hundreds and thousands of others. One of our role models and inspirations left this earth. Some of us were best friends with him, but most of us had never met him.
We cried because he inspired us. He changed our lives and inspired us in a way so unique, you can’t help but be incredibly grateful for the change and perspective he cultivated.
Scott Dinsmore died at 33 years old. Thirty-three fucking years old. Typing these words on the keyboard makes me angry. I still can’t believe it. The guy was a modern day superhero, a living legend. Superheroes don’t just die from freak accidents at thirty-three years old. To know that he is now no longer with us, no longer improving thousands of lives across the world, breaks my heart.
Thirty-three years simply isn’t enough time. Not for someone like Scott Dinsmore. People like him are so incredibly rare. His impact was real and massive. He was authentic, genuine and led by example.
|
Thirty-three years simply isn’t enough time. Not for someone like Scott Dinsmore. People like him are so incredibly rare. His impact was real and massive. He was authentic, genuine and led by example. From Canada to Chile to Kenya to Australia, he inspired thousands of people from hundreds of cities, to get together and find work that mattered.
As a 22-year-old attempting to figure out what the hell I wanted to do with my life, Scott inspired me to ask myself what made me tick, what made me come alive and ultimately, what type of future I wanted to craft for myself.
While I was a senior at Emory University I stumbled across his TedTalk (that has since been viewed by millions), then made my way to Live Your Legend (Scott’s website, home to an international community of 100,000+), and the rest was history.
I was blown away by Scott’s infectious energy, passion, and by his mission. He lived to serve others. He devoted his life to helping others find and do work they loved. Is there anything in this life more noble than that?
After reading Scott’s blog, analyzing his content and seeing the hundreds and thousands of comments from his raving community members, one thing was clear: Scott Dinsmore made a massive impact on countless lives. He was an outlier. He changed the world, and he changed my life.
He was a legend and I wanted to be just like him. There was something so radically different about him. He was energetic, passionate, selfless and genuinely concerned with improving the lives of others. He wasn’t one of those bullshit, preachy motivational speaker/life coach give-me-your-money type of people. He was practical and genuine, through and through, and every single person who came in contact with him has said the same.
A true living legend.
That’s a funny word, legend. What does it actually mean?
I was blown away by Scott’s infectious energy, passion, and by his mission. He lived to serve others. He devoted his life to helping others find and do work they loved. Is there anything in this life more noble than that?
|
My definition of the word ‘legend’ is someone who stands the test of time. Someone whose legacy and impact is felt, and multiplied many times over throughout the duration of their lifetime and beyond. Someone who finds a way through all of the bullshit we are surrounded by to create authentic connections with many that enhance their life, in one way or another.
Legend, also synonymous with Scott Dinsmore.
In Scott’s passing, the tributes have been pouring in. One after another, day in and day out. It’s truly mind-blowing. Despite the sadness and tragedy of his untimely death, it is amazing to see the legacy that Scott has left – the fire that he has sparked and ignited across the world through his life and work.
What was it about Scott that made him so radically and refreshingly different? What caused him to ignite a revolution of people committed to living in a way that fulfilled them?
To continue living Scott’s legend, I want to highlight three aspects of Scott’s life that made him so memorable and revolutionary, in order to work on these areas of our own lives and ensure that Scott’s legacy continues to grow.
MAKING THE MOST OF THE TIME YOU HAVE
When Scott was young and just getting started in the ‘real world’, he received what he recalled was the worst advice that anyone has given him: “Don’t worry about how much you like the work you’re doing now. It’s all about just building your resume.”
Scott took this advice started working for a Fortune 500 company. It was miserable. Shortly afterwards, he started researching to find a way out of this “resume-builder” job that he hated, and stumbled across some very different advice, from one of the most prominent businessmen in the world, Warren Buffet…
“Taking jobs to build up your resume is the same as saving up sex for old age.”
Two weeks after reading this advice, Scott quit his job with one goal in mind – to make an impact on the world, in some way shape or form.
The reason that Scott started his Live Your Legend movement was because he understood so deeply the importance of crafting our lives into something memorable – something worth living for.
He advocated that we all find and do work that matters, because that is what we all truly desire and what will allow us to impact the world in the same way that Scott did.
As Scott’s friend Julien Gordon said in a tribute to Scott – “We all know how much we have in our bank account, but nobody knows how much we have in our time account.” Scott lived in a way that adhered to this simple, yet deeply profound principle and inspired others to do the same.
BEING UNAPOLOGETICALLY AUTHENTIC AND GENUINE
One of the things that has been a staple in the tributes to Scott Dinsmore since his passing was his unparalleled authenticity and genuine concern to serve others.
At first, some people didn’t like Scott because, quite frankly, he seemed too good to be true. Too kind, too caring, too genuinely interested in others – there had to be a catch…
But there wasn’t – Scott Dinsmore was the real deal and in his passing this has become an undeniable truth. No surprise, it’s one of the reasons that Scott was so impactful and successful.
You could spend hours trolling the internet looking for one bad thing said about Scott Dinsmore, and I guarantee you would instead find just the opposite. You would instead find thousands of people ranting and raving about how Scott changed their lives and was the most genuine person they had ever encountered.
Scott recognized that as humans our time is limited and understood that the most effective way to impact others is by ‘living your legend’, in whatever way that may be. As Scott often said of his own journey, he wanted to “find work that he couldn’t not do”.
|
Those who followed his work and his Live Your Legend community felt safe and comfortable with Scott. He wasn’t after your money, he was after your happiness, success and prosperity. He sought to cultivate an engaged community and was able to do so because of his undying authenticity.
Being genuine and authentic should be the rule, not the exception, and Scott’s passing serves as another reminder of the unbelievable results that can come from doing just that.
DETERMINING WHAT MAKES YOU COME ALIVE
Scott’s mission was, simply put, was to change the world. His goal, as I’ve mentioned many times throughout this article, was to help people find work that mattered to them. He believed that doing so would create a ripple effect as our passion, energy and drive would then spread in an infectious manner to those around us.
Scott often discussed how, prior to formally starting his website and movement, that he would have conversations daily with friends and family, asking them about their careers and goals. He would ask them one simple question, “Why do you do what you do?” Not too long after, his friends would quit their job, which Scott often boasted about…
“Eventually my Quit Rate became 80%. I calculated that after meeting with me, 80% of these seekers would quit their job within three months. I was damn proud.”
Scott recognized that as humans our time is limited and understood that the most effective way to impact others is by ‘living your legend’, in whatever way that may be. As Scott often said of his own journey, he wanted to “find work that he couldn’t not do”.
By studying Scott and the Live Your Legend movement, I was inspired to find the work that I couldn’t not do. To live a life that mattered and make a positive impact was the work I couldn’t not do. To use my skills, knowledge and experience to improve the lives of others was the work I couldn’t not do.
To honor Scott, make that your mission. Find the work that you can’t not do. Find the work that makes you jump out of bed each morning and motivates you to keep pushing and moving forward. Each day, slowly and systematically, work in a way that gets you closer to your goal.
Scott inspired me in a massive way as he did with so many others. Two months after watching Scott’s TedTalk, I launched a website to help others through my passions of health and fitness. One year later, I launched my own business to use my knowledge and skills online to serve others. And each day, because of the massive impact that I have seen people like Scott make, I am constantlystriving to better myself, in hopes of having just a fraction of the impact that Scott Dinsmore had on this planet.
Again, I never met Scott, and unfortunately, I never will. But he inspired me nonetheless and to say I am grateful for his work and mission is an understatement. In an online world that revolves around viral, non-sensical bullshit, Scott Dinsmore was able to rise above the noise and cultivate a massively engaged and thriving global community. A community that at its core was built on authentic and genuine connection by a founder who wanted to serve others.
A living legend gone far too soon, Scott Dinsmore was someone we can all learn from. It’s time that we all started living our legends and living lives that leave a lasting impact on others. Thank you Scott for changing my life.
___