In this week’s episode, Danny Bader provides incredible tidbits of inspiration and advice while sharing his unique life experiences. Danny is an incredible public speaker, motivational instructor, author, provider, and more. After a near-death experience, Danny connected with the process and feeling of being alive in a whole new way. He advocates and helps others create joy, purpose, and fulfillment. In this episode, we dive deeply into the best ways to create with integrity and authenticity, to connect with others, and to be the best version of yourself. His career and passion shine through the episode, and there are tons of tidbits of great advice and strategies for living your best life. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
1. Develop your vision; write the story of your next six months
Danny defines vision as “the ability for us to imagine what needs to be real,” explaining that having and polishing one’s vision for themselves is a uniquely important aspect of being alive. He explains that to create your purpose and joy, you need to develop a vision on your story, your values, and your decision making process. One approach he suggests is to picture your life six months from now; what does that idealized daily experience look like? Write the story of the six months between now and then, and analyze the steps that you can take to get there. It’s a simple mindfulness exercise in vision development that can have lasting results.
2. Live, don’t just be alive
While waking up in the morning is necessary perquisite to being alive, it’s not enough. According to Danny, to truly live is to be generally self-aware; to say all the areas of my life are in pretty good shape, and if there’s one or two that’s not, its okay. I’m working on it. Find pockets of stillness where you can reflect on how you want to live, come up with a plan for living in this way, and follow through with self discipline. Danny emphasizes that truly being alive requires recognizing that you are not your thoughts; you are merely the thinker of them. Being in control of where your brain goes, what you are working on, and how you want to live are key steps in the approach towards ensuring you are truly living. Moreover, he emphasizes the importance of connecting more with friends and family; explaining that the most alive, happiest, and most fulfilled people maintain strong relationships.
3. Lead with love, authenticity, and integrity
Since his near death experience at 28, Danny believes in a divine energy, greater than the human body, which propels goodness and love. He explains that being alive invites us to recognize and work with this divine energy, both within our minds and via interactions with others. The importance of the narrative you build with yourself about yourself cannot be overstated; recognize that you have the power to lead it with love so that it serves you. Look to love as much as you can with people and continue to put goodness in the world. If you lead with these energies, you can understand the importance of what you are saying in your mind (narrative with yourself) - and is that serving you, don’t take life too seriously - look to love as much as you can trust that it’s all going to be okay.
🎧 To learn more about creating your joy, how to apply these principles to an effective accounting career, or gain more mentorship advice from Cece Leung, listen to the Dear Accountant podcast here.
🎙 The “Dear Accountant” podcast is a uniquely insightful and entertaining podcast for aspiring young business professionals. Each episode is packed with actionable advice to help young finance professionals get ready for whatever challenge they may face next. Aside from all of the many cool things in accounting (technical topics and trends), we bring in industry experts and influential leaders to share their journey, insights, and perspectives. We will also cover topics that were not taught in school - life essential skills such as personal finance, emotional intelligence, mentorship, networking, body language, and human behaviors, and so much more!
💬 About our guest, Danny Bader: Danny Bader is one of the best inspirational Catholic speakers in Philadelphia, DC and New York areas. From his study and intense observations, Danny is a Philadelphia Motivational Speaker, inspirational keynote speaker that has developed and distilled his philosophy for living a happy and fulfilling life into five simple principles he calls jackrabbit—or jckrbbt for short. Our lives are the product of the principles that guide us in the choices we make and the actions we take. The principles of jackrabbit that Danny Bader uses as the foundation for his inspiring, humorous, and thought-provoking talks are be still, know thyself, develop vision or create reality, seek support and evolve.
📖 Get amazing advice from the 20 mentors in “Dear Accountant” Book: The book offers a unique immersion into the lives and careers of 20 inspiring leaders in finance from different disciplines - their backstories, pivotal moments, career trajectories, and hiccups along the way.
🎧 Listen to Cece’s interviews about her passion and mission in writing this book and paying it forward to help young professionals to find meaning and fulfillment in their life and career: