Day 163: Scott Ventrella
“… sometimes I’m at my most creative … when I’m on a run — and I usually do a minimum of seven miles each outing, so I get a lot of time to think — when I get back, my gosh, I’m brimming with ideas.”
.
.
.
Toni Reece: Thank you so much, Scott, for agreeing to be part of the project today, and before we begin, can you please introduce yourself?
Scott Ventrella: I’m Scott Ventrella, President of Positive Dynamics.
Toni: Positive Dynamics – I like that title.
Scott: Thank you.
Toni: So, Scott, when you think about that word inspiration, who do you think you inspire and how do you do that?
Scott: Well, you know, in life we wear a lot of different hats, and so if I think about those various hats – for instance as a husband and a father – I certainly like to believe that I inspire my wife and two kids. I’m an adjunct professor in three different universities, and I believe that as a professor I inspire my students. I’m also a public speaker, and I do workshops and things like that, so the participants and the people that come to, you know, my workshops and presentations, I’d like to believe again that – in fact, that’s the goal for me as a Positive Dynamics representative is to inspire others.
Toni: So how do you go about that?
Scott: Well, I don’t know if I do that consciously. I like to focus on what gives my own life meaning and what I believe my purpose is, what I believe I’ve been called to do in terms of my life’s work, and then I go out and do it. It’s primarily I think in two ways – the expressed, you know, through verbal and written expression, right, through books and through the presentations, so people just hearing my words and the way … the way that I convey, let’s say, certain ideas.
And then of course the nonverbal, and I think we can inspire others. We can inspire others just by what we do — you know, being a good role model. I remember some people say like ethics and integrity — it’s what you do when no one’s watching or when you don’t think anybody’s watching, and I think that can be very inspirational.
Toni: So the work that you do and even in the relationships that you have and being focused on what gives your life meaning and leading by example and showing that to others, how do you think that might help someone else help explore their own potential?
Scott: Well, hopefully, when somebody becomes inspired whether, again, through the written word or through a behavior, that would then prompt them to, let’s say, move into a seeking role. I’ll give you an example. You know, early on, probably my early twenties just as I was getting through the end of my four-year college degree, I wanted to … I was inspired by people of faith, right?
Growing up as a Catholic it’s … growing up as Catholic, it wasn’t something really that I had a choice in, it’s something that you could say was either imposed upon on myself and my siblings. And I kind of had, I’d say, more or less neutral feelings. But at some point I came to the realization that I need to own it, whatever that is – my spirituality, my religion — and I started to do a little bit of research on people who again created … I was inspired by … in other words, people who had turned their lives around. Norman Vincent Peale was one of those people. You know, many people might remember him as the author of The Power of Positive Thinking and inspired and impacted the lives of millions of people over about a 50-year period.
So as an example, that inspiration, seeing how he and others had been inspired and had changed their life inspired me then to go into kind of a personal seeking, you know, exploring more fully and more or less on my terms what my spirituality meant to me and really, truly becoming … getting to a place where I could own that. And I did that, and it was the most profound and incredible experience I’ve ever had.
Toni: So it was really the learning that you were seeking to take ownership of this particular area of your life, and do you …
Scott: Absolutely.
Toni: Do you think that by providing that as an example to others, that others will also maybe come into their own potential that way, to own some of their potential or to identify their potential?
Scott: Well, you know, I think so. You know, I see potential … part of that is really a discernment process. In other words, you know, many people walk through life and they’re not asking the questions, they’re not asking the bigger questions. You know, one of the courses that I teach at Fordham University in New York City – this is at the graduate level – is conducted in using the Socratic Method where I’m asking questions, where I’m asking the big questions, philosophical questions about the meaning of life. These are … you know, these are business students. These are people who work on Wall Street and have taken this class to really begin to explore their own lives on a much deeper level.
So many people don’t either … they’re not aware or they don’t take the time to examine, you know, their lives and how they’re living their lives, or to really discern what it is that they’re being called to do. Now potential … so let’s say now you go down that road and you decide, you know, potential … potential in what? My potential as an employee? My potential as a CEO, as an executive coach, as a professor, as an athlete? There’s so many different … you know, are we talking about fulfilling our potential broadly? I think many of us think of that more, let’s say, in narrower terms. You know, “I want to be the best ‘fill-in-the-blank’ that I can possibly be.”
Toni: Absolutely, but it is realizing that, one, maybe you haven’t reached it; two, that you can. And maybe you’re going to help them identify that they have so much more potential than they ever thought they could.
Scott: Yeah, and I think that’s an excellent point, thank you, and I would agree that I think it’s a combination of things. It is … you’re right; the individual must first come to the realization that, you know, “I think there is more and there’s … I have much more potential than I ever imagined,” and that could certainly come about through … you know, I’d like to believe that I have, in fact, feedback from over the years, 25 years of doing this. I believe that there’s certainly strong evidence that for better, for worse I’ve been responsible for inspiring others. People come back to me and say “Oh my gosh, as a result of either taking this class or reading your book, I’ve made a major change, never thinking before that I could have done this.”
But at some point that, of course, can be somewhat self-serving, because I don’t think any of us have that, you know, that kind of … the power over other people. At some point, the individual again has to own that, and then I’d like to think that I’ve become more of a guide to … you know, just when they think that they’ve had enough or they can’t do any more, they can’t reach any further heights, that’s where I believe — whether it’s me or a coach or mentor — can begin to … “Now wait a minute, you know, consider this,” or “Have you really believed that, you know, you’ve exhausted all possibilities?”
Toni: That’s very, very true. I think … I think the fact that you help them to own it, you know, is pretty critical by being a mentor or a coach. So when you think about this, Scott, as far as inspiring others, what is it you need to be inspired?
Scott: Well, I need to make sure that I’m staying as centered as possible. For me, it’s my faith base, quite clearly and simply put. So for me to stay inspired, you know, the source, the greatest source of my inspiration comes from God. Now, I’m not an evangelical Christian, but … in fact, I’ve owned … I’ve come full circle and am a practicing Catholic, so the source of my inspiration doesn’t come from the religion necessarily.
Some people say, “Well, I’m spiritual but not religious.” I think that’s just a big excuse not to have to worry about the religious aspects. It’s kind of part and parcel. I won’t get too deep into that right now, but there’s a strong connection. You know, to say you’re spiritual without, you know, acknowledging, let’s say the … it’s almost like listening to a beautiful piece of classical music and not acknowledging a Beethoven or a Mozart or a Chopin, or looking at a beautiful painting and not acknowledging, you know, Da Vinci as the creator. Okay, so that’s the primary. The greatest source of inspiration for me is from the Creator, God, who is a very specific entity. It’s not just some, you know, universal energy. It is a universal energy, but it’s a very conscious, deliberate, loving universal energy known as God.
So that’s the greatest source of inspiration, and underneath that I would say the people that are the closest to me — you know, my wife, my kids, people who mean a lot in my own life. And then if you were to draw some circles, it would certainly be then also people that, you know, historical or otherwise, you know, living, breathing human beings today who, you know, because of what they have done, what they have achieved, and usually along the lines not in terms of wealth, you know, amassing wealth, but in contributing and making the world a better place I’m inspired by.
Those are ways that I can become inspired just by … I pay attention. I do a lot of reading and listening and try to, you know, see what other people are doing and that certainly is a source of inspiration to me.
Toni: Do you find yourself reaching for the same tools, methodologies, when you are seeking inspiration or you know, you’re just a little low in that area? Do you find yourself reaching for the same things?
Scott: For the most part, but if I’m in a … if I find that I’m in, you know, kind of stuck in a gear or stuck in the mud, I may try to change it up a little bit. Yeah, I may try to do something radically different or something a little bit out of the norm. I’m an avid runner. I get inspired when I run. In fact, sometimes I’m at my most creative … you know, people say “Well, in the shower I came up with this idea.” When I’m on a run — and I usually do a minimum of seven miles each outing, so I get a lot of time to think — when I get back, my gosh, I’m brimming with ideas. I’m writing things down, whether it’s to serve a coaching client or the next book that I’m working on, or a problem that I’m trying to solve.
But again, back to your point, yeah, I do think sometimes we kind of get caught into kind of a pattern or even a little bit of a rut relative to where we get the inspiration. Part of this also is based on our personality. Many people are familiar with Myers-Briggs. I’m an introvert, believe it or not. I do a lot of public … there are a lot of actors who are introverts, right? It doesn’t mean that you can’t be outgoing.
So some people … to inspire, you know, if you’re an introvert along the lines of Myers-Briggs, then we generally, you know, get that inspiration through … just internally. We can be sitting in a room or, you know, completely alone. Other people, I think it’s good to be around other people, and there’s a great comfort in that and there can be great inspiration being in a crowd, let’s say, and having that interaction and the exchange.
Toni: Have you always been very positive and centered? Have you always been aware that those were your attributes and that that’s what it took for you to move towards your purpose?
Scott: Yeah, for me … for me, Toni, yes. And again, I’ll go back. Like I said, I’m actually very private about my religion, and I can … you know, people who kind of criticize, you know, either various religions or Christianity … there’s a lot of people who have given that kind of a black eye and rightly so because, you know, they’ve done some terrible things, especially, you know, even in my own church, unfortunately, but I don’t condemn the … I look at the bigger picture.
So I would say again, going back to a very early age, because positive thinking for me is a synonym for faith and, for me, I have always been positive. But the greatest source of that has been, you know, my commitment to my faith. Now I’m not a perfect human being, so please don’t get the wrong idea … don’t get the idea that I’m not trying to put myself out there as some kind of a perfect human being; I’m not. But I’ve always felt a very strong connection, and I’ve been fortunate enough to be around people of faith who have served as good role models, and I take that now as an obligation to also serve as a good role model.
You cannot be a contradiction. I teach Ethics. I can’t teach Ethics and then be engaged in a lot of unethical behavior. I’m not saying I’ve never done anything unethical, but I hold myself up to a higher standard. That is, again, I have a deep commitment to my Catholic Christian faith. I’ve had a very profound, you know, deep spiritual experience on a few occasions, and that has given me more or less an unwavering … you know, that has been really, again, a genuine source of inspiration and positive thinking.
And I have been, you know, by personality let’s say — although I would argue, and I have argued and I’ve written and spoken on this — that positive thinking is really in everybody. It’s a God-given trait in a sense, or an attribute. And unfortunately what happens is we move away from that. We learn negativity. We learn negative thinking.
The good news is, if you believe that, and of course the jury … there’s debate around that, but I think there’s strong evidence, strong empirical evidence that would suggest that positive thinking is mostly … you know, if you’ve seen any negative babies … you know, babies are generally confident and very happy, outgoing, optimistic, and what happens is we generally … we learn the negative and then it takes a while to kind of shake that and re-experience, let’s say, rediscover, that positiveness that’s innately in all of us.
Toni: So what do you do then to continuously explore your own potential so you can continue on the path that you are living up to your own potential?
Scott: Yeah. You know, I’m always trying to push the limits, but first and foremost … and Toni, I’m going to sound like a broken record, but it would be a disservice … I don’t want to say what I think people might want to hear, I’m going to say what I actually do. You asked a straight question. I generally, in those moments when I’m looking for that, I go into a place of deep prayer, meditation, you know, reconnecting with the faith, and I think a lot of people simply don’t do that. I don’t do it as much as I should.
But also, it’s by trying things or trying new things. Let me give you a quick example – two quick examples. You know, one is when I wanted to write my first book, well, you know, it’s easy to put up excuses. You know, I’m not a writer. I was a C student in English. You know, I can’t string together a paragraph or two. I’m just terrible with the written expression, but I was convinced – this goes back to the purpose – I was convinced that I had a message that needed to get out there, and part of my purpose and mission is to impact people in a positive way, to contribute to others … the well being of others.
So that’s what drove me to do something that I did not think possible. I wrote this book. Then I thought “Well, I’ll never find a publisher.” Simon and Schuster is a decent publisher – they published the book, and the next thing you know it’s out in 24 countries, and I’m impacting people all over the world in cultures that I never even imagined.
When I decided to run my first marathon, I had never run more than two miles. Now, anybody who’s never run more than two miles or a mile for that matter, when you think of 26.2 miles, it’s overwhelming. Potential? What is … my potential may be five miles. My point there is, you know, when you ask what do I do to kind of explore that potential, is, one of the things I try not to do is to put up artificial barriers by saying “Well, I can’t do that. It’s absolutely impossible.”
When you do two and you get to five and you think “Well okay, now I’ve got to do five times that – forget that! Let me just go back to bed and get a box of donuts and hang out.” And then you get to the 10 and you think “Oh my gosh, you’re dead almost,” and you think “I’ve got to do this, another 16.”
So the idea is to continue to push and continue to shut out that negative thinking, that inner self-talk that does nothing more than create a distraction. And don’t listen to people who … definitely separate yourself from people who are uninspiring, right, and will do everything in their power to convince you to, you know, kind of get off your game plan.
Toni: Oh, absolutely, and they’re out there everywhere. But I’ll tell you, if more people had this type of, I don’t know, centered mission and purpose as you do, and I appreciate you answering the questions from your perspective because that’s what the Project is all about, and it’s not what other people want to hear, it’s what you have to say, and that’s what you’ve done. And so, on behalf of the Get Inspired! Project, we thank you for that.
Scott: Well thank you. It was good to be part of this.
Toni: Thank you, and take care of yourself, Scott.
Scott: Okay, Toni, you too.
___________________________________________________________
For more information about Scott Ventrella:
ME, INC. How to Master the Business of Being You: A Personalized Program for Exceptional Living
The Power of Positive Thinking in Business: 10 Traits for Maximum Results
.
Post Comment