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Skip Prichard, Author of The Book of Mistakes

Published on 02/25/2019

What is your life’s purpose?
My mission statement: To help individuals and organizations aim higher so that they can achieve impossible breakthroughs.

How are you living your purpose?
I’m so incredibly blessed. As the CEO of OCLC, Inc., I have the opportunity to lead a global organization dedicated to the mission of serving libraries. Libraries are vibrant places helping people solve problems from literacy to finding jobs to complex research. Additionally, my Leadership Insights blog on my website is a source of ideas and inspiration. Authors and various thought leaders share ways to improve your success individually or organizationally. I also am a frequent keynote speaker on topics from leadership and personal development to corporate turnarounds. It’s amazingly fun. I’m incredibly energized by a crowd of enthusiastic learners.

My book, The Book of Mistakes: 9 Secrets to Creating a Successful Future fits my purpose as it is all about helping you create the most amazing successful future possible. In this self-help tale wrapped in fiction, you’ll learn the nine mistakes that prevent many from achieving their goals. You’ll learn how to overcome these hurdles and reinvent your life. After many of my talks, I am often asked questions that range from how to get promoted to how to handle a difficult boss to how to accelerate growth in a business. This book is for those at inflection points in their life, whether a new graduate or a new venture or even a mid-life crisis. It’s designed to help you reflect on where you are so that you can get to where you want to be.

How did you find your purpose?
One day my mom came home with a cassette tape of a speaker who spoke at a convention. His name was Zig Ziglar and he was the exact motivation that I needed. Only a teenager, I began a journey of personal development. I went to the local library where I discovered a wealth of resources ranging from Jim Rohn to success literature. I was hooked.

That’s why it is extraordinarily amazing to me to serve libraries in my day job while networking with many of the people who inspired me as a kid! There’s nothing more powerful than finding your life purpose.

What advice do you have for purpose seekers?
Monitor what gives and takes away from your energy. Look at where you spend your leisure time. If you find yourself enthralled, it may be tied to your purpose.

One student I met with was struggling; he had the grades and talent, but his heart was not in it. When I looked at his calendar, I noticed that he spent every waking minute playing tennis. All of his passion was there. After some soul searching and many conversations, he changed his focus. He is now a successful entrepreneur who spends all of his time in the tennis business.

You are not living your purpose if what you do every day drains you.

What resources do you recommend?
Every week, I share insights and inspiration on my blog. I usually highlight two or three books. For instance, learning to put others first in The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea by Bob Burg or the importance of taking downtime each week in The Hard Break: The Case For The 24/6 Lifestyle by Aaron Edelheit.

I also share my favorite TedTalks and other resources, all designed to inspire. Talks like 5 Ways to Listen Better by Julian Treasure or The Surprising Science of Happiness by Dan Gilbert or 3 Keys of Gratitude by Jane Ransom. My passion is to always be learning from books, speeches, conferences, and the coolest people I meet every month from my constant global travel schedule. It energizes me.

I am particularly fond of great quotes and have collected them my entire life. I share quotes constantly on my blog and my social media feeds. Often reading an inspirational quote can be exactly what I need to change my mood.
“Either you run the day or the day runs you.” -Jim Rohn
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” -Eleanor Roosevelt
“New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.” -Lao Tzu
“Never mistake activity for achievement.” -John Wooden
“Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren’t very new after all.” -Abraham Lincoln

And I always recommend visiting and supporting your local library which has an inexhaustible supply of helpful resources. Libraries are vibrant. If you haven’t visited one lately, you may surprised to find them full of energy, creativity, and technology.

Connect with Skip Prichard
Website: https://www.skipprichard.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkipPrichardCEO
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SkipPrichard
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipprichard/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChUgGtRisFD6dSNY01kq8VA
Book: The Book of Mistakes: 9 Secrets to Creating a Successful Future
Book website: https://thebookofmistakes.com/

 

Skip Prichard currently serves as President and CEO of OCLC and previously as President and CEO of Ingram Content Group, Inc. He is a growth-oriented business leader, turnaround specialist, and keynote speaker. He has written a Wall Street Journal bestselling book called The Book of Mistakes: 9 Secrets to Creating a Successful Future. Harvard Business Review labeled him a “relentless giver” and Inc. lists him as a Top 100 Leadership Speaker. His views have been featured in print and broadcast media including the BBC, The New York Times, CNN, NPR, The Daily Beast, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Writer’s Digest, Information Today, The Bookseller, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Forbes. For more information, please visit https://www.skipprichard.com and follow the author on Twitter.

HeleneTStelian Musing
I’m Hélène Stelian, the Midlife Mentor with a passion for facilitating personal development in women 40+. Through my THRIVE Courses, I help introspective, curious, action-oriented women 40+ deepen their journeys of self-discovery and growth—and create their next chapter with courage and intention.

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