The Successful Dilettante Ezine Issue 1

The Successful Dilettante
July 5, 2006 Premiere Issue
Editor: Susan Henderson

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Dilettante comes from the present participle of Italian delittare, to delight, from Latin delectare, to delight, frequentative of delicere, to allure, from de- + lacere, to entice.
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Welcome!

I am delighted to welcome you to the premiere issue of The Successful Dilettante. My plan for this free ezine is to bring you stories, resources, and interviews with people of multiple interests and talents who are enjoying a satisfying life that is sustaining both emotionally and financially. I am making the assumption that you, delightful readers, want that for yourselves. I gladly welcome feedback and suggestions on making this ezine a valuable resource for you.

The word dilettante has always felt very positive and exciting to me. However, when I looked it up in several dictionaries, I found that while the source of the word is quite lovely, some definitions seem downright mean-spirited. I am okay with dabbler and admirer of the fine arts. But superficial, trifling, not thorough, and amateurish? Come on. Just because we are absolutely intrigued by the exploration of many subjects, it does not make us somehow flawed. The dilettantes I know have bright, curious minds with a love of problem-solving and exploring new ideas. They are the most interesting people I know and are definitely who I want to hang out with. When they have satisfied that curiosity to whatever depth works for them, they move on. In my mind, that is a good thing.

Speaking of good things, check out the absolutely decadent delights at Dilettante Chocolates

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Featured Guest: Lee Silber

I am happy to introduce Lee Silber, who is a great model for happily combining his many interests and talents into a successful and satisfying career. Lee is an award-winning author of 11 books, including Organizing from the Right Side of the Brain and Time Management for the Creative Person. He is also an accomplished graphic artist, drummer, radio talk-show host, speaker, workshop leader, and the founder of five companies. Whew. Let’s find out how he has managed to pull this off.

When did you realize you would follow your entrepreneurial spirit on a non-traditional career path?

While growing up in San Diego, California I started my first business at age 11 repainting my neighbors’ mailboxes. When I was in my early 20s and torn between my drive to succeed and love of surfing, I had a revelation-combine the two. Along with my two brothers, we started a successful chain of surf shops called Waves & Wheels Surf Centers. It was during this time that I was asked to give motivational speeches at area schools. I discovered I loved giving talks. So I joined Toastmasters and began building a speaking career. Since most successful speakers had a book or two, I self-published my first title, The Guide To Dating In San Diego. Three books later, I landed an agent and a book deal with Random House. My series of business books for artists were a major success: four books, six awards and 17 printings. After touring the country for four years with Skill Path Seminars, I signed with St. Martin's Press to write my 11th book, Organizing From The Right Side Of The Brain. By the way, becoming an author DID provide a big boost to my speaking career.

How are you able to achieve success in so many different arenas: music, speaking engagements, authoring books, graphic artist and other interests? Are you currently involved in ALL these endeavors?

Like a lot of creative people, I have many interests. It would seem that someone with so many different things going on is spread too thin. But wait… there is a method to my madness. All of these seemingly unrelated areas actually have one thing in common…actually, two things. One, they all fall under the same category: creative endeavors. The other is they all reach the same people. I still do some graphic arts and teach classes on design--one of my passions. I am still a radio talk-show host and my band plays regularly, but most of my time is spent either writing or speaking. When I am speaking I am promoting and selling my books. When I write books it leads to a lot of positive PR which means more speaking engagements. As a designer and drummer I am able to keep my hands in the creative arts so that what I write and speak about are authentic and real. I can relate to how to make it in the business side of the arts, since I am doing it myself. The lesson is, if you are a true creative person there is a good chance you are interested in a lot of different things and could quickly
end up spread too thin. If you do like to dabble in this and that, try to do it in way that they support one another.

That sounds like good advice. How do you prioritize your talents?

That said, there is a limit to how many things anyone can pile on and stay sane and do well. I like to think of my life as a stovetop. There are five burners, two in front and three in back. The two front burners are for projects that are important to my creative soul and my career. The three back burners are for the projects that are interesting, but not the most pressing or the most important. Any more than five things going on at once and I start freaking out and dropping the ball. With the "five burners" method I can only add something if I remove something from my life. So far, it's working really well.

So how do you manage your day? Do you make a plan?

I am a big believer in making things happen rather than letting things happen to you. Where someone is in his or her life is a result of the decisions they have made over the years. One of the most important choices we make every single day is how we spend our time. If people would take control of this area of their lives, everything would improve. I believe the only way to manage the clock and calendar is to plan your day. How everyone does this differs. Of course there is the classic things-to-do list, but a pile of papers in the middle of your desk that represents your key tasks to get done is fine, too.

Did you have any mentors?

When I was 18 years old, I wrote up a long letter about how I wanted to learn the success secrets of the rich and famous. I made copies and stuck them on the nicest cars in the most affluent part of San Diego. I offered a free lunch for anyone who responded. That was how I landed one of my most important mentors. When I was 25, I wrote a book about the most successful people who live (or lived) in my hometown. This led to my meeting a lot of important people I could call on for advice. Finally, I contacted the Service Core Of Retired Executives and was assigned a SCORE counselor who knew a lot about my area of business. His advice over the years was invaluable. I also have mentors I have never met. Huh? I choose a famous person I admire who is doing what I want to do. I then learn everything I can about them. I now have a proven path to follow-and I do.

One last question Lee. If you were to mentor someone, what would you encourage him or her to do?

Set written goals and a plan to achieve them. This is THE most important thing a person can do to become more focused, motivated and successful.

Lee Silber lives with his wife and son in San Diego, California. For more information or to contact him, visit his website: www.creativelee.com

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© 2006 Susan Henderson, All rights reserved.