Finished Life Purpose course - I want to make addiction recovery/improvement content

[oldhandle]

I'm looking for opinions on what I'm thinking about my life purpose going forward, and the business I'm now envisioning having just finished the life purpose course. 

So after Leo's course I define my life purpose statement as follows:

"To bring people together in a recovery/self-improvement community creating meaningful music and applicable advice content."

I myself have recovered from 5 major addictions, I don't want to list specifically what all of them here, but lets just say I had completely crippling, potentially life ending addictions to 5 major things, all of which I have completely rooted out of my life. It took time and struggle, but I did it without traditional "12 steps" meetings and from a secular lens, both of which I think are uncommon, as the default responses when it comes to recovery from behavioral or substance addiction is always "go to a rehab", "go to 12 steps meetings" and "seek god". Therefore I think I have unique insights on this topic and I feel I can share a lot about my traumatic past that led me to develop the addictions and how to help others get there.

I'm also a musician, I'm skilled at actually making music, however, I feel a lot of the music I made in the past isn't true to who I am anymore, and a lot of the lyrics in that past music even glorified substances and activities I'm now completely against for the rest of my life.

I would like to create a community and provide coaching for people who are struggling with similar issues to what mine were. However, I have no "degree" in this, but I'm not sure how much that matters, Leo doesn't really have a psych degree or anything as far as I know as well. I think what matters most is my personal experience in dealing with these issues.

So I'd like to do these tangible things:
- Create a community, maybe on Discord or its own forum of individuals trying to specifically work on their addictions
- Coach people about these addictions
- Create very personal videos about my life and talking about particular subjects related to addiction, some being long form like Leo's (I've always been impressed how long he can talk without relying on "cuts")
- Make music that echoes and specifically bolsters the validity of the topics I'm talking about in those long form videos. So my songs going forward might dealing specifically about one topic I faced in addiction, and then there would be a paired "Leo style" long form video discussing that same topic

It might sound lofty and like I can't make money doing this, but I think as long as I realize for a while I'll have to do some of this for free before it returns dividends, I can make this a rewarding career in time. What do you guys think? Any advice or pitfalls you see me getting into? Thank you.
 

[Thought Art]

@oldhandle You can make money doing that and have a positive impact on society.

Figure out what you need to do to make that a reality, and don't let investing in education be an excuse. If you are working with people with mental health problems, in my opinion getting certified is important. It gives you more credibility and experience from people who has years of actual experience before you. There are many addiction recovery programs out there worth looking into. Your own personal experience is very useful.

Remember, a life purpose isn't something you just buy and you have it. Be prepared to invest long term into this. It will be worth it, however you get there.

[oldhandle]

Thanks, I appreciate this response. What kind of certification are you thinking I should look into? 

To be clear, I am not really interested in working in treatment centers and being an employee at a place like that, nor being a psychologist. 

[Thought Art]

@oldhandle I'll let you figure that out. 

I get what you wanna do. It's up to you how you go about doing it. Figure out what you can do ethically and legally.

[Leo Gura]

22 hours ago, oldhandle said:

and like I can't make money doing this

Of course you can make money doing that. Addiction recovery is a huge business with people makings tons of money from it.

Addiction retreats and rehab centers are a huge business.

This is a great LP if done properly.

Edited January 3 by Leo Gura

[vibv]

Sounds amazing.

[oldhandle]

4 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

Of course you can make money doing that. Addiction recovery is a huge business with people makings tons of money from it.

Addiction retreats and rehab centers are a huge business.

This is a great LP if done properly.

Thanks a lot Leo, what do you think specifically about the parts where I talk about making a song on a subject related to my personal addiction struggles (like, detailed topics, such as how I could not talk to women without Alcohol, or how I feared quitting substances because I thought I would lash out and lose friends in the quitting process) and then expanding on those in long form videos?

[Leo Gura]

Well, you have to wonder, is a song the best way to achieve your LP?

What is the best way? I'd focus on that.

Edited January 4 by Leo Gura

[Alexop]

It sounds cool, contemplate a little more on the music part, just because you are passionate about music does not mean you have to put it into the LP, but it might work if done properly. 

But for ex. I am passionate about FPV drones, I won't put it into my coaching work, it will reamain a hobby separate from work.

[oldhandle]

27 minutes ago, Alexop said:

It sounds cool, contemplate a little more on the music part, just because you are passionate about music does not mean you have to put it into the LP, but it might work if done properly. 

But for ex. I am passionate about FPV drones, I won't put it into my coaching work, it will reamain a hobby separate from work.

What do you consider your life purpose in a succinct statement like how Leo instructs us to come up with?

[Alexop]

On 1/4/2024 at 2:26 PM, oldhandle said:

What do you consider your life purpose in a succinct statement like how Leo instructs us to come up with?

Idk Leo's instructions on this one. I am on my way to open a website, I'll write articles on personal development, philosophy, politics, health, everything for free. The money will come from the coaching sessions, I've read 4 books on coaching and now coaching my friends in order to gain experience and to figure out my nieche. In march I'll begin the ICF accredited course here in Sweden. I've been preparing for this for more than 10 years.(I don't really recommend this life purpose unless you have at least 10-15 years of serious honest personal development, otherwise you will fail miserably or end up creating a cult or leading people off a cliff like most self-improvement crap you see around)

In regards to marketing, all the conventional techniques plus I want to travel the world by bike and meet tons of people in person, inspire them with my ideas and offer them my website and business card. Coachsurfing, warmshowers, workaway, cold approach, "change my mind" stand on the streets to open cool conversations. 

So you can say I have mixed my passion for bikepacking and health with my passion for philosophy.

Edited January 6 by Alexop

[oldhandle]

On 1/4/2024 at 1:28 AM, Leo Gura said:

Well, you have to wonder, is a song the best way to achieve your LP?

What is the best way? I'd focus on that.

My life purpose is to create a recovery/self-improvement community creating meaningful music and applicable advice content. I KNOW if I go all in on this, I can make it something. 

[Bear632]

@oldhandle

Negative constructive criticism:

- Music doesn't directly have a therapeutic effect on addiction, psychological interventions do. Music is at best a healthy distraction for someone who's trying to recover.

- Choose one or the other (addiction recovery coach or musician-- being both on a professional level is spreading yourself too thin)

- It sounds too lofty, and isn't entirely coherent

 

Positive ideas to prove me wrong:

- You could create a retreat/recovery center that uses music therapy (similar to art therapy) for people with addiction/mental health issues -- having a team of musician-therapist hybrids who teach people how to play instruments as they recover.

- Or create a general retreat center for musicians not focused on mental health; just a place for musicians to go on vacation/relax but still play and be around other musicians. I spent time at such a place in North Carolina. It's called Snaggy Mountain. 

 

Good luck pursuing your LP!