You are so much more than your purpose. All of our emotions and goals in life are a product of our own thoughts. Don’t let them control you. You are also the decision maker in your life.
Dr. Benjamin Ritter, founder of Live for Yourself (LFY) Consulting, is a Chicago based leadership and empowerment coach, international speaker, consultant, mentor, teacher, and passionate about guiding others in finding, creating, and sustaining greater meaning at work and in life.
Throughout his career he has worked in the areas of hospitality, entertainment, public health, education, childcare, healthcare, and personal and professional development, constantly seeking new experiences to learn more about the world, and himself.
During his time as a healthcare executive and side hustling entrepreneur he was over worked and under-utilized, and despite his professional success didn’t feel successful. After much introspection he pivoted professionally and started crafting a more effective, efficient, and aligned life. As he was creating this new life he realized that his process was a process, and that he could coach others how to do the same for themselves.
The culmination of these events and his previous personal, professional, and educational experiences led him to create Live for Yourself (LFY) Consulting, a coaching/consulting company that is focused on guiding successful professionals toward finding and creating more meaning in life and at work.
LFY Consulting bases its coaching practices on the unique LIVE system© and the Three C’s of Self-Leadership©, which integrates doctoral level applied learning theory, and curriculum and leadership development research.
Where did the idea for Live For Yourself Consulting come from?
I was sitting on a plane headed to Pepperdine University in West Los Angeles, California and I was about a year into a three year program at this point. I was working with coaching clients in a different company and niche but it didn’t really feel aligned with who I was, and at the same time I just experienced some major leadership issues at my full-time job. I was at a turning point and I had 4 hours on a plane to think about my future career.
Reviewing my skill sets, previous experiences, and the impact I wanted to make in the world I concluded that I wanted to be a coach/consultant but it couldn’t be click bait or a “quick fix.” It had to work, it had to be a process, and it had to align with what I believed worked in the field.
My perspective on the world and growth was completely focused on living a life of alignment, completely for yourself toward your values. So there I had the word live, with a focus on values. I built the LIVE system from there, and the rest of the name “for yourself” just came naturally.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
A typical day involves coaching clients, prospecting, reaching out regarding speaking engagements, preparing or hosting my own events and all that’s related, and connecting with individuals to build my network.
I have a handy dandy excel spreadsheet that lists my daily, weekly, and monthly todos, and some of the key performance metrics that I need to track in order to hit my goals for each month.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I work in the field of self-leadership so I follow a pretty specific process to bring my ideas to life. I first work on clarity and check to see if my idea is aligned with my overall goals and values. After clarity I build confidence in the idea and myself, and then work on control which relates to boundaries. For example if I’m saying yes to a new idea, what am I saying no to in my life?
What’s one trend that excites you?
Traditional HR is wondering how to keep up with self-actualization and the needs of the modern work environment so they are seeking outside contractors and consultants. It’s pretty neat to see the corporate world realize they need to heavily invest in the human side of leadership and coaching.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
Honestly it’s just consistency and the ability to STOP something that isn’t leading to results after enough testing. You need to stay resilient but also adaptable.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Think so much BIGGER. I operated under my own experiences and those limited me in terms of who I could be and what I could build. Think so so so much bigger. Anything is possible.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
You are so much more than your purpose. All of our emotions and goals in life are a product of our own thoughts. Don’t let them control you. You are also the decision maker in your life.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Say yes. Yes yes yes yes. Hey can you do this workshop? Yes. Hey can you do this retreat? Yes. Hey can you host this event? Yes.
Of course now this has its limits. What does this offer you and your business? Is it aligned? But overall, when you are first starting you need to say YES and figure out what to do later. Because, you’ll eventually figure it out, and the benefits of diving in can be priceless.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
Hosting my own events has been pretty great for exposure and brand awareness. It’s fairly simple. You need to be consistent and you need to network with speakers and potential audience members. Don’t get discouraged if no one shows up the first time. Keep going. You can find volunteered space so there’s little to no upfront costs too. Also, seek out partnerships to help promote your events in order to reduce some of the stress that can come from seeing minimal ticket sales sometimes. The more people that are involved the easier it is to promote.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
Not having contracts and payment structures that served to longer term financial stability. I wouldn’t say it’s a failure but I lost out on money because I didn’t have a pricing structure that protected me and also in the end helped my clients. As an entrepreneur you will learn along the way. Take it in strides and now you know for next time.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
I wish someone would go out there and make a full body ice pack. When I use to play soccer in college I would take ice baths but I don’t have that option in my apartment or nearby. If someone made a full body ice pack that would somehow fit in a freezer I’d buy that in a second!
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
The most recent purchase I’m in love with personally and professionally would be my airpods but those are a tad more than $100. I’d say that I really got a lot of value from the book, Sell With A Story by Paul Smith which is nowhere near $100 but worth more than that.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?
Google drive and google sheets. It is such a simple to use web based storage drive and way to keep myself organized. I also love that it’s not local so I can update anything I need to through my cell when I’m on the go. A lot of times you don’t need a complicated software or web service to be successful and get stuff done.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
I already mentioned Sell With A Story above so I’d also like to recommend The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy. As entrepreneurs all of us are in sales. We need to know how to sell. It’s the life blood of our work.
What is your favorite quote?
Your most important leader is the one that’s inside you
Key Learnings:
• You are more than your purpose, emotions, and goals
• Lead yourself through clarity, confidence, and control
• Check-in with your values and review if your life is in alignment
• Say yes to opportunities first, then figure it out later
Connect:
Carlyn runs the day-to-day publishing operation here at ideamensch and interacts with our awesome customers and entrepreneurs. She is likely editing this with a cat on her lap.