Happiness List for Personal Growth

Ahhh…the dream of quitting your day job and doing what you love…sounds ideal, doesn’t it? Well, Brian Sherrill, of Active Melody, wants to remind people that personal growth can be fun. He would like to help more people connect with their passion and live the life they envision. As the majority of of us find ourselves looking for extra income during this Shelter-in-Place time, Sherrill’s story might inspire you to create your own Happiness List for Personal Growth and let it change your life.

In this month’s one-on-one Veraki Vision Story Interview, we sat down with Sherrill as he shared the way he used visualization and a list of what made him happy to create the life he wanted.

Personal Growth in the Beginning

“I always knew I wanted to do my own thing,” says Sherrill. “While everyone was going off to college and starting corporate jobs, I was lost and needed more guidance. I questioned what the end goal of that college/corporate path would be. Working for someone else meant supporting someone else’s dream.”

But, without a clear direction or knowledge of how to start his own business, Sherrill decided to try the college route for just a couple of years before confirming he didn’t like that learning environment. He moved from job to job, learning valuable skills and lessons along the way. Going on job interviews became an enjoyable challenge for him as he took his “disadvantage” of not having a college degree and turned it into an advantageous selling point.

Personal Growth Starts with Knowing Your Why

By his early 30’s, he was climbing the “rungs” in a particular company and realized how much the position didn’t fit his life balance. He says, “I remember thinking, ‘Where’s my happiness meter in all this?’ That’s what matters. It wasn’t how much money I’d make. Am I any happier the higher I climb in this company?”

Sherrill was inspired to write down all the things that made him happy. Putting “graphite to paper,” his list included: playing guitar, connecting with people who liked learning the way he did, creating online communities, and social media marketing. Soon, his vision was getting clearer.

“I felt happy looking at my vision. I knew I was going to do something that involved instructional guitar courses. And, most definitely, I wanted to make more money than my current salary.” Next, Sherrill took the necessary action steps towards his goal. He learned the ins and outs of course development and built a beginner guitar course. The course flopped with only two sold, but that didn’t discourage him from continuing with his passion.

Personal Growth Takes Time

He created his website, Active Melody, and continued putting videos up on YouTube. Soon, he added the option of purchasing the music to what he played on the videos. When his accountant pointed out Brian could make more money with his side project than at his day job, he decided to go all in.

“Using visualization feels like a slow boil,” Sherrill recalls his growth from then to today. “It seems to move slowly, and it’s kind of shocking to see how it all plays out.” Today, Sherrill has over 15.6K followers and a loyal community of like-minded individuals who are passionate about music and playing the guitar.

He says his schedule resembles one of a retiree. “I take it easy Saturday through Tuesday. The rest of the week I’m playing guitar and putting out videos. I’m doing what I love so I don’t feel like I’m working.”

Personal Growth is Ongoing

If he visualizes what comes next in his life, Sherrill says, “I toy around with teaching other people to do what I did. Maybe I’ll create an online education model on Lifestyle Entrepreneurship – teaching people how to find their passion.”

We asked Sherrill to share his thoughts on how others can start following their passion. “First, write down what makes you happy. Second, write out your goals or vision. Write it out by hand. There’s something magical about writing. It takes longer, so you’re thinking about it more. If you don’t have a vision, none of this will work. Then, commit to your vision.”

Sherrill definitely stays committed to his vision. He’s a natural-born teacher and we’re excited to see what he shares with his followers next.

To learn more about Brian Sherrill and his courses through Active Melody, follow him on YouTube and Instagram @activemelody www.activemelody.com Brian Sherrill lives in Nashville, TN with his wife and two children.

Let the Veraki Personal Growth App help you follow what makes you happy. Download the app via the Apple and Google Play stores.