Own Your Story #16 with Tom Kuegler: Take a chance doing what you love
In my journey of creating a podcast channel, Tom Kuegler is the first person I spoke to virtually for the first time.
I told him frankly that I was nervous.
He laughed and told me not to worry, the person being interviewed is probably as nervous as you are, he said.
For a 25-year-old, Tom certainly owns his story with an uncopiable journey that is packed with adventures and actions.
You don’t need permission to start
After leaving college, Tom initially went down the safe corporate path, applied for uncountable jobs and went for dozens of interviews.
He realized early on it is not the life he wanted and decided to try out as a writer without any experience and qualification.
Even though he did 2 years of freelance writing before he fully owns his creative freedom, none of these would have happened if he didn’t take the risk to start something he wasn’t qualified for.
Do what feels right at the moment
When it comes to finding our passion, Tom is a big advocate of ‘doing what feels right at the moment’.
When Tom became a freelance writer, it was the right thing to do because he was pursuing the freedom as a digital nomad.
When he realized that he needed creative freedom, he switched gear and created a Medium writing course that teaches people how to achieve the same results as he does.
At the time we spoke, his passion brought him to creating videos.
Passion is a moving target, a path of discovery. When we trust in our intuition and follow our curiosity, we will create a unique map that unleashes our highest potential.
Be yourself and create from your heart
Throughout our conversations, the importance of ‘authenticity’ was a recurring theme. I love it when Tom said that his audience is like a mirror of himself.
His inspiration for articles always starts from the heart, where he writes about things that matter to him personally.
When he opens up about his struggles, the journey to be his best self, the drive to be successful, most people can relate to those innate drives that make us human.
It also creates a space for constant self-reflection that helps us to figure things out and stay mellow through the journey.
Believe in yourself and don’t play safe
Within 3 years as a writer, Tom has created a Medium writing course which enables him to quit freelance writing for good and organized a virtual summit all by himself.
It took a lot of self-belief and courage to create something and be confident in getting it into the hands of people who need it.
With these experiences at his back, Tom’s advice to young college graduates is to exploit the safety net while they still have it, don’t play safe!
You’ll never know what’s on the other side unless you take action.
Make the world a less scary place
At the end of our conversation, I realized that when we express ourselves authentically and be vulnerable about the ugly part of life, we can make the world a less scary place by showing the human side of us.
No matter how different our physical journeys are, we are all striving towards our highest expression, going through the same fear of uncertainties, changes and judgements.
Tom’s energy gives me so much confidence to keep creating contents that I believe in.
We need more people to come alive doing what they love.
Connect with Tom:
Own Your Story Podcast features interesting guests with fascinating stories and unique perspectives on life, taking viewers on a journey through the lives of others and ultimately inspire them to embark on an adventure of their own.
Watch this episode here.
