Derrick Kwa on Forging Your Own Path, Pushing Boundaries And Living A Life Filled With Passion

In this episode of Over The Edge I speak with Derrick Kwa, Derrick left high school at the age of 16 to forge his own path, instead of following the crowd of 9-5ers he decided instead to do what he is passionate about and it paid off big. Derrick has since traveled to over 10 countries in 2 years, has played poker against world class celebrity players, and has participated in a fast paced startup competition all aboard a speeding bus. Derrick has worked with 18 time best selling author Seth Godin and has founded or co-founded 3 separate companies. He is currently the ceo of passion blueprint, where he consults individuals on living out there passion and doing more of what they love. Derrick tells me about leaving school at 16 and how he felt he was just going through the motions. He talks about vigorous school schedule in Singapore- school 7 days a week 10 hours most days He tells me how reaching out to Seth Godin via email at 16 and receiving a response really propelled him forward How did you past the doubters? Separating myself from them and surrounding myself instead with a supportive community with similar interests. Derrick built his own community of supportive individuals. Q: Did you have any mentors early on in your career? A: Many bloggers, Learning from many different influencers; Pete Hammond, Seth Godin, Chris Brogan? Derrick tells me how he got an internship with Seth Godin 3 Lessons he learned from Seth Godin Shipping – getting into the habit of creating and getting over the fear. Building your tribe – Get your message out to a small focused group of people who care about what you have to say and interact with them and then they will spread the word Surround yourself with a community of amazing people, people that support you and are doing the things you want to be doing or are, it propels you forward Q: Do you feel that it’s important to have hobbies in your life to keep you balanced? A; "For me personally, I put my all into what I am doing and am not distracted by hobbies. "He says to do what you love so you can put your all into it. What you're working on is your hobby.  Derrick's opinion on courage Courage comes from small victories Take small actions like his first email to Seth Godin and build up from there #1 Courageous step- Reach out to your idol Courage is taking small steps out Q: What is your advice on overcoming failure? A: Change your attitude towards it See what lessons you can learn from the “failure” Think to yourself, what’s the worst that could happen if I fail? Q: Do you have any morning routines A:  "No, I am totally focused on my  business and achieving those goals" He Focuses on building client base, reaching out to people. He breaks down the day into action steps We talk about social media strategy and Gary Vanyerchuk Q: How do you define success? A: Freedom, being able to travel when I want, not being tied down to a certain task or location. For what he does in his work to have a positive impact on others and lead them to make changes in their lives Q: Are there any books that had a massive impact on your life?          A: The Dip by Seth Godin- Why? It makes you realize that it’s ok to change paths and quit things if it's not right for you.  Q: How did you go about founding the Social Media Breakfast? A: I Saw it done in America and wanted to try in Singapore. He mentioned it on a podcast he called in to and had people reach out to him online, connect on Facebook and ask if he would host it in Singapore.  "It’s never been easier to connect with like-minded individuals- take advantage of social media and the internet and the relationships they make possible." Q: What does it take to push you over the edge? A: Having someone to push you! Have someone in your corner that will encourage you and support you, the more times you jump the better you get at it. Where to find out more about Derrick? Derrickkwa.com, Passionblueprint.com Check out his Email course you can sign up for on overcoming common fears and going after your passion with courage!