EP #143: Happiness is a Selfless Experience with Christian Ray Flores
Compassion is primal. You can’t get away from it, whether you find it in your family, community, or on the other side of the world. Human beings are designed to care for other human beings.
Today’s guest believes with all of his heart and soul that we can only find true happiness when we support other people. He spent much of his early life as a traveling pop star. He lived his “best life” at that stage. But realized that it wasn’t fulfilling. He had everything a young guy could possibly want but had nothing to show for it. Christian Ray Flores is an incredibly talented and driven person but these days his drive is for something else. Get ready for some creative impact inspiration.
What You'll Learn In Today's Episode:
Christian’s definition of happiness
About harmonizing in life
What it was like for Christian to perform in front of millions of people
What fame does to the psyche
How to think about what’s meaningful in life
About Christian’s faith journey
About Christian’s philanthropic efforts
About the time Michael Jackson showed up at one of Christian’s events
About Ascend Mission Fund in Maputo, Mozambique
About Christian’s trip back home with his family
How the war in Ukraine affected Christian
How people could receive reports during the war
How the war is a threat to democracy in general
How high-achievers can find fulfillment
What Christian thinks is primal to all humans
Ideas Worth Sharing:
“It’s the feeling that you get when you are flourishing.” - Christian Ray Flores defining happens
“Usually, they start in that happy place but they end up losing it.” - Christian Ray Flores
“Eventually, you’re pursuing that more than the feeling.” - Christian Ray Flores
“I’m going to pursue something because everything is downstream from there.” - Christian Ray Flores
“I was a pop artist.” - Christian Ray Flores
“By the end of ’93, I was on national television.” - Christian Ray Flores
“The very core of a happy life is not in those places.” - Christian Ray Flores on being famous
“My music was my purpose.” - Christian Ray Flores
“You don’t even know who loves you for who you are or who loves you for the persona you are.” - Christian Ray Flores
“You leave behind these essential, fundamental things that are essential for happiness.” - Christian Ray Flores
“I’m here on this mountaintop and I’m alone.” - Christian Ray Flores
“Michael Jackson showed up.” - Christian Ray Flores
“I realized that there is a direct correlation between generosity and giving and happiness.” - Christian Ray Flores
“I worked for a charity for a time.” - Christian Ray Flores
“Serving the poor is one of the things that is a non-negotiable for me.” - Christian Ray Flores
“It’s impossible to happy if you don’t serve.” - Christian Ray Flores
“You have all these incentives in your brain chemistry.” - Christian Ray Flores
“It’s evolutionary. It’s biological. It’s spiritual. It’s social.” - Christian Ray Flores
“I really correlate being miserable with being self-centered.” Christian Ray Flores
“My formative years were in Africa.” - Christian Ray Flores
“I never set foot in the slums. I didn’t care.” - Christian Ray Flores speaking about growing up in Maputo, Mozambique
“You could spend a lifetime like that - not seeing the needs around you.” - Christian Ray Flores
“I’m a professional ADD person.” - Christian Ray Flores
“I have to root myself and anchor myself in generosity.” - Christian Ray Flores
“We raised over a quarter million dollars in just a couple of months.” - Christian Ray Flores
“It’s the biggest way since World War II.” - Christian Ray Flores
“…to the left is our bomb shelter.” - Christian Ray Flores quoting an employee from his hotel in Ukraine
“The war crimes there were just unspeakable.” - Christian Ray Flores
“There are whole cities without water.” - Christian Ray Flores
“What’s at stake is way more than just Ukraine being independent. It’s the fault lines of democracy.” - Christian Ray Flores
“These are the world changers.” - Christian Ray Flores speaking of high-achievers
“A selfless, generous, ambitious lifestyle is a really good thing to pursue.” - Christian Ray Flores
“You're not fully successful until you overflow onto others.” - Christian Ray Flores
“It’s very primal in us.” - Christian Ray Flores speaking on successful families giving mindset
“If you can find that balance, or better yet harmony, that puts you in a better place to feel that harmony.” - Bob DePasquale
“They leave behind the connections.” - Bob DePasquale
“Everyone can make a difference. You don’t have to be a pop star in Eastern Europe.” - Bob DePasquale
Resources In Today's Episode:
Christian Ray Flores - Website - Facebook - LinkedIn - Instagram - Twitter
Bob’s Book - Personal Finance in a Public World
This week’s E-Impact Blog Entry
Episodes Referenced:
EP #09: Providing Water to Communities in Need with Laura Moreno
