Episode 56

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Published on:

6th Dec 2020

Follow the process, not the outcome with Omar Itani

Omar Itani thought he had all the time in the world, until one day he found himself blacked out on the street, broken from an accident, unable to walk. It shook him to the core and reminded him that there’s more to life than just merely living—there’s the unparalleled thrill of ‘feeling alive’. So as soon as he recovered, he took a leap of faith, he left his job at Google and stopped talking about starting a business, or traveling around the world, or becoming a writer. Instead, he just did.

Omar Itani is a writer, an ex-Google, founder of Lovers of The Sea, and an advocate for doing meaningful work that sprouts from purpose-driven creativity. His work has been featured in Thrive Global and major Medium publications such as Mind Café, The Startup, and P.S. I Love You. He has lived in six countries, traveled to over 40, and is a certified diver and sailor. He has a background in Marketing and holds a Master’s of Science in International Business from Ivey Business School & CEMS Global Alliance.

Time Stamps:

2:20 Omar shares how an accident that left him unable to walk shifted his perspective on life and helped him transition from always talking about the things he wanted to do in life  to actually doing them  

4:31 Shelley discusses the idea of mortality motivation 

6:35 Omar shares how reading Atomic Habits by James Clear made him realize that the transformation he was looking for needed to start with change on the inside 

9:28 Omar shares about his realization that in order to create sustainable change and master your craft, you have to be willing to stick with something for the long term 

11:17 We discuss the importance of falling in love with the process and not the outcome 

12:51 Omar explains his philosophy that real happiness comes from the alignment  between being and thinking and doing 

14:40 We discuss the struggle of just ‘being’ in a culture where we are always doing 

15:59 Omar gives advice and practical tips for getting into the ‘being’ state 

18:55 Omar explains his life philosophy of slow living 

24:50 We discuss the definition of success

30:34 The conversation continues to explore the idea of abundance when you are working within your purpose 

38:45 Omar shares his vision and dream for his writing 

40:33 Where you can find Omar

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About your host

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Chad Prevost

Dr. Chad has advanced degrees in creative writing, literature, and theology. Being married to a psychotherapist has been another education. A workshop leader and entrepreneur, he has started and participated in writing and literary arts communities in New York, Austin, Atlanta and Chattanooga. He also has experience writing as a journalist for startups in tech and logistics. He is the author of several books of poetry, as well as interactive-fiction for youth. Over the years, he has innovated writing processes to foster reflection and insight, narrative strength, and authentic voice.