It’s my honor to share the following interview with you. Dixie Gillaspie is known as Dixie Dynamite, because she is one of the best there is at helping others to blast through life’s challenges. Dixie was kind enough to do the interview below, and share what I believe you will find to be absolutely wonderfully helpful ideas.
Josh Hinds: It’s a pleasure to be able to speak with you about your new book Dixie. I love the cover & have already gotten into it by the way. Awesome!
Dixie Gillaspie: Thank You! Was so happy to get an advance reader copy to you.
Josh Hinds: We’ll get deeper into it, but can you give a snapshot for what you most want the reader to get from reading the book? I know that’s a bit of a loaded question, but I think it’s an important one.
Dixie Gillaspie: I like the way it’s loaded! And it IS an important one, maybe the most important one. Not just for a writer, but for any of us. And that is the “what is your purpose, you reason for doing what you do?”
So that BIG purpose for me is to help people open up to their UNLIMITED possibilities.
You are a big inspiration in that respect, Josh. Because when one door shut for you, you didn’t say “well, now my life is limited.” You said, “well, now I’m going to have to change my design, my approach.”
Josh Hinds: That means a lot for you to say. You’ve got an incredibly inspiring story too, and the work you do in helping folks developing the power of possibility thinking is terrific!
Dixie Gillaspie: It takes all of us – and I’m surrounded by people who help me keep that way of thinking for myself.
Josh Hinds: Turns out our parents & “adults” did know what they were talking about when they’d say your “peer group matters” didn’t they?
Dixie Gillaspie: More than they knew!
Josh Hinds: For sure! One of the tag lines you use is “exploding entrepreneurship” but I notice in your mission statement you say “entrepreneurially-minded” people. Talk more about the entrepreneurial mindset if you would. Also, I love that you say it’s the “salvation of the global economy.” Tell us more about why you feel that way.
Dixie Gillaspie: Ah – that’s a BIG stake in the ground, isn’t it? You know I’m a bit of a “word-geek” so when I see a lot of stuff being batted around about a word I go to the origins. And the word “Entrepreneur” is from the French – LITERALLY meaning “one who undertakes.”
And I believe that our very LIVES are our undertaking – our businesses, our careers, those are just vehicles for our life.
Josh Hinds: I love that. So, by that literal meaning once doesn’t even have to be a “business person” to be an entrepreneur. They need only be willing to try and breathe life into their ideas?
Dixie Gillaspie: Exactly – and more than “breathe life into” but take responsibility for their “care and feeding” so to speak.
So if more people UNDERTOOK ownership in their lives – if they took that mindset of the entrepreneur who knows that “the buck stops here,” our economy would shift dramatically. The good news is that you can shift YOUR economy by adopting that mindset.
Josh Hinds: Very well said Ms. Dynamite! Well said
Dixie Gillaspie: Thank you!
Josh Hinds: In the last chapter of your book there’s an excerpt from a conversation you recorded with Richard Bach – the author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Illusions
among others – about the “attitude, choice, desire loop.” Can you share with us why that is so important?
Dixie Gillaspie: The fact I had that conversation is a pretty good illustration! You remember sharing the stage with me when I would say, “Richard Bach, a man I will never meet, had such a dramatic impact on my life…”
But as you know, I had such a desire for him to know about that impact, I didn’t necessary want to meet him, but I did want to tell him “Thank you” in some way. And that desire, not only of getting that message to him, but of being in gratitude and appreciation – that created an attitude on my part.
So when we have a desire, and we have a positive attitude toward that desire – we believe in its truth and possibility – then it informs our choices. So for me, certain choices – action, decisions, behaviors… came from that desire and attitude.
And from those choices came the opportunity to get to know Richard and to have him in my life as a dear friend and valued mentor. So we repeat that – desire, then attitude, then choices, achieved desire… it’s a loop. And it starts with ownership… and undertaking.
Josh Hinds: That is wonderful. It really is amazing to me how that happened. Not to get too far off topic, but could you share the really quick rundown of how you ended up actually making the connection? So that people can see first hand that bridging that gap from someone we admire and respect from a far if you will can in fact go to a connection where we get to know them in person.
Dixie Gillaspie: I could say it happened on twitter… But that wouldn’t be fair or completely true. Because, as everything does, it happened first through intention.
I didn’t intend to be a fan, or to get an autograph, or to get to know him. If you’ve read his books, particularly Illusions, you know that’s the LAST thing that he wants. So it was my genuine intention to simply say “Thank you, your ideas saved my life.” And that would have been enough. But from there, it happened on twitter. He had an account for a brief time, and he tweeted something I’d been trying to say to Randy Gage. So I sent it as a retweet to Randy. Apparently, what I said to Randy interested Richard, because he downloaded the ebook I was offering on my website – which was the framework for Just Blow It Up and sent me an @ message that was very complimentary.
We started a conversation that went to emails, and then calls. And became the basis for a friendship that I treasure beyond words.
Josh Hinds: I’m so glad that you shared that Dixie.
Dixie Gillaspie: Thank you for the opportunity.
Josh Hinds: I love how you point out that it all began with an intention on your part. Also, that you didn’t start out with some “what’s in it for me only” reason behind making the connection, other than to give a sincere thank you and note of appreciation.
Dixie Gillaspie: Our agenda is a part of our attitude. A very important part.
Josh Hinds: I hope that everyone reading this really gets that. It will put them years ahead of folks if they’ll grasp that and put it to work in their “connecting” & relationship building efforts.
Dixie Gillaspie: Well put! “What are your intentions toward that other person?” is a great question to begin with.
Josh Hinds: You’re right. You talk about the “DYNAMITE QUESTION – the real TNT” in your book. Tell us what that’s all about if you would?
Dixie Gillaspie: Oh Yeah! Well here’s a clue – you can’t blow up anything without it.
I know you’re the expert here, but before anything goes BOOM someone had to DO something! So in the end the question becomes, “What are you going to do about it?”
Josh Hinds: Right on, I like to say, “all else fails without first action.”
Dixie Gillaspie: I kind of thought you’d agree!
Josh Hinds: Great question to be asking! “What are you going to do about it?” (note to self to ask myself that more).
Dixie Gillaspie: Remind ME while you’re at it!
Josh Hinds: Could you give us a little example to illustrate how asking that question would play out? Or maybe an example of where you’ve seen it bring clarity in the work you do?
Dixie Gillaspie: GREAT question! There’s always stuff that has to be cleared out of the way first – getting clear on what you really want, why you think you “can’t” and so on. But action comes down to commitment and next steps.
Usually when there is NO action either there is no commitment (or it’s inadequate to the need) or there is no clear NEXT step.
So I ask people to commit to doing one thing today, another tomorrow, and so on. And I ask them to commit to doing ONE thing every day. In the book there are some great stories from Mitch Matthews and Ava Diamond about those two things. But if you take little steps every day and build ONE new habit for your life, it’s cumulative.
If people can’t commit to that we go back to the first “blasting cap” which is, “Do you really want it?”
Josh Hinds: Thank you so much for sharing that Dixie. You really put it down low on the shelf so even the goats could chew on it.
Dixie Gillaspie: Oh, love that inside joke!
Josh Hinds: Very well said! I just realized that is an inside joke too!
Dixie Gillaspie: Goats were some of my first teachers.
Josh Hinds: That’s a little southern saying we say around my way. Share a bit about how goats were your first teachers if you don’t mind though. I know everyone is curious now (at least I am!).
Dixie Gillaspie: I was allergic to cow’s milk when I was little – so my parents got goats. One of my first pets was a little billy goat who followed me everywhere and tried to do everything I did.
But it was his momma who taught me about being stubborn and patient at the same time. So from her I learned to dig in my heels and do what I wanted to do regardless of who was ‘pulling on my horns” so to speak. And from the kid I learned to be curious, try anything, experiment.
Josh Hinds: I love that. I can just see all the parents who will be getting their kids goats for pets, as a way to develop their children’s “success mindsets”.
Dixie Gillaspie: I hope so! Good for all the kids – human and goat.
Josh Hinds: ha ha, right on! Dixie, what else would you like to share on the book that we didn’t touch on already? There’s a tremendous amount of wisdom that we have not even touched on yet I know.
Dixie Gillaspie: There’s always so much for you and I to talk about – our message and passions are so much alike! But if there is any one thing I’d like to end with it is to remind people to “check their premise.”
So often people accept their circumstances, or their experiences, or other people’s input, or the cliches and platitudes we’re offered – and that becomes their road map. When they need to listen to their own inner voice, know what they truly desire, and challenge everything anyone else says or anything they think they know.
Josh Hinds: Fantastic Dixie! As always, you bring it!
Folks, be sure and get Dixie’s book, you will want to have this in your own “personal success library” — it’s in mine already & I know you’ll enjoy it. There will also be a link to learn more about it right below this interviews.
Dixie, thank you again for sharing with everyone here. Your book, “Just Blow it Up: Firepower for Living an Unlimited Life‘ is going to help countless folks get on with living amazing lives!
Dixie Gillaspie: Thank you Josh! And thanks for being innovative and trying this format for our interview. It really was a blast!