What is the key to accomplishing personal and professional goals? The key for author and public speaker Francis Castelli is to ‘show up and do something.’ Castelli published his memoir Just Show Up: Antidote to Corporate Kool Aid (Palmetto Publishing; 2020). He shares his life story, his views on life and success, and the keys to meaningful and professional relationships success.
Just Show Up is more than just a memoir, and motivational guide rolled into one entertaining and impactful book. And the book title is more than just brilliant; it is a clarion call to professional and personal growth. Regardless of their educational and occupational background, the book encourages the readers to pursue their goals with determination, proactiveness, and drive.
Castelli, who loves to share his experiences, had the opportunity to appear on America Tonight with Kate Delaney.
What “Just Show Up” is all about
As expected, when an author appears on her program, Kate Delaney asks Castelli about the story behind his book’s title. She asked his guest, “What do you mean by ‘just show up’?”
Castelli’sanswer stems from the realization that interacting with people and listening to them share their stories is essential. It also demonstrates the wealth of experience that he gained from working in the insurance industry.
“I had the privilege and was in the insurance industry for over 40 years,” said Castelli. “But I really think everything started from the day I put my feet on a college campus. I realized very, very, very quickly that people want to share their experiences and were willing to sit down and talk about themselves and share their dreams and their motivations. Basically, that builds their self-esteem.”
His many interactions with people led him to realize obvious but often overlooked facts about life.
“In doing that and being in the insurance industry where you really have to develop relationships of trust and confidence, I had the opportunity to interact with many, many, many people. In doing that, I found out that life is not complex. It’s pretty simple. Yet although it’s simple, it’s hard to act out what you want to do. Do people really dream, or do they just talk about it? Do they really know what they want to be, or do they try just doing what they think they should do?”
Castelli also referred to his Jesuit education (he earned his BSBA from John Carroll University) and emphasized proactiveness and determination in achieving one’s life goals.
“So, I learned these lessons in college. It was a Jesuit school. It was a Socratic way of teaching; you’re always asked a question, and you had to figure out the answer yourself. So, as I got into the industry, I could say I had the privilege of talking, interacting, and sharing experiences with a lot of people. I realized that the key to success was literally ‘show up and do something.’
“However, how you do it is important. It’s very important. When people realize that they have the ability to determine what they will become by showing up and doing things as best as they can, then it’s very, very rewarding not only for me learning their experiences but for them. You need to interact with them and say, ‘You have in your power the tools to fashion your own destiny.’”
What is the ‘antidote’?
Delaney took notice of the book’s subtitle ‘Antidote to Corporate Kool Aid’ and asked what this ‘antidote’ is.
For Castelli, the antidote is the key or keys to achieving success. “The antidote is (to) know what you want to be and understand that is in your control. Never, never, never give up. Always try, try, try and try to do with a purpose.
“I don’t believe in coincidences. I also don’t believe in fate. I do believe in destiny. Because we have free will, I believe each and every person has within them the power to fashion their own destiny. Destiny is a matter of choice. It’s not a matter of chance. It’s a matter of choice.
“On this ‘Antidote to Corporate Kool Aid,’ people would tell you, ‘You need to do this, you need to be this, you can become this.’ In my opinion, that’s not what’s important. It’s ‘I am the artist, I am the sculpture, I am the clay. What am I making of myself?’”
Castelliemphasized the importance of choice as a motivator to success as choice reveals one’s values and as well as their aspirations in life. He also added that a choice can either be good or bad, and every choice has its own consequences.
Make sure to listen to the whole interview on YouTube.
Purchase Francis Castelli’s book “Just Show Up: Antidote to Corporate Kool Aid” today on Amazon