We recently connected with Bill O’Hanlon and have shared our conversation below.

Bill, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

When I was first in college, I got depressed and became seriously suicidal. I had grown up in a big Irish Catholic family and was encouraged to become independent by going far away for college (from the Chicago area to the Phoenix area). But I was painfully shy and woefully unprepared for independent life. I grew ever more isolated and, under the influence of my college studies, began questioning all the taken-for=granted meanings and values. I started sleeping up to 20 hours a day. Not knowing anything about depression, I had no idea what was happening.. I made plans to end my life to stop the pain and decided to tell the few friends I had made about those plans, so they wouldn’t be too shocked when it happened. My first two friends were sympathetic, since they were also troubled, and told me they would do the same thing but they were too frightened to take that step. My last friend, however, was really upset. “Kill yourself?,” she asked, “Why would you do something like that?”

I explained that I had lost all sense of meaning and couldn’t imagine going on, since it ws so painful to be around people and all I wanted to do was write poetry. I was in the sheltered environment of college, but in a few years, I would have to function in a job and I could barely get out of bed.

She told me she had three aunts who had never married and she would inherit from them. Not only money, but some farms they had invested in. Those farms all had empty farmhouses and when the first of those aunts died, if I promised not to do myself in, she would promise that I could live in one of those farmhouses rent free for the rest of my life, growing my own food and writing poetry and not having to around people.

That actually sounded like a possibility to me, but I didn’t agree too quickly. “How old are your aunts?,” I wanted to know. When she said they were in their sixties, I thought to myself that I probably wouldn’t have to wait very long. (Little did I know that those aunts would live into their nineties.

But once I’d committed to staying alive, I had a problem. How would I cope until I made my escape to the future farmhouse? I become obsessed with discovering how people found meaning and purpose and how to get less depressed. This led me to become a psychotherapist, having switched my major to psychology and going on to graduate school.

Since then, I have written 41 books, one of which (Do One Thing Different) got me on Oprah, mostly involving psychotherapy and personal development and have given over 3800 talks around the world. My mission was to help people who are like I was find hope, meaning and good mental/emotional health.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started out as a psychotherapist workin in addictions and community mental health agencies, then went into private practice and, shy as I was in my early year, began to give talks and workshops around the world on effective methods of change I had discovered, ultimately creating a change approach called Solution-Oriented Therapy.

This approach went against the tide in psychotherapy at the time, which was to focus on what was wrong with people – their traumas, problems, deficit and pathologies, and offered an alternate approach that focused on strengths, resources, abilities and possibilities. That approach became part of the mainstream of psychotherapy after many books and trainings were offered through universities and private conferences over 30+ years.

After putting my work online, I retired from traveling and teaching, and began a new career as a professional songwriter, which had been a lifeline side passion of mine. I have had 100+ of my original songs recorded and released by musical artists to date and have had 14+ songs used in TV shows, movies and commercials.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I consider myself a lifelong learner. I have pivoted in my career several times.

First I became a psychotherapist. I liked my work and helping people, but was frustrated to the point of anger at colleagues who talked about their therapy clients in both a discouraging and pathologizing way: Their view as that their clients were damaged in some permanent way, or it would take them years to change or recover, or that those clients didn’t really want to change and were playing some game to stay in their suffering.

This drove me to go out and start teaching an alternate view: That people were resilient and resourceful and could change rapidly when approached the right way and treat with respect.

Teaching workshops led people to regularly ask me when I was going to write a book and at first I resisted, not knowing a thing about writing and publishing, but after a while, finally wrote two books in the same year. One thing led to another, and I went on to write many more books and became a thought leader in my field.

Then, when my constant traveling/teaching life led me away from home three to four times a month all around the world for 30+ years, I tired of being away from loved ones and traveling at that pace, so I determined I would learn how to put my work online and find a wider audience as well as being able to stay home.

Not being a digital native, this was a challenge, but after a few years I succeeded at this so well and made enough money so that I never had to work again, having paid off all my debts and saved enough to retire.

A long-postponed dream led to my most recent pivot, becoming a professional songwriter.

What have I learned from all these pivots? That you can do new professions or aspects of your career or business or pivot to a different profession altogether if you are willing to be. beginner again and learn something new, and you find mentors/coached/teachers to shorten your learning curve, and you put in the 10,000 hours or whatever it takes to master the new area of expertise. To know that being not so good at something, getting rejected and failing is all part of the process and to stick with it until you get where you want to go.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

In my career as a songwriter, I write a song every day. Before I did it as a profession, I would have thought that to be impossible. How do I find that much creativity and inspiration?

First, when I first started writing books, I came across an interview with an author who had written many books. When the interviewer asked him how he remained so productive creatively, he answered: “Bum glue!” He sat his bum down on a chair daily and wrote, whether he felt inspired or not. I do the same with my songwriting. I make an appointment with my co-writers daily and show up, whether I am feeling it or not. Often, while we are starting the songwriting process, something will spark the creative flame and we are off and running.

I also take time when I am not feeling inspired to gather the things that might spark an idea or creativity. I research titles. I noodle around on guitar or piano until something new and interesting shows up. I read a lot and watch a lot of movies and TV show, keeping my antennae up for ideas.

I also pay attention to other musicians, artists and songwriters who inspire me. Listening to them, hearing their stories, watching them, often gives me ideas.

Contact Info:

• Website: BillOHanlon.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/possibill/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.ohanlon
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/possibill/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/POSSIBILL
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLonFVyNDRRzW1ZdJYcFmtZ0-rHFkNhBnc
• Other: Playlist of original songs recorded and released by others: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7Lvp3FShn1ld67QnfCV3aV?si=I1RZ5Q-wRvOaJBBydFk0zg Bill O’Hanlon books published: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3ABill+O%27Hanlon&s=relevancerank&text=Bill+O%27Hanlon&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1

Image Credits
Personal photos I own the rights.