Friday, February 26, 2010

Leonsis Discusses the Business of Happiness

This is normally a food blog (when I post here instead of DCist). But here is a post about Ted Leonsis' new book and a book talk that he held on Wednesday, February 24...

According to Ted Leonsis, the concept of community is a central component of happiness. That means being an active participant across multiple communities, finding ways to intertwine those communities, and giving back to the community. As the owner of the Washington Capitals, it’s not that he wants to win the Stanley Cup per se says (though he does). It’s that he sees what the success of the team can do for the city and its fans. When he thinks of wins by the Jets and Mets when he was growing up in New York in the ‘60s, he remembers sharing the moment with his father and he thinks of the lasting memories a Caps championship would create for a new generation of families. He chokes up while relaying a story about a man who stayed connected with his son while posted in Iraq by video chatting with him daily about the Caps.


Thus it was fitting for Leonsis to deliver a talk promoting his new book, The Business of Happiness, on Wednesday night at the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue. The late Abe Pollin, business partner of Leonsis, famously helped save the synagogue building from being turned into a nightclub in 2002, paving the way to creating a thriving Jewish and cultural community in downtown Washington. Leonsis, who is now negotiating with the Pollin estate to purchase the majority share of the Wizards and the Verizon Center, described Pollin as a man who embodied the spirit of giving back to the community.

Leonsis himself would have liked to have been home with his wife that night watching his star player Alex Ovechkin and Russia take on Canada in Olympic hockey. But he was happier being at 6th and I promoting his book and “creating another community.”

And so Leonsis recounted his early business successes, a near plane crash, a realization that he wasn’t truly happy, and his decision to write down a life plan of 101 personal and professional goals to achieve happiness. He wrote goals in 7 categories. There’s family and financial matters. Possessions like owning a beach and a great collection of watches. Charitable giving. Sporting goals like owning a team and winning a championship, playing several elite golf courses, and going one-on-one against Michael Jordan. Sixteen trips around the world. Miscellaneous “stuff” like going to the Oscars, swimming with sharks, and advising a foreign government.

After you get over wishing that you had Leonsis’ life, that you could accomplish a fraction just a couple of the things he has on his personal list, you’re left with no choice but to admire the guy. Yeah, he’s got more money than God; he’s already checked off #14 from his list, net worth of one hundred million dollars after taxes and is working on #15 ($100 billion). Making money off the Capitals and winning a championship will make him happy, but the way his team can bring the city closer together makes him more happy. Blogging, interacting with fans, and inviting readers of his book to e-mail him personally to let him know what they thought makes him happy. Making award winning movies is part of his bucket list. He accomplished that by becoming a “filmanthropist” making documentaries with purpose and launching a website that links charitable giving with independent films and provides a forum for exposure for small film makers.


Putting such goals to paper is a great start to completing some of them. You may not want to be as ambitious as Leonsis with your list. If you want to know what’s on that list, it’s published in the back of the new book. Or you can check it out here.

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