Episode 120 of Live Authentically features Martin Rutte, president of Livelihood, a management consulting firm. He is also the co-author of “Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work,” a New York Times Business Bestseller. 

In addition, for over 15 years with his Project Heaven on Earth, Martin has been learning what makes people human, and what they envision their dream world to be.

Martin tells Pam that he lives authentically by seeing what’s true for him. He says that he sees where he can leverage the difference he makes in the world.

“I have to have time for laughter, puns and playing with people, and some intellectual stimulation. I like innovative, unique thinkers,” Martin said.

In addition to that, Martin explains how he tries to be the person who will tell people the things they don’t always want to hear– the negative stuff– but in a nice way. Constructive criticism overall, and we all know this can only help us grow. 

Martin says his goal with telling people the negative stuff is “to say that with some heart and soul and yet still get the message across.”

Martin believes that the negative stuff should be told, but in a way that invites the person to continue the conversation.

“You start with the positive, then you go to the negative and then you give another option,” Martin said. “… I like that a lot because it puts the no inside of a yes. It puts the no inside of forwarding the relationship.”

For Martin, forwarding the relationship is one of his life purposes with his Project Heaven on Earth, which focuses on bringing people into the sphere of seeing their own personal heaven on Earth.

“I’m fascinated, Pam, by the idea of the soul’s dream we have for the kind of life and work and relationship and nation and world that we want,” Martin said, “And the idea popped into my head, ‘Oh, you mean Heaven on Earth.’”

For Martin, the last 30 years have been about trying to evoke the “Heaven-on-Earth-knowing” within others. He mentions how it’s so much easier to focus on hell that he instead wanted to know what heaven looked like to everyone else.

To learn more about Martin Rutte and Project Heaven on Earth, listen to Episode 120 of the Live Authentically podcast or visit his website here. You can also follow him on Instagram or Facebook, too.