Landry & Kling CEO Joyce Landry lives a life of passion and adventure. She has sailed to some of the most exotic ports in the world, shaken hands with two U.S. presidents, trekked solo in the Himalayas and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro – she even got married at the summit!

She’s a gold medal athlete who rows with the dolphins, was recently certified to serve on disaster-relief animal rescue teams, serves as a mentor to young women, and is an advocate for Florida historic preservation and environmental conservation.

Daring to Take Risks
Passion is also what drove Joyce and her business partner Jo Kling to open a cruise brokerage office in New York City 28 years ago. Even though the odds were against them, Jo and Joyce steered clear of negative people and never lost sight of their vision. Their determination and vision paid off. Over the years, Landry & Kling pioneered the use of cruise ships for meetings, introduced the “floating hotel” concept for global events, and launched Seasite.com – the first cruise sourcing tool for meeting planners.  In 2009, b oth Joyce and Jo were inducted into the Cruise Lines International Association Hall of Fame in recognition of their contributions to the cruise industry.

Advice to Grads
Last week,  Joyce returned to her hometown of Gardner Massachusetts to deliver the keynote commencement speech at Mount Wachusett Community College. She encouraged the graduating class of 2010 to follow their passions, look for opportunities in adversity, give back, and live a life of meaning and purpose.

MeetingsNet Shares Joyce’s 8-Step “Magic” Recipe
MeetingsNet journalist Allison Hall was in the audience and heard Joyce’s inspirational speech. In her article, “Landry Tells Grads: Rock Your World!” she reveals Joyce’s 8-steps for creating a life of magic ( dramatically delivered with the flourish of a sparking “magic” wand).

1. Find delight in everyday things.
2. Participate. Don’t play it safe.
3. Keep going even when times are tough.
4. Live healthy.
5. Be ready for adventure.
6. Be grateful.
7. Make money for the right reason
8. Give generously.

More simple yet profound advice:  “Forgive someone. Tell people how much they mean to you. Say yes when someone asks for help.”

Allison Hall writes:

She concluded her address to the Mount Wachusett class of 2010 with an appropriate analogy for a cruise industry luminary: “A boat that doesn’t rock goes nowhere. Go out and rock your world!”

To read the full meetingsnet article, click on Joyce Landry Commencement Speech.

So there you have it – start implementing these steps today and begin living a life of magic.

Do any of these steps resonate with you? Do you have your own recipe for living a life of passion and magic? We’d love to read your comments!

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