Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan - #116: How To Be Aware, Be Relentless, & Take Yourself To The Next LEVEL with Heather!

Episode Date: May 26, 2021

Have you ever been completely called in to assess the standard you hold yourself to? That’s what happened to me this week and it has totally inspired me to take myself to the NEXT LEVEL! And I encourage you to do the same. This week we discuss how our environments affect us and how to use our surroundings to our advantage. And we also cover one of my most asked questions: how did I book Gary Vee? Come along for this quick dose of knowledge and keep building your confidence!  Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast here! To inquire about my coaching program opportunity visit https://mentorship.heathermonahan.com/    Review this podcast on Apple Podcast using this LINK and when you DM me the screen shot, I buy you my $299 video course as a thank you!    My book Confidence Creator is available now! get it right HERE   If you are looking for more tips you can download my free E-book at my website and thank you! https://heathermonahan.com    *If you'd like to ask a question and be featured during the wrap up segment of Creating Confidence, contact Heather Monahan directly through her website and don’t forget to subscribe to the mailing list so you don’t skip a beat to all things Confidence Creating!     See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Come on this journey with me. Each week when you join me, we are going to chase down our goals. We'll overcome adversity and set you up for a better tomorrow. I'm ready for my close-up. Hi, and welcome back. I'm so excited you're back here with me this week. As per normal, a lot going on. You know, the thing that I was thinking about this week, well, a few things. This has been the craziest week that I have to share with you. but it's been a tremendous amount of highs and lows, which is so interesting. Because when good things happen, you would think, oh, this is just great. Everything's going well, and that's not the case.

So let me break it down a little bit for you. Super excited. I just was put on my second board of directors in an advisory role for an S-PAC, which I've never worked with an S-PAC before. It's just crazy, again, because for a decade, I pitched myself for the board, you know, of a company that I worked for and did an amazing job for for for 14 years, and I was constantly given the runaround and told no, and here's why that's not going to work and, you know, whatever else went on behind the scenes there. I got the runaround. Now, here I am out of my

own for three years and I'm on two board positions. That's crazy. And it just goes to show it's the reminder that it isn't necessarily you or your lack of skill or your lack of expertise or talent, it could be the room that you're sitting in. You could be with the wrong people. Fire your villains and set yourself up to take off. Okay, so that was one really exciting piece of information I was happy to share, super, super excited about it and excited about working with new people that, you know, from all over the country and it's just, it's a great opportunity. Okay, and learn about a new business, too. Okay, so that was great. What was not so great was I had this huge opportunity. I was in conversations with, I'm not going to say who it is because I need to get this, the baby's not been born.

I need to bring this full circle so that I can tell it to you in a success story. But there's this huge opportunity, a massive name in the speaking business. And I was working directly with his team. And now his team has gone dark. They're just not answering my emails, not talking to me, crickets, which is the worst blowoff in the world, right? But I have an idea of something I'm going to try this week. I mean, I've done crazy things, as you know, like send, like,

life-size cutouts of myself to people, sing on their voicemail, show up at their office, right? I've done some pretty aggressive things, and so I really want to be thoughtful about my approach on this one, because this is a huge opportunity. I really want to happen. Okay, then, oh, this week I spoke for Google. This was kind of a bucket list moment for me. In the speaking business, there are certain boxes you want to check, right? And Google's one of those marquee brands that It's a huge one, right? It's sort of like Harvard. You know, checking that one is the ultimate. And for me, I was so freaking nervous for this talk. It was virtual, which was sad because I really wanted to be in front of the Google logo, right? And get that cachet. That didn't happen. But hopefully in the future,

things are changing so quickly now that, you know, maybe that's just a few months away. I'll be hopeful and optimistic about that. But no, this one was done virtually and I was super, super, super. nervous. It was crazy. I put so much pressure on myself. So I was super proud of that. Then I spoke for ASA this week. That went unbelievable. It was this huge group of women from all around the country. That was virtual as well. But it went really, really well. And some other speaking opportunities came out of it. So that was super exciting. And then, you know, my son's neck started hurting again. He's been on virtual literally for about a year now and sitting in front of a computer. and I'm really getting concerned about what the long-term impact is going to be.

So I actually reached out to a physical therapy rehab facility to try to, you know, figure something out. So it's just been, you know, one day something great is happening, the next day something not so great is happening, the next day, you know, and just trying to navigate through all the highs and lows. And I'll tell you, the one thing that I am super optimistic about is change is occurring so quickly right now. just in the world in general. And I'm seeing the South Beach Food and Wine Festival is going on here in Miami right now, which is crazy. And this morning I got out of spin and I was walking on the beach to my car. There was people everywhere. There was an Indian wedding happening outside.

There were no masks. Literally, if you were to see South Beach this morning, you would believe there's no coronavirus. And I'm not saying that's right for everybody or wrong or whatever. It just is. Right. So now that people have been vaccinated, they're just moving forward, living their best life. And hey, I'm here for it. Right. So I'm super excited for live events to be back on and festivals. And I'm not actually going to this one, but I'm super interested to see on TV what it was like. And just to see normalcy again. But this was so crazy. Another speaker who I know virtually, I never had met her in real life. When you want more, start your business with Northwest registered agent and get access to thousands of free guides, tools, and legal forms to help you launch and protect your business. All in one place. Build your complete business identity with Northwest today. Northwest registered agents has been helping small business owners and entrepreneurs launch and grow businesses for nearly 30 years. They are the largest registered agent and LLC service in the U.S. with over 1,500 corporate guides, real people who know your local laws and can help you in your business every step of the way. Build your business identity fast with Northwest registered agent and get access to thousands of free resources, forms, and

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interesting for all of us to see what the things are that we're excited to go back to and what the things are that we are going to miss from the pandemic. And oddly enough, first world problem, I love during the pandemic that our soul cycle class was on top of a roof in the most beautiful city in Miami, right? We're sitting on top of a roof looking at the ocean and trees. And it was so exceptional. And now that's gone and we're back to the real studio. And I miss, so I'm already missing something from the pandemic. I'm hopeful that come winter this year that they allow us back outside again, hopefully it wasn't just for the pandemic because it really, you know, your environment impacts you, affects you a lot, a lot more than I realized. And that making that switch

from outdoor, you know, really appreciating all the beauty around us to now going indoor into a small dark room, it really resonated with me, wow, our environment impacts us profoundly and the way I perceived people. So when I would see the instructors outside, they were up on an elevated area and we were down beneath them a little bit. And just that simple change, they looked bigger and grander than the way they looked to me now in this little tiny room eye to eye with us, right? So that just reminds me when you're speaking or in a meeting, you know, your environment really affects how people see you. And it's just, it's something that I didn't typically think about, but I'm really being conscious of now. Okay. So then there was this crazy experience that I had this week. All right. So I was hired to speak for Harvard. As you know, I was teaching at Harvard, but this is separate. This is a different division. I was hired to be a speaker for an event, June 23rd from Harvard. So this is work. working with a completely different group of people than who I was working with teaching. And so I get this note sent to me saying you need to set up your tech check call because it's a virtual speech. I'm not

going in person. The whole event is done virtually. And so I'm thinking, why do I need to do a tech check when I've been teaching there all year? Obviously, my tech is fine. I don't understand. So I tried to get out of it. They wouldn't let me. They scheduled me for an hour long tech check. And I'm thinking, who the heck? I've spoken for hundreds of companies all around the country in the past year virtually. And no one does a one-hour-long tech check, right? That's nuts. Here's why they're Harvard.

And this is something I want you to think about when you think about levels of excellence. And I hadn't thought about this previously. So I get on the call, I get on a Zoom, actually, with a guy from Harvard. He's in a suit, a full-blown suit. And he has me mapped out for a one-hour tech tech. check call. So immediately I say to him, wait a minute, pump the brakes. Why are you in a suit? And he says to me, this is Harvard. And there's just this level of excellence, this level of something other, it's other level, right? I haven't seen someone in a suit in a long time. So I said, well,

to that point, let me ask you a question. On the day of our event, should I wear a suit? He said, would you wear a suit if it was in person at Harvard? I said, I guess I probably would wear a dress or a suit. Yeah, I would. He said, then you need to do the same thing virtually. Super interesting to me because I have been much more casual this year than I've ever been in my life, ever been in my career because it's been a pandemic. But right away, he snapped me back to, okay, this is a different level of excellence. This is about the next level. This is Harvard.

So then he started with, and this was crazy. I had to share my screen, and he went in and checked. He ran an internet test on my computer to make sure the internet ran fast enough. He went and saw the storage on my computer to make sure I had enough space. He tested things that I didn't even know existed. The good news is I had just gotten a new computer, so he said I was in great shape. Then he tested my microphones. Then he had me change my microphones.

Then he told me I couldn't use my AirPods. He went through. Then he tested my lighting. I had to put my lighting. It was crazy. And here's what's so interesting. He said there is zero tolerance for any failure at Harvard. And I said, explains me what that means.

And he said the reason why we go through these massive tech checks, we will not allow for any error. If something were to go wrong and your internet goes down, I have to have a plan B, a backup so that anyone watching will have no idea something went wrong. And they have a team of people that are on each one of these keynote speeches. And I have to get on an hour early the day of to do this again, what I just did with him so they can double and triple check. He's sending me a kit to my home, a different microphone that he wants me to use, different lighting they want me to use. The level of excellence. It just made me think, you know, how often do we hold ourselves to that level or that standard? To him, it was crystal clear. This is Harvard. Yes, I wear a suit. Yes, we do a one-hour tech check. And yes, there is zero room for error and we will not have anything go wrong. So now that he's raised the bar on, me, I am going to dress much nicer than I would have. I am going to practice more. Right. I realize that this is another level. So, so crazy, knowing that I've been teaching there all year long and now seeing this different division and realizing the level of excellence and the standard they hold

themselves to. And now I'm going to push myself to that next level too. So I ask you this, what level or standard are you holding yourself to? And do you think it's time to go to that next level. Hold tight. I'm going to be right back. Okay, so I have gotten a question that I feel like I've answered this a million times, but I'm going to go ahead and answer it again. People are asking me how I landed Gary V. You know, how did you get Gary Vee on the show or how do you get these amazing guests on your show? This week, I had James Altucher on my show, which he is an amazing human being. We had a mutual friend. That's how I was able to meet him initially back in 2018 when my book launched. He had me on his show.

and then we became friends, and then I had him on my show, and now I had him again on my show because he's promoting a new book, which is freaking amazing, and you definitely want to check it out. And so if you haven't heard that episode yet this week, go back and listen to it. It just dropped, and he's an unbelievable guest. He's brilliant and just he's a wonderful person. Okay, that's that. Now, so back to Gary Vee.

People have been asking me about that. Here's the thing. For three years, I DM'd him. Three years. It wasn't like I reached out to Gary Vee and got him. For three years, I DMed him. Occasionally he'd respond or someone on his team would respond to me, right? And there'd be dialogue and then crickets. And so when I got serious about launching my show, I said, I've got to go

big. I want Gary V to be my first guest. So I made that decision. He was going to be my first guest. And I took out a Google alert on his name and take out Google alerts on things that you want to happen because it opens your eyes to what's happening in these people's lives. So I learned that he was launching a wine company with another man. And I figured, I bet this other guy's easier to get to than Gary Vee. So I got a hold of Trouty. This is the other man, his partner, and I sent him a DM and said, hey, I was in the wine business for a long time, did really well. I'd love to give you a couple of tips and tricks that I learned to help set you up for more success with your new company. He called me right away. We jumped on a call. We talked for about an hour. And at the end of the call,

he said, there's ever anything I can do for you, please let me know. And I said, sure, can you get Gary to be my guest on my show? And he started laughing. And that started the first. And that started process, right? So showing up and helping other people, well, first declaring that I'm going to make it happen, then taking out the Google alert, putting three years of effort and work into this, and then, you know, putting myself out there, reaching out to some guy I don't know, and offering to help and support him and add value to him in what's important to him and his initiative. That's how I got on the call. Call went great. And then he opened the door by saying, you know, how can I help you? And I capitalized on that. So it was a long process. But here's the thing.

and people get, they get frustrated or discouraged and they just walk away from things. I guess my top tip to you on this one is just don't give up. Keep going. Keep going over the obstacles. Stay focused on the solutions and stay focused on your goal. Never give up. Be relentless about whatever your goal is and you'll find it. That's exactly how I land my guess.

I'm relentless in my pursuit for them. I add value to them first. And if the door opens, I capitalize on it. And I hope you can do the same. Until next week, keep creating your confidence. You know I will be too. Please subscribe, rate, and review. It means a world to me.

Until next week, I got you with your confidence.