Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan - #453: Make Your Birthday A POWER PLAY With Heather!

Episode Date: August 14, 2024

In This Episode You Will Learn About:  Why you need to BET on YOURSELF to become the best version of you How to open doors you never knew existed by LETTING GO of control and going with the flow Why your birthday is the perfect time to reflect, reset, and SLAY your future goals How gratitude, reflection, and setting expectations can make you UNSTOPPABLE Incredible things happen when you EXPECT them Resources: Go to ro.co/confidence, and pay just $99 for your first month, then $145 a month after that. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/monahan Kajabi is offering a free 30-day trial to start your business if you go to Kajabi.com/confidence Get your KPI Checklist, absolutely free, at NetSuite.com/MONAHAN.  Want to do more and spend less like Uber, 8x8, and Databricks Mosaic? Take a free test drive of OCI at oracle.com/MONAHAN. Call my digital clone at 201-897-2553!  Visit heathermonahan.com Reach out to me on Instagram & LinkedIn Sign up for my mailing list: heathermonahan.com/mailing-list/  Overcome Your Villains is Available NOW! Order here: https://overcomeyourvillains.com  If you haven't yet, get my first book Confidence Creator Show Notes:  Birthdays aren’t just about cake—they’re your annual check-in for GROWTH and REFLECTION. Every year, you get the chance to look back, celebrate wins, and set new goals, turning these moments into pure EMPOWERMENT. Gratitude, reflection, and setting goals? That’s the secret sauce to becoming unstoppable. But as you are aiming for your dreams, never forget about self care. As we get older, self-care isn’t just important—it’s non-negotiable for leveling up your life. Ditch the toxic stuff, celebrate your journey, and make self-care your top priority. SELF-CARE ISN’T SELFISH—it’s your ticket to a happier, healthier you. So spill the tea—drop your best self-care tips in the comments! And let’s change our lives for the better, TOGETHER!

When I started podcasting, an online store was the furthest thing from my mind. Now I'm selling my group coaching on the regular and it is just so easy. All because I use Shopify. Come on this journey with me each week. When you join me, you're going to chase down our goals, overcome adversity and set you up for a better tomorrow. I'm ready for my closeup. Hi and welcome back. I'm so glad you're back here with me this week. Okay. So as you know,

I'm sure you've heard me talking about it on social media. I'm turning 50 this week, which is so wild. It's kind of bizarre, but I'm super excited. And a lot of people say to me, why do you tell people your age? Why wouldn't you like to me to hide something is like shameful. Like why would I feel bad about how old I am? I feel great about it. It's funny. I actually did a post on LinkedIn about this a week ago and I said something like, listen, some people say like, I look really good. I think I look really good.

I work super hard. I take really good care of myself. I've been working out every day of my life since I'm basically 10 years old. So for the last 40 years, I so invest in myself insanely, always have. Like I put myself first, I make myself a priority, right? I really, really am committed to being the best version of myself as much as I can be, right, on the daily. And it's a lot of work, yeah, and it's exhausting,

and it costs a lot of money, it takes a lot of time, and you know, it's not for everyone, I guess. But I am super proud of myself. Okay, so to say all of that, I did a post about it, and I was actually posting about how some people make it a negative if a woman's getting older, but it's often celebrated when a guy's getting older, right? Like guys get better looking as they get older. Like, you know, it's women are trying to hang on to their youth, blah, blah, blah.

Right. There's this like push and pull back and forth around it. And I'm like, heck no, I'm celebrating this. Like I'm super hyped. First of all, it's way better than the alternative, right? I'm so blessed and lucky to be alive. I'm so grateful I'm healthy and I'm super proud of who I am. And like, I'll tell you, I have more clarity now at this point in my life than I ever have before, right? Like I'm so sure of myself and so clear on where I'm going

and just excited for everything, right? It's just so good. Okay. And I gosh, there's been a lot of learning that's gone on, a lot of growth that's gone on the last five decades in this girl's life. OK, to all that. So I put that post up. The post did really, really well. Reached like a couple hundred thousand people. And I got a lot of hate messages.

It was wild. I laugh at this stuff like it it's entertaining because listen, the reality is this, and I've seen so much of this with the Olympics on, right. And so many professional athletes saying this, like, yeah, everybody's a hero from the internet hiding behind, you know, a screen and sending a DM and, you know, and can send nasty notes, but no one's doing that stuff in real life, right? Like no one's walking up to me at a restaurant and cussing me out, doesn't happen. It's just so funny.

It just speaks a lot to like who haters are. So keep that in mind if you get, you know, crazy messages sent to you. But I got a bunch of crazy messages. And it was funny, I got a few from guys saying like, oh, you're so full of yourself and this and that. And it's funny, like that's one person's perspective. Okay, that's for you. I I personally if I didn't like something that somebody created in

regards to content or a post I personally wouldn't take the time to like go find their profile send them a DM and tell them how much I don't like it I'd unfollow and move on like I wouldn't it's just I operate differently I guess you know hey whatever works for you. Definitely, I didn't respond to any of the messages that I got, but I did find it pretty entertaining and pretty funny that it definitely hit a nerve for some people.

But it goes back to this whole narrative around, women aren't supposed to talk about how old they are, or you're supposed to not feel proud of what you're doing or investing in yourself or taking care of yourself or how you look. I'm just going to be me, right? Like, I'm going to rock me and if it works for me, great. And if it doesn't work for you, like don't follow, don't feel the need to have to be there, right? Like it's please do you like do whatever works for you.

And we're so blessed to live in a free country where we get that opportunity to do that. So I'm going to keep living my life like that. And I hope you are too for sure, regardless of what anybody else says to you. Okay. So I have been talking a lot about what I've been learning. And one of the things that I've been thinking about, this is so wild because I just had the anniversary of my seven years of getting fired seven years ago last week, I got fired.

And it seems like seven years seems like a long time, but it doesn't seem like a long time ago week I got fired and it seems like seven years seems like a long time but it doesn't seem like a long time ago that I got fired like that was such an impactful big pivotal moment in my life right reflecting on that here's what I was thinking about that I would do differently or I learn from it like I'm just trying to think of something I can teach you that could be helpful for you is I was so full of fear. I was so full of worry. It was ridiculous. Literally like for at least the first year, if not first two years. I mean, completely. I was starting over as a beginner.

I didn't know how to do it. I didn't know what I was going to do. I didn't know how to write a book. I didn't know how to sell books. I didn't know how to start a speaking career. I didn't like, I didn't, I didn't know how to do any of these things, right? Like I was starting over, I went from being a C-suite executive, 25 plus years experience and expertise and a huge network to starting over at ground zero in a completely new industry and it was boom, hard, it was hard, right? So I figured it out. Here's the spoiler alert, I figured it out and you will figure it out too. But here's what I want you to know, when the spoiler alert. I figured it out and you will figure it out too.

But here's what I want you to know. When I look back, I wished I had had the knowing that I have now, which is it's always going to be okay. It's always going to work out for me. Like the dots will always connect. I'll work hard. I'll find the right people. I'll invest in myself. I've seen these movies before. Even though it might not be the same movie, right? Like I made it on the way up in media I started from nothing I started as a beginner

and I figured it out like I'll figure it out again having that faith having that knowing is everything right because you waste so much energy and I'm saying you I mean me I wasted so much energy putting my thoughts and feelings towards fear and worry, like preparing for the worst thing that could happen instead of putting my energy and attitude and feelings towards the greatest things that were going to happen, which would have meant I would have moved faster. Things would have been easier, right? Like I could have made it so much easier on myself.

So that's one of the things like that's a big takeaway for me that I've been reflecting on as I look back over the last decade. That's what I would do differently, which means that's what I'm going to do differently today. Anytime I catch myself feeling fearful, feeling worried, anticipating that's preparing for everything I don't want, eh, pump the brakes, not doing that anymore. That strategy does not work, right? And it was funny, my son was reading a Bible verse to me the other day about, you know, there's no need to worry and worry is waste.

And I just thought like, great point, thank you for bringing that to my attention because, you know, listen, we all have different times in our lives where we are worrying or things are really, you know, tough and we're going through difficult seasons and we can let that bleed into our life and become our norm. That is not the way to live, right? Like finding joy, finding things to celebrate, being grateful on the daily, praying, connecting to God, working out, taking care of yourself, spending time

with loved ones, like finding the joy, finding the good and focusing on those things, focusing on all the things that you want and understanding, having faith and a knowing that everything is working out for you. That is what I would do differently. That is what I'm doing differently now. And I'm so grateful that I have this knowing now. When I started podcasting, an online store was the furthest thing from my mind. Now I'm selling all my digital courses and coaching on Shopify. It's so easy all because I use Shopify.

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I'm a master in coaching people in the things I do, but I did not a master on any of this selling online. I'm a master in coaching people in the things I do, but I did not know how to convert it. Shopify is always sending me tips, tricks, articles, and offering different partners and solutions for me to improve my conversions, which means ultimately drive more revenue for my business and diversify my business. Thank you, Shopify. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US and Shopify is the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy's and Brooklyn and millions of other entrepreneurs of every size over across 175 countries.

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that's K-A-J-A-B-I dot com slash confidence. Kajabi dot com slash confidence, kajabi.com slash confidence, and join the creators and entrepreneurs who have made over $7 billion. Confidence creator, I ask you to try to find your passion. Gosh, it took a long time to get here, right? But it's about putting it in practice on the daily. It's about getting rid of negative people in your life

and surrounding yourself with positive people that uplift you. It's about getting rid of negative people in your life and surrounding yourself with positive people that uplift you. It's about doing work that really matters to you. Spending time doing things that feed you in a positive way, not tear you down. Right, like for a long time, as you know, I was in a work environment that was really toxic. So it's hard to focus on all the good

when you're feeling like you're barely getting by and you're panicked that you're gonna get fired and that this one's talking bad about you and stabbing you in the back. You start focusing on the negative. You start bringing about more negative. So fire your villains, get out of the negative work situation.

Like if you don't know what that big picture answer is, start taking steps now to build a side hustle, to invest in yourself, to like start the plan, whatever it is, but take action now. Don't wait and have a knowing that the more you move towards what your purpose and true passion are in life, the more the doors will open for you, the more momentum will be built, the better you're going to feel, the better energy you're going to put out there, better things will get.

So that's the big knowing that I have now. When I look back, done with worry, worry is planning for what you don't want and sticking with gratitude, sticking with joy, sticking with the vision for my future. And knowing, and also knowing this, I don't always know how it's gonna unfold, right? Which makes it so exciting. You don't know exactly what's gonna happen.

You just know it's gonna be good when you're moving in that right direction, when you're doing that next good thing, that next right thing. You just know more's gonna be good when you're moving in that right direction when you're doing that next good thing that next right thing You just know more good is coming and that oh my gosh It's like a joyful way to live it makes it exciting to get up every single day So I'm excited to be here with you today I hope you're excited to be here with me if you haven't left a review yet

Please do and please share the show with someone that you think might like it No one succeeds alone and that includes your girl right here. That could be your birthday present to me. I've had people messaging me, asking me what I want for my birthday. I would love it if you would share the show with other people, if you would leave a review of the show. If you haven't bought my books yet, please do. Oh my gosh, one of my dearest friends' daughter sent me a

note the other day and said, it's time for you to write another book. She's 10. And I was cracking up. I said, why do you say that? She's like, I've already read the ones you have. And she said, it's time for you to write another book. She's 10. And I was cracking up. I said, why do you say that? She's like, I've already read the ones you have. And she said, you could do anything you put your mind to, Heather.

And it was just so cute. It really encouraged me and made me think, gosh, this is a sign. I think I need to write my third book. I already know what it's gonna be called. I started working on Outline. I just haven't forced myself to do it yet. You ever have that, like there's something really big

and you know it's gonna take a lot of work and you're kind of just like waiting, like, oh, do I really wanna start this? Yeah, because you know, once you go down that rabbit hole, you're in it for a while. So I have been putting it off, but I have a feeling that might be one of the big things that's coming out of the 50th year, right?

Is the third book, The Trifecta. That would be exciting. What big thing are you working on this year? Right, you don't have to wait for 50 to accomplish some major goal. But you know, one thing that I wanted to share with you, I have this practice that I do with me and my son and like really anyone that I love in my life

that I spend time with is on birthdays, birthdays are a huge deal. My son was saying, he's like, mom, your birthday is like your most happiest holiday of the year. It really is. I love birthdays. I think they're so incredible because it's such like a great time to reflect, right, on who you are and being proud of who you are and like all you've accomplished and what you're going to accomplish and your vision for your future and what you're excited for. Like there's just so much good. So anyhow, so one of the things that I do, and I do

this religiously with my son, I do it with myself and I do it with my closest peeps, is take a moment at your birthday dinner to reflect on what you're proud of over the past year, right, the year that you're wrapping up, like what you're proud that you accomplished, what was exciting, what was surprising, you know, what were some of the tougher moments that you didn't know if you'd get through,

but you did get through, I'm like really setting yourself up for success on reflection of that last year and celebrating you and then looking forward to and casting that vision for that next year. Like what is to come? And you don't have to know, you know, this is one of the things that I've learned in the last seven years, as I left corporate America, you don't have to know exactly what that looks like. But like big picture, you know, what's your sense, right? Listen to your intuition and like, what are you feeling called to do, pulled to do? What's on your heart? And listen, there's plenty of partnerships and things that I thought

was going to happen over the last year that did not come to fruition. There's plenty of things that came out of left field like Saudi Arabia that I would have never expected when I was gonna go to Saudi Arabia and headline the largest tech conference in the world. I never thought that was coming and that happened. That's one of the most proud moments I have from my 49th year. So sometimes there's these unexpected massive things

that can happen and sometimes there are these things that you're so certain and sure are gonna happen and they don't. Right, so it's just being open to whatever is going to come forward and knowing, back to faith and knowing, having a knowing that no matter what it is, it's all working out for me, right? When one door closes, a better one gets opened. And we don't know what that next door is gonna be

that it's gonna be open. We don't know what that next door is gonna be, that it's gonna be open. We don't know what the redirection is. No, it's not rejection. It's a redirection to something so much better. It's just having that faith, that belief in that knowing that it's happening. And we don't need to know all the details and we can let go of the wheel, right?

Like you don't need to control everything, let it go. These are like the big lessons I wish I had known at 40, instead of just learning them at 50. I mean, am I the only one out there that's just learning this stuff? And why was it so hard for me? Do you ever feel like that? You're like, wait a minute, is this just tough on me?

I do think I'm getting a lot better at it, like anything with practice, with discipline, with intention, right? Like having a practice and intention daily, you know, whether it be your affirmations, whether it be your meditation, whether it be routines like the conversations you have with yourself, you're in your own head and speak to yourself more than anybody else in this world. Right.

Make that conversation so positive, so uplifting, so encouraging. Be your biggest cheerleader and encourager. Right. Like all of these things have ripple effect and it's just so powerful when you put them into place on the regular. Be disciplined about it, be intentional about it. Okay, so to that end, as I look back over my 49th year and I'm doing so many birthday dinners this month,

it's insane, I have so many people in town, I'm so blessed and so grateful and I love good people. When you show up for people you love, it means the world to them. Oh my gosh. It just, it makes me so, so happy and I know it's a pain and I feel bad for people flying all around the country to do it, but it means the world. Okay. Super grateful for my people and my team. So as I reflect back on 49 specifically,

one of the things I'm most proud of for sure, well, I ran my first mastermind ended during my 49th year and that was something new. It was like a new business model I had never done before, a new initiative, a new team that I had built. Super proud of how it went. I mean, literally my team members had incredible transformation,

accomplishments. One person left a marriage, one person left a job, one person sold a company, one person landed a TEDx, another one wrote a book, massive things that they accomplished, which is so cool. It's so important, the team that you run with, it greatly and profoundly impacts what you see as possible for yourself and the level at which you

hold yourself accountable to to deliver and make things happen. When you're on a team with professional athletes, you'll be running a lot faster than if you're working out with, you know, part time people who, you know, sometimes occasionally work out and sometimes don't, right? Like you raise the bar on yourself, run with a faster group, run with people who are ahead of you and you will push yourself further. So I'm super proud of that, but I will say like the biggest out of left field never saw it coming was the Saudi Arabia,

speaking in Saudi Arabia. The irony of all this, okay, that happened when I was 49. I never saw it coming, was completely shocked when I got the message that they wanted to hire me to go to Saudi and I wanted to say no, but I knew if I said no, I would be not growing.

I would be succumbing to fear, not to growth. And that's not who I am anymore, right? Like F that, forget that. Bye fear, bye in the rear view. And so I closed my eyes, hit yes, and was having panic attacks and freaking out. I was so nervous, so scared. And it was amazing, literally amazing. Nothing bad. I mean, it's a long flight.

I'm not going to lie about that, but other than that, the time zone change stinks. But once you get beyond that, incredible, best people. I've made the most incredible friends. I'm so connected now in the middle East. It's wild. I'm friends with the princess. Right? Like it's wild. I'm super grateful for the experience. And they hired me again to go back in February already. And then I'm working with them as a partner now,

connecting them to other speakers that I'm friends with to bring other, you know, US peeps over. And it's just, it's so cool to see in just a few months how things can change so drastically. When you step into fear, when you step into the unknown and you take on new challenges that you don't know if you're ready for. And I have lifelong friends now that I've made and I'm so hyped to go back in February. I cannot wait. I really can't wait. I'm so excited for it.

It's going to be incredible. So I guess the big takeaway for me, I'm 49 was be prepared for unexpected blessings and unexpected adventures because they are coming. Be open to it. Say yes when you get the call, even though you might be scared, even though you might be doubting yourself, even though you might have a lot of questions, you'll figure it out on the way. And I did. And you know, and I had no idea how I was going to do it, but it turned out so much better than I ever could have imagined. And I'm just so incredibly grateful for it. So incredible trip, incredible experience,

incredible friendships. And I'm hyped and can't wait to go back in February and help my career massively. That's what landed me on Tony Robbins stage as soon as I got back. Like just so many doors open for me as a result of it. It was incredible, right? So none of those things would have happened

if I didn't take the chance and jump on that flight and head to Saudi, not knowing what in the world I was walking into. So say yes, say yes. Okay. So that's from 49. That's probably like my big takeaway that I'm super proud of is that I did that. That was like, again, just really unexpected. And then, you know, another thing that I'm reflecting on turning 50, my health has been so good, right? And I, years ago when I got fired, right before I got fired, I threw my back out. I was like in traction for months.

I was in rehab, like my back was a disaster. I could barely walk for a couple of months. It was that painful. Again, it was all stress, obviously, like lack of sleep, stressing myself out about that toxic work environment. As soon as I was actually out of there, my back healed up and I've been fine since. And so if you are facing, you know, physical challenges, health challenges, really tap the brakes for a second and say, Hey, what's going off? Like what's something's

off the rails here? Like, what is it? For me, it was my work situation was a toxic work environment and relationships I was dealing with that work. Once those were removed, I got better so much faster, right? So figure out like where is a toxic situation in your life, pump the brakes on it, remove it, fire that villain, and let yourself heal and start taking care of yourself and make yourself a priority. Because I'll tell you just reflecting on the last year, I was healthier at 49 than I was at 43 when I got fired.

That doesn't make any sense, right? Like makes no sense, but it's true. I could barely walk at 43. Literally I was in that PT rehab place every single day. I mean electrical currents on my back. It was crazy. I was in to see surgeons. I mean, it was a lot, right? But the reality is this my body healed itself once I was out of the difficult negative situation and yours will too. So figure out what's negative, figure out what's not right and not aligned with you, cut it out, move into what does feel good for you,

make yourself a priority, get yourself enough rest, take care of yourself, invest in yourself and get better. So I'm really grateful. I'm really grateful that my 49th year I've been very, very healthy, right? And that's something that I wanna celebrate because I know what it's like to not feel healthy. I know what it's like to be in a lot of pain and gosh, I'm super grateful for that.

I love running. It's like one of my most favorite things to do. And I just feel super blessed that I can do it again, because at 43, I didn't think I'd ever be able to run again. Not crazy. Just six years ago, I didn't know if I'd ever be able to run again. And this girl be out running all the time. And it's so fun. Another thing that I want to share with you Sometimes we go through a hard time my son went through a really hard time during COVID and then a few years pass and we forget About it. I'm trying to remind myself and you let's not forget about it. So Meaning my 49th year my son did incredibly. Well, like he turned 17. He's driving

He did well in school. He's killing it in basketball, he has incredible friends, he has so much faith and incredible relationship with God and I'm so proud of him. He's so healthy, he's so disciplined with his eating, his working out, he has a vision board, he journals, he meditates, like he's such a good kid. I'm so, so proud of him. However, it was not always that way, right?

So I look back at COVID and oh my gosh, I basically shut down my business because I had to go all in and support my son. He was going through such a difficult time. And when I stop and think about that, oh my gosh, I'm so grateful. I am so grateful for where he was and where he is today, that growth, that the transition that I've seen in him,

the evolution to becoming the young man that he is today, I'm so proud of him. I was reading a letter that his advisor had written him from the end of last school year as we're preparing for school this week. He's going on my 50th birthday, August 14th, my son's first day of school. And so I was reading and getting the paperwork ready and I was just, I was feeling so proud of who he has become because it seems really easy now for him and it wasn't. It wasn't for a while, right?

So no matter who in your life is going through a tough time, it can change and it can change quickly. Have faith, right? Like do that next right thing, pray about it, support them, show up for them, pour into them. And when you do that, it's incredible what can happen. So, so grateful that my son is doing incredibly well because it wasn't always that way.

All right, so that was another thing I'm so hyped about about my 49th year. What else am I so hyped about? I mean, there's so many things, right? But those are some of like the big things that I've really just been reflecting on and feeling super grateful for. And then as I look forward to the next year, one of the things I've realized

is that I can no longer say this is what's going to happen and this is what's going to happen and this partnership's coming and I'm starting this company. Because every time I try to do that and control and lock everything up, it doesn't happen. Right? And then things like Saudi Arabia come out of left field that I had never planned for. So I'm trying to shift my thinking to be more big picture and say like, I know that my business is gonna keep flourishing. It's gonna keep growing exponentially, hockey stick trajectory taking off.

Like I seriously know this is the year it's gonna completely explode with your help, of course. And please share the show as we mentioned. Thank you. Okay, so to all of that, I'm not saying anymore that it has to be this way it has to be through this partnership it has to be through my speaking it has to be through a third book or whatever. I really want to surrender to God and God's plan and say whatever is the highest good for all please show me that way

whatever that may look like and it's taking the biggest stages in the US, I'm on it. I'm here for, I can't wait to impact people and connect with them and help them live their best life. That is like fires me up beyond anything. If it's doing more speaking in the Middle East or overseas, I'm hyped for that too, because I have a son now who's actually flourishing in his junior year in high school and is so much more independent than he used to be that I can travel

now where a couple years ago I couldn't. So it's just you know being open to whatever amazing and incredible opportunities decide to come up and of course I'm there are certain partnerships that I am pursuing that I've been pursuing there's talks that I've been in right there's a lot of different things that are always going on behind the scenes but I've been in. There's a lot of different things that are always going on behind the scenes, but I don't have to be desperate for one of them to work. And if there's red flags when I meet with people, I pull back.

Before I wanted to really force things like, this has to happen, this has to happen. And I've just learned that following the signs, following what seems to be working easily and coming together well, like, there's something good there, right? There's like, it feels right versus, wow, it feels like I'm forcing this, feels like it's not happening, it feels like we're butting heads. Maybe that's not the right fit, right?

And being open to that's okay, I'm going to be divinely led and I will know which direction to go in. I'll know which partnerships to ink or to walk away from. Right? I'll know which stages to take or not to. And just having that belief, having that faith and knowing and casting that vision for an incredible year, for so much success, spiritual, health, abundance, financially, right? Through partnerships, through new creations, whatever those may be, new brand partnerships, right? There's so many different things that I'm open to as long as it's going to be helping other

people, elevating others, you know, tapping into the teachings that I have available to me from my experience and my expertise in business and sharing that with other people, like making the world a a better place as long as I'm leaning in and doing those things working with good people on the daily I am so hyped for it I am so excited for it and going to new places and experiencing new things like Saudi Arabia you know just continuing to go on new adventures and be open to meeting new people and partnering with new people and and Just being open. That is really where I'm living right now.

And I wanted to, I'm gonna share with you real quick. I was thinking about this and I pulled out the papers for my son's birthday just a couple months ago. And he was saying what he was really proud of over the last year for him, this was over his 16th year, his expectations for basketball that he had have been delivered, right? Like he's very expectant, which is so important to have that confidence in knowing things are happening. He knew he would be here. He knew he would make the growth. You know,

he grew a lot. He's so disciplined, works out multiple times a day, practices every day for hours. I mean, he's just super committed. He did a great job in school and he wrote all that stuff down. Like, I did a great job in school. I am driving successfully. I am grateful for how far God has taken me. He wrote all these things down and taking ownership of that, super powerful. So it's an exercise I want you to try for yourself, for your loved ones. Own those things, own those victories. Those are yours. You should feel proud of them. That's freaking incredible. And then I wrote down some of the things that I'm super proud of him for the last year, and I'm so proud of how kind he is. He's such a kind, sweet kid. How he speaks truth to others,

how he speaks encouragement into others and love into others, and his relationship with God, and how much he reads the Bible, and how much good he does. Those are the things to me. And of course, his discipline with basketball and pursuing his passion, even though it is very challenging, like watching all of that makes me feel so proud. So it's just such a positive conversation you can have with someone you love when you sit down and reflect with them

on what you're proud of them for and what they're proud of. Right, and it's also a learning moment to cast that future vision for what's next for you. Okay, so then he had written for looking forward to 17, he was talking about, again, expecting what he's expecting for himself. So being expectant, it's all over the Bible. You got to see this, right?

Like you've got to be expecting it to happen. He wants to continue it to improve, continue to trust in God and where he takes him. Working towards college scholarships, working towards basketball for college, having fun in the summer, looking forward to his whole entire next year. I didn't know, but I have a good strong vision for my future. And so, just, gosh, watching that growth as he claims and owns these different visions for the next year and just steps into it and then is expecting for it and then achieves it and I don't know, it's all that builds upon the next thing and gives you more confidence that you

can do that next thing and can do that next hard thing and can get through that next challenge, right? Is really writing these things down so you can go back and reflect on them. Highly, highly, highly encourage it. If you're like me, then you are getting so hyped for fall dressing now that fall is right around the corner. I'm so thrilled to hear from one of our favorite sponsors, Jenny Kane. They are the experts in classic elevated wardrobe essentials, especially iconic and super luck sweaters. Jenny Kane is a California brand

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then you are getting so hyped for fall dressing now that fall is right around the corner. I'm so thrilled to hear from one of our favorite sponsors, Jenny Kane. They are the experts in classic elevated wardrobe essentials, especially iconic and super luck sweaters. Jenny Kane is a California brand through and through, and their staples make getting dressed effortless. Think minimalist and refined with pieces like cozy cashmere sweaters and noteworthy accessories to elevate versions of your everyday basics. Jenny Kane has everything you need to take

the guesswork out of getting dressed, not to mention the most incredible home essentials, too. Their sweaters are the quintessential must have item and I'm eagerly stocking up on all their transitional units and fall ready basics like the cashmere cocoon cardigan. The cocoon is the perfect cardigan. It's oversized, super soft and goes with everything. Find your new uniform at jennikane.com. Our listeners get 15% off your first order when use code

Confidence 15 at checkout. That's 15% off your first order J E N N I K A Y N E E.com promo code confidence 15 Let getting dressed be one of the things that you worry much less about embrace yourbrace your summer aesthetic with Jenny Kane. Find your new uniform at jennikane.com. 15% off with your first order. That's code, confidence 15 at checkout. Confidence created. I asked you to try to find your passion. Okay, so I am going to be going through this experience

with one of my dearest friends, Nikki, and my son, Dylan. Actually, we are having like a little tiny dinner, just the three of us in a really special place. And we're going to go through this exercise together and I'm super hyped to do it. I love doing things like this. It's so, so fun. Okay. So a few years ago, maybe this was eight years ago or maybe seven and a half years ago.

It was right before I got fired. It was like two weeks before I got fired. I was on a work trip in LA. My son was with me. So Nikki came, Nikki lives in San Diego. Nikki came to LA to help me with my son so that I could be at work during the day. And we were staying in this incredible hotel in LA, the three of us, and we were there for like, I don't know, four days maybe. And so during the day, those two would go out around L.A. and my son loves sneakers and like, you know, all the kind of kid stuff that you could imagine.

So L.A. for him was like incredible. So they had the most incredible time. My son ended up winning a $2,000 pair of sneakers at some store. It was like the most hype best day ever. Of course I was at work the whole time and I was just getting text updates from them but I was so excited for them. It was so so cool. Anyhow, I get back to the hotel. They were already back in the hotel and it was like mayhem at the hotel. I actually wrote about this in my first book, Confidence Creator. There's a

chapter on this. And so I get back to the hotel. It's mayhem and I'm like what is going on in here? And I say to someone at the hotel and they said, oh, Justin Bieber's staying here. And I said, oh, gosh, this is crazy. I mean, it was literally like thousands of people out. It was insane. I could barely get in the hotel. And I thought, well, this is a pain. You know, I don't like this at all. But of course I get up to the hotel room and my son is freaking out. I think he was like, what was he 10 at the time? Nine or 10? And he says, Mom, I gotta see Justin Bieber. I gotta see Justin Bieber. Now he had met Justin Bieber before at a concert. I had, cause I was in the music

business. So I'd had him, you know, get an autograph and do a picture with him, whatever. But he wanted to hang out with Justin Bieber. And so I said, okay, I was a little irritated. I had just gotten home from work. I was starving and we were supposed to be eating dinner in the hotel, but there was no way we were staying in the hotel now. It was insane. Like literally people going crazy. So I was on the balcony. I was looking outside at all the insanity. And I thought to myself, hmm, think Heather, like if you're Justin Bieber, where would you be? And I thought to myself, I bet he's not even here.

I bet he left because this place is crazy. Right. So I said to my son, I think he probably left because I wanna leave, you know, it's insane here. Why don't we go across the street and go to one of these restaurants, you know, down the street and just like reconvene over there and talk about maybe what a plan can be to find Justin Bieber.

Okay, he was kind of bummed out because he's like, I really wanted to stay in the hotel and wait for him. I'm like, I just, I don't think that's gonna work. So we just left with a good attitude, being super positive, Nikki, me and Dylan. And we went into this really nice restaurant, walked in. I didn't have a reservation.

I went up and I was like, listen, oh my gosh, I'm staying across the street. We were supposed to be eating at my hotel, but it's complete insanity over there because of Justin Bieber. And I just, I can't take it. Please tell me there's some way you can sit me my son and my good friend I would mean the world to me. I know we don't have a rez blah blah blah He started laughing. He's like, well, how about I sit you right next to Justin Bieber? I said, oh my gosh

You're kidding me my kid will freak and so he looked at my kid and he said listen You cannot speak to him. You cannot touch him. You can't do anything. Let him eat his food. But if he's not at the table or he's leaving, you could say something to him, but let him be when he's sitting at the table and eating. Don't bother him.

My son said, I swear, I promise. And so they sat us right next table to Justin Bieber and his security guard. We had dinner. My friend, Nikki and I, of course, forgot he was sitting there and we were just like laughing and having a great time. My son did not move, did not eat a piece of food the whole time. He was like eyes locked on Justin Bieber and it was so cute. Justin Bieber got up to go to the bathroom at some point and remember the host had said if he's not at the

table you could go talk to him. My son didn't say a word to me or Nikki. He beelined out of there and went right to the bathroom, right behind Justin Bieber. You know, he saw an opportunity and he went for it. And I was so proud of him. I guess what had happened was in the men's room, he had said to him, hey, can we do a selfie? And Justin said, I can't do selfies right now because I don't want the paparazzi to see me.

I don't want to be snapping pics, but I will give you a hug. And I guess he gave him a hug and was like, thank you for, you know, listening to my music. He's super nice to my son, right? But understandably, he had literally thousands of people chasing after him. He didn't want to, you know, be taking pictures outside with people. So moral of the story is this. One, I get so hyped around when me, Nikki and Dylan are together because always incredible things happen and who knows what incredible things gonna happen this week. I'm so so excited for it. But also it's like the energy that you put out there is what comes back to you, right? So we could

have sat in the hotel that day and cried about not knowing where Justin Bieber was or we could take a breath and say, okay, where do you think we should go right now? What can we do that's fun? What can we do that? Yeah, we're sad that we're not gonna be eating in the restaurant with Justin Bieber, but let's put it out there, good vibes, and let's go for something different. And then look what happens. You walk into a restaurant and Justin Bieber sitting at that restaurant. So you never know.

Stay in good energy, stay positive, and stay focused on what could be possible, because you never really know what is. So that's my birthday message for you this week. Yeah, Wednesday, August 14th, turning five. Oh, and so I'm doing a special deal. 50% off my group coaching program. You can see the link in the show notes below. 50 for 50, you're getting 50 off because I've turned it 50.

I'm so hyped about it. I would love to hold you accountable to help you achieve your goals and get you on a team running with people who are running faster than you to get you moving towards your goals today, this month and next month. Take 50 off for 50. I can't even believe I'm turning 50.

This is a trip. Okay, until next week, keep creating your confidence. You know I will be. I'm gonna make it my own again. I decided to change that dynamic. I did my best. I couldn't be more excited to pour what you're gonna hear. Start learning and growing.

Inevitably something will happen. No one succeeds alone. You don't stop and look around once in a while. You could miss it. I'm on this journey with me. What's up everyone? I'm Hala Taha, host of YAP Young and Profiting Podcast, a top 10 entrepreneurship podcast on Apple. I'm also the CEO and founder of the YAP Media Podcast Network, the number one business and self-improvement podcast network.

That's why they call me the podcast princess. On Young and Profiting Podcast, I interview the brightest minds in the world, offering actionable advice to level up your life. I've interviewed marketing legends like Gary Vee and Seth Godin, serial entrepreneurs like Alex Hermosy and Damon John, and even the godmother and godfather of AI,

Fifi Lee and Stephen Wolfram, respectively. I've interviewed so many inspiring guests and I don't really like to put my podcast in a box. We talk about anything that will improve your life as an entrepreneur. I tend to talk a lot about brand, marketing, sales strategies and better understanding psychology and human behavior to get what you want.

But we also cover things like balance, biohacking and mental wellness and of course, hot topics like AI. One thing my listeners always say is that my podcast is highly motivational. If you want to get pumped up and take your life and business to the next level, come listen, learn, and profit with the YAP fam. We're young and profiting not because of our age, but because we're committed to ongoing learning and self-improvement. So join Podcast Royalty and subscribe to YAP Young and Profiting on Apple, Spotify, or

wherever you listen to your podcasts.