Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan - OVERCOME Your Villains With Heather! Episode 156

Episode Date: October 13, 2021

In This Episode You Will Learn About: Overcoming Your Villains, as I read to you the first couple chapters of my new book, still available for Pre-order NOW! The powerful and proven 3-step process... to overcome ANY adversity in YOUR life! Rebuilding your confidence to find success and happiness on your own terms  How to discover your worth and be true to yourself against all odds  Who the villains are in your life and how to leapfrog right over them!  Resources: 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!  To pre-order Overcome Your Villains NOW and get the bonus bundle click here: https://overcomeyourvillains.com Show Notes: Today you get a sneak peek behind the curtain that no one else gets access to! You get to hear me narrate my new book before you can even buy it! Well the first 2 chapters anyway! Overcome your villains and achieve your goals by believing in yourself and your experiences. It is easy to let obstacles get in our way and throw us off our path, but when we face challenges head on and learn to adapt we can come out even STRONGER! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 When there's a penalty on the field, referees are there to sort it out. When there's an accident on the road, Sergeant Lindros, I'm glad you're okay. That's where USAA steps in. We help make the claims process easy, so drivers can get back on the road fast. Making the right calls, that's what we're made for. USAA
Starting point is 00:00:21 Membership eligibility and product restrictions apply in our subject to change. USAA means United Services Automobile Association and its affiliates. San Antonio, Texas. This episode is brought to you by Snapple. Want to taste the flavoriest flavors to ever flavor? Snapple is ridiculously flavorful, and you can uncap a Snapple real fat with every bottle, like, cows produce more milk when they listen to music. Come on, leave the ridiculousness to Snapple, and grab one of your favorites that pack a punch. Explore all of the delicious flavors at snapple.com. I'm on this journey with me. Each week when you join me, we are going to chase down our goals.
Starting point is 00:01:05 Overcome adversity and set you up for a better tomorrow. After no sleep, I'm ready for my close-up. Hi, and welcome back. I'm so glad you are here. OK, this is going to be a little different. You know, I'm always trying to innovate and do something different. I need your feedback as always. Let me know what you think.
Starting point is 00:01:26 Okay, if you've been listening to the show for a while, you know that I auditioned. First of all, Harper Collins leadership made me audition to be Heather Monahan. Isn't that weird? I think it's weird. I feel that the author of a book should have to do the audible version, right?
Starting point is 00:01:46 You wrote it. Why can't you read it? Well, super interesting. I guess that's not the case when you go the traditional publisher route. You have to audition to be yourself. So bizarre. Okay. So, backstory is I got really nervous right before and I text Kendra Hall who she did the
Starting point is 00:02:06 audible version of her book, Stories That Stick, I've had her on the show, she's amazing. And I said, what advice can you give me? I don't know what to do, they're not, they didn't give me any advice. And she said, just be yourself and don't go too fast. Right. So greatest advice ever. And I love that she gave that to me and that she helped me out when I needed it. And she was right, just be you. So once I read that, I said, forget it. I'm just clicking record and I'm going to just read it. And so I just read a couple of chapters. I uploaded it and a couple days later, I heard back I got to be, I'm Heather Mondigan. Yay! Wow! Okay, super exciting. But then be careful what you work so hard for because then you might get it.
Starting point is 00:02:47 And now I had to record the audible version, which I actually don't mind doing. It's not very different than recording a podcast, right? You're talking into a mic. And it is weird reading your own book because you worked so hard over such a long period of time to create it and now you're just going through it. It's it's sort of a surreal experience but I'm super grateful I was given the opportunity and I think I don't want to say I think I know you're gonna love it. I believe it came out so good and here's why.
Starting point is 00:03:19 They allowed me instead of going to the cookie cutter place recording studio place that I didn't want to go to, they let me record with one of my old producers from the radio business who I've known for years, and who did my first audio book for Competence Creator with me. And so I feel safe with him. I trust him. He cares so much. He's just, he's a great person, shout out to Scotty. If you're listening, I'm so grateful for you. And it was an amazing experience.
Starting point is 00:03:47 I'm so grateful it came together the way it did. Okay, and I kept asking my point of contact at Harbor Cones, hey, can I have some creative flexibility with the audio book? I really liked how David Goggins did his. And you know, at the end of each chapter, he gives behind the scenes and he takes it into real time not just what the actual hard copy book is like, right?
Starting point is 00:04:11 It's different. There's more to it and she said yes. So I just can't wait for you to hear it. I'm so proud of it. I can't wait to hear it. I'm super excited. I don't even know when I get to hear it. That's what's so weird about doing a book with a traditional publisher. You don't find out all that much information until after the fact, okay. So here's what I'm going to do today. I'm going to read the first couple of chapters for you to one, give you a little insight and peak into overcome your villains. If you haven't pre-ordered it yet, get it now because you can still get the $500 bonus bundle for free when you get it. Go to OvercomeYourVillains.com.
Starting point is 00:04:50 Right now! Okay, so I'm going to read you the first couple chapters. However, when I did the audiobook version at the end of every chapter, I just rift. And I would just talk about what I thought about that chapter, what was really happening behind the scenes when I wrote that chapter, what I meant. I don't even really know what I said, but just kind of whatever came to me, you know, I just spoke my mind. I'm super excited to hear that part too. Okay, so here we go, we are going to, this is now that I'm completely done with the audiobook, by the way.
Starting point is 00:05:22 I just finally finished super grateful it's done. And this is the first time I'm completely done with the audio book, by the way. I just finally finished Super Great Pulls Done. And this is the first time I'm reading my book since I did the audible version. Whoa! Okay, so weird that I'm even an author, much less so weird, this is my second book, the whole thing's weird. Okay, just know this.
Starting point is 00:05:38 Anything is possible. That's what I want you to know, right? Because I can't believe not only did I write one book, but now I wrote two, and not only did I write them, I've done I wrote two, and not only did I write them, I've done the audible versions, and they're good, they're really good, and I'm super proud. So anything's possible for me,
Starting point is 00:05:52 anything is possible for you. Okay, here we go, overcome your villains, chapter one, a new me. I got fired. Three words I never imagined, I would say. Three words I was imagined I would say. Three words I was too embarrassed to say to my family and friends. Three words that changed my life forever. In ways I had no way of predicting. Some people describe being fired as a humbling experience. That's not how I would describe it. Maddening, shocking, psychotic.
Starting point is 00:06:26 Those are all words that instantly come to mind when I look back on that awful moment. And what made it all that and more was how it all went down. It might be a little easier to understand if I give you some backstory first. I grew up poor. My childhood was not one that I like to sit around
Starting point is 00:06:44 and reminisce about. In some ways, this has been a blessing because I learned to be driven, like no other. But in other ways, this has been a holdback for me. For much of my life, I was driven to chase a paycheck more than anything. All I knew was I didn't want to be poor. I didn't want to struggle. I didn't want the kids I dreamed I would have someday to grow up in a trailer like I did. That feeling of standing in the grocery check-out line and realizing you would have to put back half of the items on the belt because you didn't have
Starting point is 00:07:14 enough money paying me. Oddly, some people would have no problem with that. For some reason, however, when it happened to me, it ripped my heart out. The shame I felt thinking others were looking down on me, realizing I couldn't buy what I wanted and had to operate differently was long-lasting. Once you feel like that, there's a really good chance you will do anything in your power to never feel that way again. And that's exactly how I responded. Working my way up. I started delivering newspapers at 10 years old, then busing tables at a diner,
Starting point is 00:07:50 then working the front counter and drive through window at a fast food restaurant, then waiting tables, and eventually bartending my way through college. My dream was to graduate and join a sales team. To be completely honest, I didn't just dream of joining a sales team. I desperately wanted to join a sales team, I desperately wanted to join a sales team. Not because I felt a passion or excitement to work for a business, but because I quickly
Starting point is 00:08:11 learned that the owners of the nicest cars in the parking lot were our slung drinks were always sales people. They were the ones who left the biggest tips. They were the ones who had the nicest houses. They were the ones who had enough money to. They were the ones who had enough money to buy the most expensive suits, dresses, and shoes, and they never had to put their groceries back. I joined a top winery sales team as soon as I graduated, and I flat out worked everyone. Even the old timers. It didn't take long before I became the top salesperson, and I was promoted
Starting point is 00:08:43 to brand manager. It also didn't take long after getting promoted that my new boss started sexually harassing me. I was too afraid to take on the company, too afraid to fight for what I knew was right, so I quit. I aggressively put myself out there looking for another sales job while bartending on a side. At a networking event, a couple of weeks later, I met a man who stood out from the rest of the crowd, and I decided to chat him up. He told me I should go to work for him, and I told him he wouldn't be able to afford me. When he asked me how
Starting point is 00:09:15 much I expected to be paid, I told him $75,000. Never imagining he would pay anyone he just met at a networking event, that kind of salary. You start in the morning, he told me. I was, of course, excited by the stroke of good fortune. I walked into the event a part-time bartender and walked out newly employed with a 75k salary. What I didn't realize at the time was that I had left a lot of money on the table. I had undersold myself.
Starting point is 00:09:43 This was something I would do again many times in my career. When you don't see your own worth, others won't see it either. People pay you what you believe you are worth. I later learned that this man was worth millions of dollars and he sought potential in me. I quickly became his top seller, and he grew me to become his partner. In my early 20s, I moved myself across the country to take his $25 million property and turn it into a $55 million property in just under three years. I finally had some money. I had established a reputation for generating revenue like few others in the industry. Still, I wasn't satisfied.
Starting point is 00:10:28 Growing up poor had let a fire in me that grew and grew until it consumed me. I needed more revenue, more room for growth, a higher ladder to climb, a bigger salary, more commission. I took my cash and my reputation and moved to Florida to go to work for a publicly traded radio company. It was a bigger company than the one that I had been working at with more revenue and
Starting point is 00:10:51 far more upside. I pitched myself for a job that didn't exist and was awarded VP of sales. Based on my performance, I was quickly promoted two more times and ultimately named Chief Revenue Officer. I was one of only two women on the executive team and I was as proud as I could be. I had finally arrived. There was just one problem.
Starting point is 00:11:15 The other woman on the executive team seemed to despise me and she was the CEO's daughter. Instead of engaging this woman in battle, I decided to ignore the office politics and focus on growing revenues, which I did by leaps and bounds. When I started at the company, we were billing 100 million annually.
Starting point is 00:11:37 Two and a half years later, after I was named Chief Revenue Officer, that number had doubled to more than 200 million annually. Much of this increase was the direct result of my own effort. I had the house, the car, the clothes, the cushion of cash in my bank account. I had made my dream come true. I had it all. And then I was fired.
Starting point is 00:12:00 In an instant, I went from being the hero who had more than doubled the company revenue, had won countless awards, had been promoted three times, and had just been named one of the most influential women in radio three weeks earlier. This was not a humbling experience. This was a horrific moment that left me under a weighted blanket with a bottle of shard and ae attached to my wrist. This was the lowest of the lows of my life. A grown-up version of getting your heart broken in high school.
Starting point is 00:12:30 You thought you had it all figured out. You were so happy on top of the world. Only to find out you were fooling yourself all along. That was exactly it. I have been fooling myself. National security experts are warning. Our aging power grid is more vulnerable than ever. January marked a third time a power station in North Carolina was damaged by gunfire. Authorities are saying the attack raises a new level of threat.
Starting point is 00:12:56 Authorities are now checking our grid for vulnerabilities. They've identified nine key substations. If these substations are attacked, power could be knocked out from coast to coast for up to 18 months. Imagine a black outlasting, not days, but weeks or months, your life would be frozen right in time, right when the power goes out. That's why having your own solar power is more important than ever. With the Patriot Power Generator, you get a solar generator that doesn't install into your house, because it's portable. You can take it with you, even use it inside. But it's powerful enough for your phones, medical devices, or even your fridge.
Starting point is 00:13:27 And right now, you can go to FordPatreots.com and use code Confidence to get 10% off your first purchase on anything in the store, including the Patriot Power Generator. You'll also get their famous guarantee for an entire year after your order. Plus, free shipping on orders over $97, and a portion of every sale is donated to charities who support our veterans and their families. Just go to fourpatriots.com and use code confidence to get 10% off. That's fourpatriots.com and use code confidence
Starting point is 00:13:56 to get yours today. If your business earns millions or tens of millions of revenue, stop what you're doing and take a listen because NetSuite by Oracle has just rolled out the best offer we've ever seen. NetSuite gives you the visibility control you need to make better decisions faster. And for the first time in NetSuite's 22 years
Starting point is 00:14:14 as the number one cloud financial system, you can defer payments of a full NetSuite implementation for six months. That's no payment, no interest for six months. And you can take advantage of this special financing offer today. NetSuite is number one because they give your business everything you need in real time, all in one place to reduce manual processes, boost efficiency, build forecast, and increase productivity across every department.
Starting point is 00:14:38 Now, listen, the importance of having all this information in one place to make better decisions is unprecedented. The offer net suite is giving you is unbelievable and it's making it all possible for you to have it. Now, 33,000 companies have already upgraded to net suite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, e-commerce, and more. If you've been sizing net suite up to make the switch, then you know this deal is unprecedented. No interest, no payments, take advantage of the special financing offer at NetSuite.com.
Starting point is 00:15:11 Slash Monahan. NetSuite.com. Slash Monahan. To get the visibility and control you need to weather any storm. NetSuite.com. Slash Monahan. All the while that woman was hating me and nursing her apparent desire to eradicate me from the company, you see, when her father became ill and needed to step down a CEO, he elevated his only daughter to the position of interim CEO. And she tortured me. I can't lie, the way this villain treated me made me feel miserable. But I refused to buckle, I wouldn't let her get the best of me. I refused to show any weakness. Here's just one example. I would be sitting in the conference room, usually the only other woman in the room, surrounded by male colleagues, as the villain would walk in. She would go up to each
Starting point is 00:15:58 person at the table, one by one, saying hello, and even hugging some. then she would walk right by me as if I didn't exist. Those days were tough. They were tough because by ignoring me, she was signaling to everyone else that I didn't matter. I was invisible. This feeling of being ignored really got to me and it became worse over time. And every time I allowed this to occur, I could feel her getting stronger as I got weaker. I was like Alice in Wonderland, shrinking away to nothing after taking a swig from a bottle labeled, drink me.
Starting point is 00:16:35 I hated that feeling that I didn't exist. Things have gotten so bad that the night before I knew she was gonna be in a big meeting with me, I would start to panic. What would I do when she would ignore me again? I desperately needed my paycheck so I couldn't do what I most wanted to do. Tell her off. What could I do?
Starting point is 00:16:56 What I hadn't realized was that allowing her to continue to ignore me was not only shipping away at myself confidence, it was building hers. And all the other executives and managers could see it. The rest of the team looked at me differently. Everyone had always seen me as a tremendously confident, high performer, but I was starting to shrink in front of their very eyes. I was becoming nothing.
Starting point is 00:17:23 I finally had enough of this game. I decided that while I couldn't tell her off, I could make sure she and everyone else in the meeting knew I was there. To get ready for this moment, I practiced exactly what I was going to say in the mirror at home. The morning of the meeting, I picked a red outfit, a power color that allows me to feel my best, did my hair, took some extra time to look good, because I knew it would turn myself confidence up just a notch. I wanted to stand tall and exude confidence, and with all my preparations complete, I knew I would.
Starting point is 00:17:56 I had reached a point where nothing was worth allowing me to feel like a B-rate version of myself. I wasn't nothing. I had delivered millions of dollars worth of business to the company for years. I deserved to be seen and heard. To put the icing on my confidence cake, I played my fire me up playlist as I drove to the office.
Starting point is 00:18:16 I showed up to the meeting and chatted everyone up. Many people complimenting me on my dress. I smiled, thank them, it was game on. Then, in came the interim CEO, my new boss, the villain. She walked from person to person as she always did and passed by me as she always did. She sat at the head of the table where she always sat. That's when I made my move. I raised my hand and said, good morning, you must have missed me. I'm down here excited to be here. I gave her a big smile and a wave. I wasn't being mean or disrespectful, but in that moment,
Starting point is 00:18:52 I was building my confidence, and I could see that hers was being chipped away. The reality is that in any moment, you are either building your confidence or chipping away at it by the actions you take or don't take. If my new boss had wanted to build her confidence back, she could have said something like, good morning Heather, thank you for understanding. That wasn't intentional. Glad you're here. Now let's begin the meeting. But she didn't say anything. She hadn't seen that one coming. I saw a few of them men at the table shoot glances to one another, and I even saw one of them trying to hold back his laugh. I had let it be known, loud and clear, I would no longer be ignored.
Starting point is 00:19:35 That was it. The game ended right then and there, or so I thought. Looking back, I believe this was the moment when the villain decided to get rid of me for good. Within a few months, I believe this was the moment when the villain decided to get rid of me for good. Within a few months, I was gone. I'm sure you know the saying, when one door closes, another door opens. That's not how I saw it. I was in a total panic.
Starting point is 00:19:55 My source of income had been suddenly and irrevocably cut off. Not only that, I had signed a non-compete agreement when I became chief revenue officer, which prohibited me from taking a position with a competitor for one year after leaving the company. This meant that I couldn't leverage my vast network of connections in the industry. For the next year, I would have to find some other way to generate income. And I needed income. There's another part of the story I neglected to tell you. When I was fired, I was a single mom with a 10-year-old son, Dylan. While you may be expendable, you are never replaceable.
Starting point is 00:20:35 There's no one else in the universe like you. I didn't realize this at the time, but today, as I write these words, it is crystal clear. You have the ability and opportunity to take your unique skills and attributes wherever you want. Just because you've been successful in one lane doesn't mean that you can't succeed in another. Getting fired was painful and heartbreaking. That day, I truly felt like I had lost everything. What I didn't realize was that while they could take away
Starting point is 00:21:04 my paycheck, everything else stayed with me. No one can take your reputation, your experiences, your network, and your talents. No one is replaceable. The scariest thing I did was deciding not to go back to corporate America and work for another company. Instead, I decided to go to work for myself. I would take all the success I had earned for others and use that success instead to ensure the future of my son and me. Sitting here right now, I still can't believe I did it.
Starting point is 00:21:37 While I love the security, my steady paycheck provided, I hated the way it made me feel. I wasn't living up to my potential and I certainly wasn't happy. I was simply surviving, hoping my boss would finally recognize my worth, and leave me alone to do what I did best. But that's no way to live. To find your true calling in light, you need to be willing to take risks and put yourself on the line. This may mean escaping your box by jumping out the window and realizing you've got wings and that they will open when you need them most. I think we all intuitively know this is the case, but sometimes we have to be pushed out
Starting point is 00:22:19 the window to discover our wings have been there all along. Making the decision to sit alone instead of sitting at a table where you are not supported is not easy, but it will be worth it. There's a little more to the story about that day. When my new boss fired me, she slid two different papers in front of me. One memo simply read, Heather Monehan has been terminated. The other memo was much longer, and it said something to the effect of Heather Monehan, had a wonderful career. The company sadly decided to resign and pursue other interests.
Starting point is 00:22:56 The company is so supportive and happy for her. We wish her well blah blah blah. She also had a stack of papers behind the two memos. She explained that I could pick whichever memo I wanted to sign, but if I signed the long memo and the stack of papers behind it, she would be handing me a check as a parting gift. If I instead decided to sign the one line memo and leave that stack of papers unsigned, I would get nothing. After years of countless flights, work trips, leaving my son behind with babysitters and now being treated terribly by this woman,
Starting point is 00:23:33 I knew that she was getting a tremendous amount of pleasure from this final opportunity to twist the knife she'd already stabbed deep in my back. I'm certain she was convinced I would sign the long memo and take the big check. Not today, villain. I pushed both pieces of paper back across the desk at her and I said, I didn't write these memos so I won't be signing either one of them. I'm not sure what you're trying to pull here, but if that is all you've got, I'm leaving. In that moment, the entire dynamic in the room changed. What the villain didn't know was that I was finally more driven to respect myself than I was to take the money.
Starting point is 00:24:15 At that moment, I was no longer the little girl who had grown up poor without the things the other children in my school had. I was no longer the young girl who had to put back groceries on the shelf because she didn't have enough money to pay for them. I was no longer the career woman who always put my company's needs before the needs of myself and my family. That was a pivotal moment for me, the turning point in my life that sent me down and entirely new path. turning point my life that sent me down and entirely new path. As I stood up from that table, I watched as my boss's face turned beat red. She may have won the battle, but she had lost the war. When I stood up for myself that fateful day,
Starting point is 00:24:57 I sent myself up for finding success and happiness on my own terms, not on someone else's. But that success would not come overnight. There was much work to be done. And there was that little thing about not having a paycheck. As I drove home from the office that last time, I didn't know how I was going to pay the mortgage for my condo, make the payments for my son's school, or take care of my other bills. But I knew that I had what I needed to figure it out. That day, that woman thought she'd fired me, but I had actually just fired my
Starting point is 00:25:31 villain. When you fire your villain, you set yourself up to take off. That's what this book is all about. In the pages that follow, I'll reveal to you the lessons I learned after I was fired, and how I used what I learned to rebuild my confidence and find the kind of success that we all dream of having in our lives. If you're struggling with swelling in your legs, ankles, or feet, you're going to want to listen up. Forget your compression socks and water pills.
Starting point is 00:25:59 New research shows that swelling and inflammation can be resolved by upping your intake of omega-3 fatty acids from krill oil. Omega-3s improves circulation while lowering inflammation on the body, all while reducing swelling and pain. And there's no better time to try krill oil for yourself. Just go to fixswornfeed.com slash confidence to get 58% off native path and Arctic krill. confidence to get 58% off native path and Arctic curl. This curl oil is pure, effective and easily absorbed into the body. And it contains a potent antioxidant, which helps further reduce inflammation and swelling. For a limited time, you can grab native path and Arctic curl oil for as low as $23
Starting point is 00:26:39 a bottle. Just go to fixwollenfeet.com slash confidence. Say you have a business idea, but you're not sure what to do Just go to fixwollenfeet.com slash confidence. University podcast is hosted by Justin and Tara Williams, who started their business from square one and now have years of valuable experience. They hit lows and dug themselves out of debt, and want to share the lessons they've learned with aspiring entrepreneurs. You don't need a degree to succeed. Millionaire University will teach you everything
Starting point is 00:27:17 you need to know. From specifics like how to start a software business without creating your own software, to more broad topics, like eight businesses you can start tomorrow to make 10K a month. In each episode, you'll get insights from entrepreneurs and mentors who know what it takes to be successful. So don't wait. Now is the time to turn your business idea into a reality by listening to the millionaire university podcast. New episodes drop every Monday and Thursday.
Starting point is 00:27:47 Find the millionaire university on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast. You know that fresh produce is the best produce. That's why at Crogr, we invest in local farmers to bring you seasonal picks that taste fresh from the farm good like sweet corn, refreshing watermelon and juicy peaches. So whether you're a delivery lover, a picker-upper, or you shop in store, your local produce always tastes 100% fresh or you get a 100% refund guaranteed. Croger, fresh for everyone. I'll show you how to identify the villains in your life and leapfrog right over them, leaving them in your rear view. My goal is to help you wake up excited about the data come and everything else ahead of you. Now, let's get started.
Starting point is 00:28:40 Chapter 2. Create confidence in three easy steps. This book is built on the solid foundation of my powerful back process, which takes us back to a time in our lives when we were full of happiness, believed in ourselves without question, and were willing to take risks without fear of failure. You don't think that's true for you? I promise you it is. As children, we didn't second-guess ourselves before attempting to crawl or walk.
Starting point is 00:29:07 We just did it. And if at first we didn't succeed, we picked ourselves back up again, and again, and again, until we achieved our goal. We embraced the challenge in a fearless and joyful way, full of self-confidence, and always optimistic for the future. Take a look at babies learning to crawl or walk. They aren't nervous about what other people are thinking.
Starting point is 00:29:30 They aren't waiting for someone to give them permission. They have an urge to move and they go all in. That is where we are going to get you back to. There are three parts to the back framework. Beliefs, the self-talk and other internal messages we have accepted as truth. Actions. The actions we are currently taking and plan to take in the future to find success and happiness. Knowledge, the information and skills we need to be more effective people in every aspect of our work and personal lives.
Starting point is 00:30:06 Together, back will provide you with a powerful and easy to implement framework for creating the confidence you need to leapfrog the villains at work in your career and in your life. This book has been designed around the back framework, enabling you to quickly and easily identify and read the chapters that focus specifically on whatever it is you need most, working on your self beliefs, taking action, or expanding your knowledge. I want to give you a sense of what that means in this chapter, and then I need you to jump to the part of the book that resonates most with you. For example, I am an action person. I feel
Starting point is 00:30:46 most comfortable with the idea of taking action. So that's the part of the book I would start with. I know plenty of people, however, who are more drawn to self-reflection and would rather start with the belief part, you decide what is right for you. There are no wrong answers. When you start with part one, you are jumping right into examining your own self-talk and inner beliefs. What I have discovered is that for years, I have been telling myself a story that was not true. I have a feeling that you too have been telling yourself a self-limiting and inaccurate story. Can you think of what that story could be?
Starting point is 00:31:24 The one in your head that holds you back from achieving your goals and dreams time after time. Let's decide today that this story is inaccurate. It's just not true. What would that mean to your life? Here's an example from my own life. I grew up being called the social one while my sister was called the smart one. She had perfect grades, flawless SAT scores, graduated at the top of her class and became an accomplished lawyer. I, on the other hand, had always assumed I wasn't smart. Not because anyone called me dumb, but because I saw her as a smart one, which I thought
Starting point is 00:32:01 meant I wasn't. Throughout my life, I told myself the story that I was not smart. That meant that I sat out of meetings if the person coming in had gone to Harvard or some prestigious university. It meant that I opted out of opportunities in which I could have advanced because I was holding onto a story
Starting point is 00:32:20 that I was not intelligent. Fast forward to last Christmas when my son, Dylan and I met my sister and her kids at Walt Disney World. We were sitting, talking when my sister shared that she had just taken her kids in for an IQ test. I laughed. Who does that, but my sister?
Starting point is 00:32:37 Of course she had done that, and they're probably geniuses just like her. She asked me if I had taken Dylan in for an IQ test. I told her no and laughed again. She told me she didn't understand why I didn't get him tested. Then she asked if I remembered taking the test as a child and I did not. She told me that the school had directed my mother to bring my sister in for an IQ test. There was no babysitter available, so I joined them. Since I was there, they offered the test to me too, and we were only a year and a half a part in age.
Starting point is 00:33:08 My sister told me that her scores came back off the charts in the top 1% a genius for sure. Then she also told me that while my score was not as high as hers, I also rated in the genius range. Mike drop. This was news to me. I had never heard the story before. I couldn't believe I had spent the previous 45 years
Starting point is 00:33:32 believing I wasn't smart and then behaving in ways that reflected and reinforced this false belief. Make the decision today to stop telling yourself the story that is holding you back. It just isn't true. What story are you telling yourself that is currently holding you back? If this resonates with you, then jump right to the belief part of this book and let's get to work on changing those false beliefs.
Starting point is 00:34:01 Of course, action is my jam. I would always rather be doing something than self-reflecting or evaluating and accessing knowledge. Maybe because I've loved sports my whole life and working out or maybe because I understand the power of momentum. If you're like me, you will want to start with part two. Owning your own voice and speaking up takes practice, but with time becomes second nature. Let me give you an example.
Starting point is 00:34:30 20 years ago, when my confidence was low, I never felt sure of my ideas were good ones. That meant that if I was in a meeting, I avoided raising my hand for fear someone else would say, mine was a terrible idea. It takes practice, but speaking up can be learned. Speaking up is an action step. Challenging yourself to speak up one time a day and starting off small will work.
Starting point is 00:34:56 Baby steps. I also realize now that people are invited to a meeting or to be on a team because of their potential contribution. By not contributing, you are actually not holding up your end of the bargain and not warranting your seat at the table. That is a problem. I've also seen countless times when more experienced people don't speak up or contribute their great ideas because they are afraid those ideas will be seen as antiquated. Conversely, junior people won't share their great ideas, for fear that others will say that they don't understand the business or that they miss the mark completely. Both have the potential to add value, but in order to do so, they need to take action and
Starting point is 00:35:41 raise their hands. Do your job speak up and contribute? What's the worst that can happen? Weren't the seat at the table you have been given? While some people gravitate to beliefs and some to actions, you may be pulled more towards knowledge. If you're most comfortable listening to podcasts like this one, or reading books or relying on mentors to learn, then you're going to want to jump forward to part three. I have learned so much from my time in corporate
Starting point is 00:36:11 America, my time in the C-suite, and my time in therapy and studying psychology and college. I'm excited to share with you what I have learned. Here's an example. Fear is a liar. This is one of the most powerful statements I have learned in my entire life. Accepting that fear is a liar, nothing but false ideas I have made up in my own mind has changed everything for me in my life. Some say it's an acronym for false evidence appearing real. Whether it's fear that something could happen to my son, or fear of what could happen to screw up my next presentation, or fear of what someone might say, the story created in my mind is always worse than the reality.
Starting point is 00:36:55 When I was a kid, I learned that if I felt fear, I should run home and hide. Somehow, I hung onto this concept throughout my whole life. What that did was cripple me in my personal life and in my career. I've since learned that when I feel fear, I should not run away and hide. Instead, I should run toward it and embrace it. Fear is a green light that means go and go faster. I own the power to dissolve the fear I feel by accepting that it is not real. These days when I feel fear, I go running right into it. That is the only way to prove it is a liar
Starting point is 00:37:35 and it always pays off for me. It will pay off for you too. Don't overthink this. Just go to the part of the book that you feel is right for you. Can't decide, then just turn the page. We a different guest each week. We want to go to the chair. Publicly. Okay, so that was the first two chapters. I hope that you loved it. Oh my gosh. I want to read the whole book to you right now, but I had to give you an idea what overcome your villains is about. It's my powerful three-step process that's going to rock your world.
Starting point is 00:38:10 If you rock the process, you are gonna leapfrog adversity, overcome challenges, and overcome your villains, left and right. So let's giddy up and get it going, head over to overcomeyourvillains.com and you can pre-order the book, get the $500 bonus bundle for free. Take action, buy it for a gift, buy it for you, and just know this. I appreciate you immensely. The target number Harper Collins leadership gave me to sell on launch date is massive.
Starting point is 00:38:44 Anything you can do to help will be greatly appreciated. All right, if you are loving the show, subscribe, rate, review, share it on social. It means the world to me. And always tag me. I want to hear your questions. I want to thank you when you share on social. And I want to keep showing up to keep helping
Starting point is 00:39:01 creating confidence in you because you are worth it. Until next week. You don't stop and look around once in a while. You can miss it. I'm on this journey with me. I hope you're enjoying this episode so far. I'm Jennifer Cohen, host the top ranking business and entrepreneur podcast, Habits and Hustle, apart the YAP media network, the number one business and self-improvement podcast network.
Starting point is 00:39:42 So most people live the life they get and not the life they want. And I'm here to change all that. My goal with each episode is to give you the habit and hustle tips you need to show up to your life better, bigger, and bolder. Tune in now, and I'll not only help you answer the questions like what do you want most in life
Starting point is 00:40:03 and why don't you have it, but we'll also help you make it a reality. I also pick the brains of top thought leaders on how they've gone to the top and the advice they have to help you get there too. Head over to Happets and Hustle once you've done listening to this episode and get one step closer to boldness, one episode at a time. Step closer to boldness, one episode at a time.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.