“When you get into a tight place, and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” – Harriet Beecher Stowe
My phone conversation with successful entrepreneur Suzanne Duret was awesome, to say the least. We had mutual friends on Facebook and soon became Facebook friends ourselves. I felt a great vibe from her through the online world, so we decided to continue the relationship and conversation in person.
I’m genuinely pleased to say we met through Facebook because I’m happy something so positive came from that platform. Some people will tell you to stay off social media completely, and some people will tell you to use social media all the time. I fall somewhere in-between those two extremes: While social media definitely has its downside and is addictive in nature, it also can be a truly wonderful way to stay in touch with people and make new connections. I just completed a self-imposed hiatus from social media that lasted for more than three months – I definitely will take breaks from social media, but I also know it is a powerful platform and certainly has its uses. Be mindful of your social media habits and use those platforms appropriately.
Take Initiative and Just Do It
Suzanne made it big as an entrepreneur in the medical device field, partnering with a doctor. I asked her how she got started in entrepreneurship.
“I was working in Minnesota as a secretary,” Suzanne said. “I knew I wanted to advance my career, and ultimately I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but I had to figure out how. It so happened that my boss was starting a new real estate development project in Florida and he had recently bought a huge yacht that he kept there. He decided to send the receptionist and me to Florida for a week’s vacation as a thank you for all of our great work. The first day we were on the yacht drinking champagne and eating delicious food; it was amazing. I was on the yacht for a day, but the next day I realized I didn’t want to spend my week doing nothing other than partying. I decided to create my own opportunity.
“I spent the rest of the week visiting with people that were contracted to work on my boss’s new development project. I spent time at the construction site, and I investigated the small city, asking people relevant questions. I discovered weak spots in the operation and learned that the key manager was actually doing some pretty shifty things behind my boss’s back.
“When the vacation was over on my first day back to the Minnesota office, I sat down with my boss and laid out exactly what I discovered, including my insights and recommendations for improvements. I explained how my boss needed someone he could trust to keep an eye on things and report to him, due to integrity issues with his key manager. I also explained everything I learned about the growth of the town and the many opportunities from a development standpoint. My boss was absolutely blown away with my initiative and what I was showing him. The next day he decided to triple my salary and relocate me down to Florida as his trusted office manager, reporting directly to him.”
“It’s amazing that you did that,” I said to Suzanne, “and an incredibly impressive story. Your initiative is inspirational. So when you were in Florida on the second day you literally just showed up on-site at the Florida office?”
“Yes, exactly that,” Suzanne said. “I showed up, introduced myself, and started asking good questions. By asking questions and talking to lots of different people, I was able to find the holes in the operation and found out about the shady dealings of his main on- site manager, which is what enabled me to add so much value to my boss when I told him what was happening.
“At first I doubted myself, but then I told myself to just go for it. One of the big keys to success is to get out of your head space and take action.”
By “head space,” Suzanne is referring to the way we get caught up in our own minds through self-doubt, over-analysis, and self-sabotaging limiting behaviors. I know this state of mind as well as anybody. Suzanne is telling us to literally stop the doubts by saying to ourselves; I’m just going to do it.
“Whenever self-doubts come,” Suzanne said, “I envision a big red circle with an X through it, and that reminds me to instantly stop self-doubt and negative thoughts from affecting my behavior. The moment you waste time doubting yourself to the point where it prevents you from taking action is the moment you’re done.”
One of the keys to prosperity is to get out of your head space and take action in spite of your doubts. Rather than sitting around thinking about why you can’t or shouldn’t be doing it, just do it.
Liberate Yourself and Let Go of What You Think is Supposed to Happen
“You’ve been able to create and manifest so much in your life and business,” I said to Suzanne. “How did you do it, and how do you continue to do it?”
“First I always trust my intuition. Second, I set the right kind of intention for a goal I have,” Suzanne said. “And then I just LET GO of it. I don’t pray on it, I don’t meditate on it, I don’t do vision boards, and all that stuff people do. When you have a goal, and you are looking at a vision board all day, it’s almost like doubting yourself. It might cause you to think, What if I don’t do it? What if I don’t achieve the goal?” Instead, I set the intention for my goal, and then I let go of dwelling on it and just take action on doing things to get me there. It’s like if you feel you have to keep praying the same prayer over and over – you are showing that you don’t have faith that your very first prayer was heard. Trying to keep visualizing or meditating over and over is very similar. If you really have faith in yourself and your outcome, you only need to set the intent once, have faith, and take action. Period.”
“This is resonating with me very deeply right now,” I said to Suzanne. “A lot of people out there will tell you to have vision boards, and I’ve done all sorts of goal affirmations constantly throughout the day. It became too much. It was almost like the more I did it, the less I trusted that it would actually happen. I’m a fan of visualization, but the trick is to do a brief visualization and then let it go, rather than obsessing and worrying about the goal all day.”
“Exactly,” Suzanne said. “Absolutely be sure to set a clear intention, and definitely believe in yourself 100%. What I’m saying here is rather than get caught up in your head and in all sorts of vision board exercises, go out into the world, start taking action, and simply trust it will happen.
“It’s about not needing or requiring it to happen in a certain way or timeframe, with a certain person or group of people, or in a certain kind of situation. If you are caught up in it happening in a certain kind of way, you might miss the opportunity that could make your desire come true. Things may not happen in the way you initially expect, and if you are rigidly tied to the way you think it’s supposed to happen, you will limit yourself.”
“This is very helpful insight,” I said to Suzanne. “You’re really hitting the nail right on the head. Can you give an example of what you’re talking about?”
“A great example,” Suzanne said, “is one of the times when I was looking for angel investors to fund one of my business ventures. I had created a list of people that could potentially invest, and I was preparing to approach all of them. But one day I was chatting with my hairdresser about my startup business, and she told me about a wealthy guy she knew. Something told me I needed to talk to the guy, so I asked her to get him on the phone right then and there while I was with her. She called him, introduced me, then handed the phone to me. I had a 10-minute phone call with this guy, and the rest became history. He not only ended up becoming my biggest investor, but he also brought all of the other investors in as well. I never even had a chance to approach the people on my original list. If I were tied to the way I thought it was supposed to all happen, I would have completely missed the opportunity that the universe placed in my lap. Instead of head tripping about things, I trusted my instincts and just jumped in by taking action.”
This is incredibly powerful content and insight. In a lot of personal development books you’ll read about vision boards, but here we’re offering you a different, more freeing approach to life. This is not a shortcut or easy way out, as you still need to put in the hard work. It’s about reducing your stress as an authentic leader, so you have the mental energy needed to take action and deal with the challenges of daily life. A quick example from my own life involves the Toastmasters International Speech Contest, a once-a- year contest where speakers compete in an effort to become the World Champion of Public Speaking. In 2014 I became the District 53 Champion, competing against the best speakers from across the Northeast and winning. I went on to compete in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and I lost at the semifinals level but was excited to compete again in 2015. This is the same general contest I referred to earlier in the chapter featuring Chris Guillebeau, but I’m now referring to the 2015 contest instead of the 2016 contest. I’m also highlighting a different lesson.
In 2015, I was gung-ho set on becoming the International Speaking Champion. I did meditations, visualizations, affirmations, and practiced my butt off. I ended up getting third place at the District level, which was disappointing and seemed like a step backward from my previous year’s achievement. But there was a high school teacher in the audience who liked my speaking style and ended up bringing me in to speak to all 800 students at the high school he taught at, one of the most epic speaking engagements of my life up until that point in time.
First of all, getting third at the District level is an achievement, not a failure. Part of my growth as a person came in realizing that even though I fell short of the ridiculously high bar I set for myself, I could still be satisfied with my effort. After all, I did my absolute best. Second, judging in Toastmasters is subjective (this is not at all putting down the well-deserved winner of the contest, but rather acknowledging that there is a strong human element to Toastmasters’ contests) – the contest is more about growing as a speaker than it is winning. Third, something bigger came out of the contest for me in keynote speaking to an entire high school, which is what I truly wanted to do in the first place! Intention and desire are good but don’t get so caught up on the way things are “supposed” to be that you miss the gift life is handing you. Liberate yourself from the binds of being constantly insecure about whether or not you’ll achieve your goal, and adopt a more free-flowing, action-oriented approach. Your results and peace of mind will astound you.
The Power of Authenticity
Suzanne was able to inspire Tony Robbins to write the foreword to her book. She didn’t know Tony or anyone else who knew him. So Suzanne decided to do her research and find someone close to Tony who she could connect with for an introduction. Through a series of phone calls, she connected with one of Tony’s right-hand men, named Roger. Suzanne was able to motivate Roger to have lunch with her when he came to her town, and during that lunch, she helped Roger to see the value of Tony writing the foreword to her book. Suzanne was there to serve and talked about what she was going to do for Tony, not what she wanted Tony to do for her. In the end, Roger made sure Suzanne got personal time with Tony when he came to town for his live event. And because Suzanne was focused on how she was going to serve Tony, she was able to achieve her goal of having Tony write the foreword to her book. This demonstrates how Suzanne effectively got face time with a very successful person by using her intelligence, creativity, and authenticity to serve others while also serving herself.
“Tell me more about how you got started,” I said to Suzanne. “Your entrepreneurial journey is fascinating, and I want to know more about how you used authenticity to drive your success.”
“Well, because I didn’t have a college degree I felt inadequate, and I used to hide behind a mask,” Suzanne said. “I was a chameleon in the sense that I would change my approach and personality based on the kinds of people I happened to be with. It seemed like a good strategy, but at the end of the day, I wasn’t happy with myself. I eventually got tired of trying to be someone else and made a promise to myself that I’d be authentic from then on out.”
As Suzanne knows, it’s not a good feeling to be someone you’re not. If you are fake for a long period of time, there might come a day where you look in the mirror and don’t know who you are anymore. Here’s an important point to remember: It’s okay for someone to not like you, as long as they don’t like you because you were being you. There’s nothing worse than someone not liking you for being someone you’re not.
As I talked about in one of my previous books, Reach Your Mountaintop, I had a difficult time in high school. Although I wasn’t to blame for the hurtful and cruel actions of the people I went to school with, it is worth pointing out one of my core flaws and errors: I constantly wore a mask. I wore the mask of trying to be someone I wasn’t, and the mask of trying to keep everyone happy except myself. This included pretending like everything was alright even though I was seriously depressed. A big part of transforming my life after this difficult experience was taking off the mask and being myself with others. It didn’t instantly solve all my problems, but over time it did lead to more genuine connections. Best of all, I was able to show my true self to the world and be liked (or disliked) for who I really am. I share this to encourage you to take off the mask, and keep off the mask, at all times. I’m using examples from my life as a vehicle to give you the lessons I learned the hard way. This is about you and your success, and if you apply these tips in your life, you will reap the rewards.
“When I was starting my first venture,” Suzanne said, “my business partner and I met with a couple of tough venture capitalists. This was in my early days as an entrepreneur in my mid-twenties. Because I felt inadequate not having a college degree, I would try to make myself look smarter by wearing a very concealing suit and putting my hair up. I tried to look overly professional because a lot of men found me to be attractive and I was trying to take the emphasis off my looks. The conversation was going well as the VCs interviewed my business partner, who was a medical doctor and the inventor of our medical devices. He was brilliant in his area of expertise but lacked social and business skills. That’s where I came in. And then it was time to interview me. The lead VC turned to me and made an extremely inappropriate sexual statement, based on the fact that he considered me to be attractive. Being attractive and young, without a college degree, made me a sitting duck for not being taken seriously by business people, especially men.
“When the VC made his offensive comment, I was shocked! But I had a nanosecond of seeing the shift in his body language right before he spoke, so I knew something was coming and I was prepared. I could have reacted angrily or aggressively, or fallen apart and started crying like he was probably anticipating. Instead, I calmly told him I didn’t appreciate his statement. Then, I packed up my briefcase, reached across the table to shake his hand, smiled, thanked him for his time, and left the room. I didn’t flinch. I didn’t get sucked into reacting. I didn’t allow myself to be taken advantage of or disrespected. A few days went by, and the venture capitalist called me on the phone. He said he was very impressed with how I handled myself and explained that his crude words were meant to test me. He said that I passed the test and they wanted to make an investment. He offered the full $1.2 million in funding we needed. I explained that there were many ways he could have tested me without being so disrespectful. I said no to his funding offer. I had to stay true to myself and trust that the right investors would show up. I wasn’t going to put myself, or my business, into the hands of someone that had already shown me what type of person he was. And of course as things go, we did, in fact, raise all of the funding from another VC group, and they were all complete gentlemen that had our best interests at heart.”
“Wow,” I said. “I give you an enormous amount of credit for not buying into his games and staying true to yourself. That’s pure authenticity right there.”
“Yes,” Suzanne said. “I refused to do business with someone who thought it was alright to treat and talk to me that way, regardless of how much money he was offering my company. I stayed true to myself about the kinds of people I wanted to deal with, despite the allure of money. You attract people in accordance to how you treat yourself and others.”
Let’s think about and process this for a second. I’m not talking about Suzanne turning down a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand dollars. She turned down over a million dollars, and she did it respectfully despite the disrespect she received. Suzanne is the epitome of activating the power of authentic leadership in her life, demonstrating two core themes of this book: 1) She maintained kindness. It’s important to be respectful to others, as you never know what someone may be going through. 2) Being authentic means “sticking to your guns” even when it’s hard to do. Let’s make something crystal clear: Being authentic does NOT mean folding over for someone, being a people pleaser, and letting others treat you like garbage. Being authentic means doing what’s right for you, even when other people disagree with your choice and decision. Suzanne is the perfect demonstration of this. And you’re going to love what she tells us next.
Have the Guts to Be Who You Really Are
Suzanne Duret has guts, to say the least. This is a key quality of authenticity: Having the guts to be yourself and look past labels, no matter what situation you find yourself in. Things were not always easy for Suzanne. In fact, sometimes they were downright nearly impossible.
“I’ve had many nights curled into the fetal position, slamming my fists out of fear and frustration,” Suzanne said. “Starting a business is tough, and I’ve started many. I’ve learned that when people are faced with financial stress or opportunities for greed, many will change for the worse. They become someone else, someone ugly, someone who is no longer true to themselves and others. I actually had to sue someone I had known and worked with for over twenty years because greed got the best of him, and he didn’t want to pay my 6-figure commission on a deal. When people stop being who they really are because of certain circumstances, it’s horribly destructive, especially for the person who changed their behavior.”
But even as all of this was happening, Suzanne maintained her authenticity. She ended up forgiving this gentleman after they settled out of court. Because of Suzanne’s desire to not become someone she isn’t due to this circumstance, she and the gentleman she had to sue have put it behind them and gone on to remain friends.
As Suzanne moved on to starting another new business and looking for different investors, she was again faced with remaining true to being her authentic self.
“I landed a meeting with the founder of a very well-known company,” Suzanne said. “He was one of those guys everyone looked up to, and also feared,” Suzanne said. “He was intimidating in the sense that he was extremely successful and answered to no one. He’s one of those guys you never mess with because he is known to have a temper.
“We met at his house so I could pitch him on my investment opportunity. During the conversation, I didn’t treat him any differently than anyone else at the meeting. Instead, I chose to be myself and treat everyone on an equal playing field. There were other prospective investors in attendance, but they didn’t have the high-level of status that Mr. Big Shot did. After making my pitch, Mr. Big Shot offered to fund the entire $1.4 million right there on the spot – but he wanted 75% of my company instead of the 20% I had structured. Everyone else in the room freaked out, as they wanted to share in the investment opportunity too. I stood my ground and very calmly explained that I would not accept the offer. I explained again what my investment terms were, and that I wasn’t going to give up 75% of my company or deny the opportunity for others in the room to participate in the funding of my new business. Although what I said was delivered in a calm and rational way, Mr. Big Shot was taken aback that I was so direct and unwavering with him, especially because very few, if any, ever talked to him that way. I could see by looking around the room that I had gained instant respect from all of the others because I stayed true to who I am and to my deal structure, and I was mindful of others in the room that deserved an opportunity to participate. Because I’m so grounded in my integrity and belief that I will reach my goals without having to compromise myself or others, I had no hesitation or fear in responding the way I did to that gentleman’s offer.”
This is where Suzanne’s integrity and authenticity really shine through: No one would have blamed her for compromising on her values a little bit in order to get funding that quickly and easily. But she stayed true to herself even when she had an opportunity not to. She’s an incredible role model and example for us. Suzanne didn’t let the circumstances of her life situation change or compromise the person she is.
Suzanne went on to share, “That successful Mr. Big Shot whom I was so direct with didn’t respond angrily or in a hostile way to me, but he clearly wasn’t pleased. I could tell I caught him off guard. Others in attendance ended up investing in my company over the next week. Meanwhile, Mr. Big Shot would only communicate with me through his attorney in order to make an investment. That’s right – he still invested, but a smaller amount at the same terms as everyone else.”
Do you see how powerful authenticity can be, as Suzanne just demonstrated? By staying true to your authenticity in the present moment, you ensure your peace of mind in the long-run. Also, you attract the right people into your life. Suzanne’s directness was why she attracted the right investors on her terms – they all respected that she handled things with integrity and didn’t change who she was to satisfy the biggest investor in the group.
Why I love this story so much, and why Suzanne’s personality is a great match for this book, is because she made it a point to be authentic no matter what. This created long-term happiness for herself as well as genuine sustainability for her business. How many people would have compromised themselves to get money from that intimidating investor Suzanne met with? Countless people would have, and I don’t blame them, but it’s not a sustainable way of operating in this world. A lot of people have values and morals, but only to a certain extent. I say this with all due respect, but when times get tough, some people will change who they are in a heartbeat. People will turn into animals, but hopefully, Suzanne’s example will help prevent many of you from doing so in the future.
Have you ever seen someone go from happy to angry or frustrated within a short period of time? If you say the wrong thing, they become upset and easily offended. When you can’t be yourself around someone, you know that person is not right for you. For the record, there are times when it is appropriate to get upset with someone, like if they’ve broken a promise or betrayed you. But what I’m referring to here is when people get mad at you for no good reason. Some people will get hostile because you decided to assert or stand up for yourself in a genuine way. These are bad eggs; people who pretend to have respect for you, but deep down don’t think highly of you.
“Your stories express exactly the message I’m looking to get across,” I said to Suzanne. “I know for me and my style as a writer and speaker, I wear my heart on my sleeve. I’m very transparent and open about everything I’ve experienced, with the purpose of benefiting others with the lessons I wish I would have learned sooner. Some people love this about me. And some people don’t like it at all. When I did my book launch for my previous book, Reach Your Mountaintop, on November 1st of 2016, the one you read and endorsed me for, I was extremely transparent about my absolute rock bottom moment. A lot of people supported the message and shared it. And a couple of people de-friended me on Facebook. You know what I’ve realized though? It doesn’t matter if some people don’t like it. The message isn’t for them. The message is for the people who need to hear it, the people who are meant to benefit from it.”
“That’s spot on,” Suzanne said. “And exactly right. I read your entire book, and I was blown away and impressed by your level of authenticity. You bared your soul. For many people that style is going to work. And for some, it may not. For me, too, there are people who say I’m not their cup of tea. But that’s not my problem. There are people who really resonate with what I have to share, and I focus on those people. If someone doesn’t like me, that’s their problem, not mine.”
Did you catch what Suzanne said just now? There are people who really resonate with what she has to share, and she focuses on those people. A big fault of mine throughout my life is that I would focus on the few haters instead of the many supporters. If I put out a video on YouTube or Facebook and twenty people like it, but one person says it’s a horrible video, at the end of the day I would feel bothered by the one person who didn’t like it. However, I know I’m progressing because the other day someone left a negative comment to me on YouTube, and I laughed about it instead of letting it bring me down. If you don’t find yourself being able to perfectly live these tips right away, don’t beat yourself up. That’s normal – I, and many others, have been there. Give yourself credit for making an effort, an effort that most people don’t ever make, and then keep moving forward. Keep applying these principles, and you’ll get better at them. If I, Jeff Davis, the king of taking things personally, can get better at it, then I’m certain you can as well.
Give Yourself Permission to Change Your Mind (for the Right Reasons)
Suzanne has talked to us about liberating ourselves from the bonds of the “should’s,” “must’s,” and “have to’s,” instead choosing to freely move toward our goals with genuine intention but without attachment or worry. Remind yourself daily that while no one owes you anything, you also don’t owe other people anything. I’d like to share with you how these principles have led to liberation in my own life.
After my mother’s 6- and 7-year-old students were tragically, senselessly, and unthinkably murdered at my old elementary school, (Sandy Hook Elementary School) – and after I spent many months trying to process what happened (I, like many others, still haven’t fully processed what happened) – I became determined to climb Mount Everest in honor of their lives. I started talking to many professional mountain climbers, I looked into sponsors by filling out lengthy application forms online, and I went so far as to walk into banks and ask the managers for funding. Like Suzanne, I also have some guts.
Climbing Mount Everest is incredibly expensive, so I knew I had to not only save lots of money but also figure out how to make a quantum leap in my funding – that’s why I approached potential sponsors while also pushing really hard to further grow my business.
While doing all of this, in September of 2015, I found out extremely popular and successful blogger Scott Dinsmore tragically died due to a fluke accident while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is less difficult than climbing Mount Everest, but due to unexpected falling boulders outside of Scott’s control, this amazing man’s life was unfairly taken. This incident really shook me up and caused me to wonder if I truly wanted to risk losing my life in my twenties in an attempt to ascend to the top of Mount Everest. (Quick sidebar: Feel free to check out some of Scott’s YouTube videos and blog posts, as he was a true gift to this planet and filled with endless amounts of wisdom. His website is liveyourlegend.net.)
Further, I was also working on several initiatives for my business, including traveling to new countries and launching my 2nd book, Reach Your Mountaintop. (The book has nothing to do with mountain climbing; it’s about reaching your own version of success. The image of the mountain is a metaphor for ascending your own chosen career and life path.) After careful reflection, with all of these factors going through my mind at once, I decided not to pursue climbing Mount Everest as my number one goal in life.
Sounds simple enough, right? Not at all. I’m the kind of person who will do something if I said I’ll do it. I had said on one of my YouTube videos that I was going to climb Mount Everest to honor my mom’s students who were now passed away. I really, seriously, truly struggled with this for many months and years. I felt like I was letting both myself and others down. Even though I knew climbing Mount Everest was not the right thing to do at this point in my life, there was a large part of me that felt like I was coming up short.
After talking to several close friends about it and really digging deep into my psyche as to why I felt this way about myself, I had an epiphany: Choosing not to do something is not the same as compromising on your integrity and character. The feeling was real, but the why behind the feeling was a lie! The feeling of not being good enough was real, but why I felt this way is because I thought I was compromising on something that I promised to someone else. With that said, the epiphany I had was that I wasn’t compromising on my values or letting someone else down. Here’s the thing: I didn’t promise someone that I’d climb Mount Everest. Yes, I had put it out to the world that I would climb Everest, and at that moment in time I said it with 100% full authenticity – I was, after all, making serious strides to make it happen. But I also have a right to change my mind, as long as I’m changing my mind for the right reasons. And I was – I had other initiatives going on that I was moving forward with, and I also didn’t want a tragedy to happen in my twenties when there were other ways I could help people.
To further help me along my path of liberation, I also had a heart-to-heart conversation with Rick Cleri, a digital marketing expert and successful business owner we’ll hear more from later in this book. Rick said to me, “Jeff, don’t feel like you have to climb Mount Everest. If it doesn’t reflect where you’re going with your life right now, then don’t do it.”
I liberated myself by realizing that it’s okay to not climb Mount Everest because not doing so was not compromising on my values. The decision simply reflected where I was at in my life and business, and what risk-tolerance I was willing to put up with. I was harder on myself about the whole thing than anyone else was, and when I finally eased up on myself, I found the peace and freedom I desired.
My own evolution as a person has led me to realize that just because you said you were going to do something yesterday doesn’t mean you have to do it today if doing it today doesn’t reflect your best interests. In my case, I made a declaration to the world, and for a while, I felt I was obligated to climb Mount Everest because of that declaration. But then I set myself free by realizing I was allowed to change my direction as I saw fit. If you do make a promise to someone about something, and you later regret making that promise, go to the person directly and be as transparent and straightforward as possible. Tell them you will not best serve yourself, or them, by doing something that you don’t want to do. A reasonable and respectful person will understand and find someone else. If the person doesn’t respect you for coming to them in transparency, they most likely weren’t someone you wanted to work or spend time with anyway. If the obligation is something you or someone else feels you absolutely must do, then do it. But learn from it, and be more careful of the promises you make in the future. Don’t leave people hanging high and dry – go to them with your concerns and talk it through with them.
Will I climb Mount Everest later in my life? It’s absolutely possible, and not out of the question. But not right now. And I’m continuing to speak on leadership, anti-bullying, and overcoming adversity to high schools, colleges, conferences, associations, and businesses around the world.
“You are honoring your mother’s students by being yourself,” my girlfriend said to me. “You are honoring your mother’s students by the way you authentically share your story with the world. That, in itself, is enough.”
That comment from my girlfriend, along with these wonderful insights from Suzanne and Rick, helped me enormously, as for the longest time I felt like I wasn’t good enough. Part of being authentic means giving yourself permission to change direction when the time is right to do so. You are enough, exactly as you are. If what you said a day ago, a week ago, a month ago, a year ago, or a decade ago no longer reflects your true desires, then give yourself permission to change course. Just make sure your reasons for changing course are legitimate, genuine, and standing on a firm foundation of integrity. While you are being consistent and following through on your promises to yourself and others, also know that it’s completely alright to pick a new course of action. Liberate yourself with the power of your authenticity and your potential will soar.
This is chapter 7 of The Power of Authentic Leadership: Activating the 13 Keys to Achieving Prosperity Through Authenticity.
