The Breakthrough is in Your Head
(a modified excerpt from “Selling the Truth: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life and Business”)
While engaged with a Peak Performance community in 2021, I was privileged to meet a person who was likewise searching for a “better way” to achieve satisfaction in business; she introduced me to the notion of Human Design. She shared charts and numbers, stuff I could hardly follow, but the point is, I was open to the idea that I may have been growing in the wrong direction, going against the grain of my true self, to my financial detriment. That got me thinking about an easier way out of the head-banging…
I could see myself making a short film called “The Diagnosis,” in which a young man or woman sits in a doctor’s office adorned with degrees in neuroscience from Pretentious University, a citation from the Board of SuchandSuch, and honored as a Fellow in Thisandthat. All the right credentials. The doctor enters, white coat and the whole schmear, and proceeds to educate the patient on human design, quantum consciousness, and maybe scalar light healing, ultimately writing a prescription for total fulfillment in the form of Abundisone (20 mg) and Prosperizam (10 mg) twice daily for the first two weeks, upped to 40 mg and 20 mg, respectively, thereafter.
Would you take the meds, assuming the side effects were minimal, and did not include incontinence, drunk driving, or suicidal ideation?
I would. I couldn’t help but go there in my mind.
But back to the real story and the real work…
In addition to the Human Design concept, I also heard a lot about using meditation while in Peak Performance, something I had never done prior. One of my dear friends and mentors, the CEO of a world-renowned heritage footwear brand, had begun meditating for three minutes each day and found it transformative. But yoga, meditation, these things seemed foofy to me. Who has time to sit quietly for three minutes? Well, if you’ve spent 90 minutes watching an action movie pairing Mark Wahlberg with a comedian, that’s 30 meditation sessions right there. Which one will make you more money? Even if you’re in the film business, there’s no wrong answer. But think about it.
So, I gave meditation a whirl, got the Headspace app, and over the next several months, it calmed me down, eased my anxiety in stressful moments, and allowed me to progress as a professional (and creative) creature. Sometimes, I felt guilty jumping up to write down business ideas or notes mid-meditation, but meditation strongly advises against guilt over poor meditation practices. I suspect I’m not alone in breaking the zen moment to reflect on or write down thoughts that come from being in a totally illuminating headspace.
Also, my Peak Performance routine called for me to rise at 5 a.m. daily. This was fine with me since I’m an early bird, not a night owl, but I got up so early that meditating at night often ended up putting me to sleep, leading to a little more guilt. But I’ve outgrown the guilt. I now use meditation to lull me to sleep at night, or back to sleep when necessary, and it takes less than five minutes.
The point is, using meditation, I have broken down many of the walls I had put up in my head, and now see things differently in my mind than I ever have before. This is the irrefutable truth, and herein is the groundwork I laid for my material success. Not in the form of a pill (as I had fantasized in my short film), but in the form of positive thinking and courage, backed up by some hard f-ing work.
So, positive thinking. Regardless of my human design (I believe I’m a “reactor,” and knowing this has changed my entire approach to business, because I now realize “creating” for me does not exist without “reacting”) and my improved work ethic, I still felt there was a barrier between me and the money I wanted to earn. For some reason, I was pushing money away, or at least facing the wrong direction as it was flying toward me.
Through my Truth Tastes Funny podcast, I met Janet Elaine Schmidt. Up to that time, “quantum consciousness” and “goal balances” and “epigenetic imprinting” were not words I would ever have put together. However, by the time I welcomed Janet to Truth Tastes Funny, I had immersed myself in a monthslong Peak Performance course, explored human design, meditated regularly for a year, interviewed a dozen diverse humans with dozens more potential solutions to life’s crazy challenges, and—perhaps this is the lynchpin—grown tired of wanting but never really welcoming success. It was time to change my mindset, from one of wanting and waiting, to welcoming and winning. What’s more, it was time to recognize success when I saw it, or achieved it.
What I have achieved in this recent leg of my journey is a healthy balance between reality and possibility, with the decks cleared of self- pity and undue self-deprecation. Any progress is not attributable to any one step. And as long as I’m willing to break down walls and take a look at things from angles that might have been hidden from me in the past, the cups seem to fall into place to create a taller and taller goal stack. This has become my truth, one which has integrity behind it to the point I can sell it not only to others, but most importantly, to myself.
In my case, all the skills and knowledge I’d acquired, the innate talents I’d cultivated, the reputation I’d built, the strong relationships I’d built, merged with what I’d learned on the above journey. And it all came together in my Personal Brand.
Better still, it equipped me to help others in the refinement and deployment of their Personal Brands.
I’m not a shaman, or a healer, or even a coach (although sometimes I make a good therapist). I am a holistic consultant, and a mentor, and I see “brand” from all sides, perhaps most importantly, from the inside.
I build brands that open doors – our clients achieve greater impact, influence, and growth through messaging, brand voice, and brand strategy. If you’re ready to unleash your INCOMPARABLE self in the service of your mission, book your complimentary Personal Brand Audit now.
You can get on the pre-order list for my book HERE.