'I'm generally an early riser and today I awoke at 5.30am to eat a healthy breakfast, finish packing and get into the car for the drive to the airport. With two television programmes - one in the United States and one in Britain - I am usually scheduled to travel somewhere every week. This week I have four events in four cities.
I consider myself a visionary above all my other job titles, which include author, TV host, keynote speaker, life coach and founder and CEO of the Fearless Living Institute. Because of the various ways I express my purpose to support individuals and organisations, and uncover and master the emotional fears which thwart their potential, my day actually starts the night before. I review my schedule to logistically, as well as mentally and emotionally, prepare for what my next day will bring.
On any day, I could be a guest on Oprah, coaching folks on a radio show, giving a workshop, speaking in front of 2,000 corporate employees, brainstorming TV show ideas, creating a Fearless product, working with a private client or writing my fifth book. My alarm clock goes off anywhere between 5am and 7am. My day might include being professionally beautified and riding in a limo, or working at home in a T-shirt. Rarely are two days the same.
Before and after a flight I am either writing something on my BlackBerry, on the phone making a decision or simply taking a welcome and relaxing sip of tea and checking up on the latest news. At my destination, I go to my hotel, unpack what I need and get on the phone to talk to our coaching programme director about issues such as changes in our curriculum or a scheduled meeting the following week with a cable-TV station about my own show. Then I'm ready to prepare for the three-hour workshop I'll be giving that evening.
When I was growing up, there was no such thing as a life coach. And therapy was still considered, in my hometown [Boulder, Colorado], taboo. To do what I do today and be who I am still surprises and humbles me every day because I have the privilege and honour to witness souls unfold. Sure, they may come to me because they want to learn to be more assertive, or open their own business or find love, but I know the real reason they seek me out. They are sick and tired of allowing themselves to be less than they dreamt they could be, which for me equates to the fact that they are ready to master the emotional fears that have dogged them most of their life.
Emotional fears are acted out by those words, thoughts and actions we take on a daily basis that trick us into feeling safe, when we truly are anything but. Ignoring our needs, complaining about our loved ones, blaming our co-workers, setting unrealistic expectations, attempting to prove ourselves to someone and sacrificing who we are for someone else are some examples of how fear acts.
When I am interviewed I am usually asked who inspires me to keep doing what I do. The answer is simple: my clients. I have supported people into enterprise in areas of their lives they never thought possible. The 30-plus-year -old woman who has given up on love; I have danced at her wedding. The 50-plus-year-old man who never believed he was getting his worth at work; I have witnessed him groomed as his company's CEO. I have helped frustrated musicians get record deals, mothers learn how to thrive during the empty-nest years and unsure seekers find their purpose. I believe most people are allowing what I call their 'wheel of fear' to run their lives. I am inspired and passionate every single day because I believe there is nothing wrong with me or you, we are just afraid. And once you and I know that it is fear that makes us act less than our best, we can do something about it. We can choose to be fearless.