438 Melinda Wittstock: Open The Gifts Within

This is a day many of us will be exchanging gifts – experiencing the beautiful gratitude of giving – and receiving. Oftentimes we seek happiness from external things, yet its source is from within. So today seems like a good moment to ponder what gifts we should open … within ourselves. Yes, within ourselves!

MELINDA

I’m Melinda Wittstock and today on Wings of Inspired Business I first want to thank you for listening to this podcast. My own Christmas present came early in being included in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 20 Podcasts to change your life … alongside luminaries like Tim Ferris, Lewis Howes’ School of Greatness, Tom Bilyeu’s Impact Theory and more. Almost 450 episodes in on Wings now, I’m grateful for all the inspiring women entrepreneurs I interview.

Each of them has found success by truly expressing their unique abilities or gifts in the successful businesses they have created and grown.

All of us are born with unique gifts. What are yours? Your unique talents? Your super powers?

All of us are different – and it’s what makes us different that is our greatest strength. It is differentiation that makes us stand out in a crowd, be heard, be recognized. It’s the doubling down on our unique or differentiated abilities, passions and purpose that allows us as entrepreneurs to spot, understand and solve unique problems… helping many people with our insights.

Magic happens in business and in life when we are in true alignment with our unique gifts – when we align them to our true purpose and passion, and eliminate any gaps between our walk and our talk.

Successful Entrepreneurship is about leveraging these unique superpowers, doubling down on our strengths. It’s also about accepting, forgiving and hiring our weaknesses.

So today take a quiet moment for yourself and think for a moment about the gifts you have been given, what has always been there for you … inside you.

Because today is a good day, whatever your faith, to celebrate your authentic superpowers!

Where do you shine? What makes you happiest? Who are you being, what are you doing, and who are you doing it with … when you are happiest?

Take a quiet moment, even for a few minutes, and look inside your soul. Maybe light a candle, gaze into it softly, breath deeply and let your heart celebrate the special person you are. Celebrate your essence … your true soul … and thank yourself for being all you are!

Take a moment too to forgive yourself … if you have – like most of us – overlooked or undervalued those gifts.

You might have wanted – or thought you wanted – other gifts – because your parents, your partner, your friends, your school teacher, the glossy magazine, social media, the TV show – told you what you “should” want and who you “should” be. You might have lived a life of “should’s” that has kept you at odds with yourself, unfulfilled, unhappy and out of flow.

That’s ok. Forgive yourself.

And know too that as this decade comes to a close … now is the perfect time to let go of what doesn’t serve you … things you do that don’t make your heart sing … people you know who don’t lift, support or inspire you … choices you make out of obligation or politeness … rather than truth.

You know what I mean. We have all lived like this at one point or another.

I have discovered on my entrepreneurial journey that innovation in business is a roller coaster ride that puts you on a course of self-discovery. It pushes you to get out of your comfort zones. You learn to get comfortable being uncomfortable, to leverage adversity, to spot and seize opportunity … often those opportunities being shown to us in a challenge, a stress or a failure.

I’ve come to see those moments … often when we’re triggered by something unpleasant … as gifts. They are gifts of consciousness that help us grow. And those painful or fearful moments when life was tough – or when your business hit a brick wall – are cause for celebration.

Because they help you align with your true purpose and unique mission … making your chances of outsize success in business and life exponentially more likely.

So instead of the grind or the hustle, you’ll be in flow.

Entrepreneurship is not easy. There are many things beyond our control. What we can control though is how we live into it.  Why make it hard on yourself when you can be at ease – manifesting more success, more easily, and enjoy the journey.

As we step into 2020 and into a new decade take the opportunity to live into your greatest gifts.

If you can grab a quiet moment today or over the Holidays grab a pen and paper and write down what you believe your gifts to be. Some of them may not be obvious at first, so simply allow yourself to free-flow write without judgment or correction. Write down whatever comes into your head. If you’re stuck think about what you loved to do as a child. Think about what you’re doing when time disappears. Think about the types of compliments you get from people … especially the ones you might brush aside.

These are all clues about your true gifted purpose.

When you write be sure too to feel gratitude for your gifts. Gratitude opens our hearts and opens us to receiving more good from the universe. Find it in your heart to be thankful too for the bad times, the painful moments, the traumas.

 

I know as a listener to Wings you have heard many stories from successful women entrepreneurs who feel the crappy painful stuff was the spark that led to innovation, to growth, to success. The spark that made them find a new way, find their true path.

Think about Shari Aldrich – she was a massage therapist, and then she lost a finger. Now with 9 fingers, she’s doing more than what she could do with 10 … growing a great business teaching massage therapy along with business to empower therapists to start their own practices – so she can now help 100 million people out of pain rather than the few she could help one-on-one. Or think of Ping Fu. Ping survived rape as a 10 year old – came to the US with no English and just $80 at 18 – and ended up inventing 3D printing and growing her business to a massive exit. If you missed those episodes go back and listen. Catch Rosie Aiello, JJ Virgin, Cynthia Pasquella Garcia, Alexis Neely and many more.

Everyone I interview has had some terrible moment that became their greatest gift. What is yours?

Take a moment as you write and think of how you found ways to overcome a challenge. Think of how you helped others in need. Think of the value you created for them, and what you discovered about yourself. It’s the way you unlock the greatest gift of all – loving and valuing yourself.

Only then … when we truly value ourselves … can we create value for others.

Today I feel extraordinarily blessed with a gift I have been able to give – as well as receive.

In setting out to acclaim and affirm the entrepreneurial journeys of women, I found my own voice.

In choosing to truly BE the change I want to see in the world by helping to lift other women up and catalyze an environment where women support each other… buy from each other, promote each other, invest in each other, … other women have shown up for me.

To hear our collective voices on WINGS for the past 2 years now is to know we all have the power as women to truly innovate, influence, and in our own unique ways as entrepreneurs, executives and innovators catalyze the change we want to see and solve so many of the world’s most intractable challenges.

I’m so inspired too by the community of women we brought together this past year for two transformational retreats … focused on helping women entrepreneurs find abundance in ALL areas of our lives – an abundance of health, wealth, love, happiness, opportunity, influence, impact, productivity and time freedom.

It is such a big blessing to hear from 100 per cent of the attendees of Wings of the Empowered Woman … that what my good friend Amy Stefanik and I created was the most transformational and impactful retreat they had ever been to … and then to have seen the blessings unfold in their lives post retreat in our Mastermind.

In 2020 we gather in Costa Rica at the luxurious retreat center Imiloa Nov 4-8 and I’ll be sharing all the details of that soon!

Today I’m taking some time for myself to acknowledge, honor and celebrate my gifts – my ability to communicate, connect, and catalyze positive change in the people I mentor in business and life.

My gift is also about empowering mission-driven entrepreneurs to be heard, seen, and create mission driven outcomes … by leveraging podcasting to grow their businesses and influence. I’ve been helping many inspiring people launch profitable podcasts … and in the New Year… I’m so excited to share the launch of a new podcasting network like no other.

We will be the first to engage audiences meaningfully and interactively around podcast content … as I believe the best content is conversation. It is an opportunity for podcasters to truly know and grow their tribe in a meaningful way … with mobile apps and gamified challenges that connect people around solving some of the world’s most intractable challenges – from personal growth to the 17 UN Global Goals. We will also be the first to pay podcasters for their content – connecting them to enlightened sponsors and brands for conscious outcomes.

So as we approach the New Year, please accept a special gift from me.

It’s a gift that will help you unwrap your own gifts – while also laying the foundation to enter into the new decade with perfect 2020 vision – and make the new year – and the new decade – your best yet. It will help guide you to truly leverage your strengths and unique purpose – to grow your business in an inspired and intentional way – in true alignment with your true differentiated abilities, grow as a person, and create value for others.

Go to wingspodcast.com/countdown to download the 10 steps – it’s easy and its free – that’s wingspodcast.com/countdown.

And then make sure you clear some time in your calendar every day before the New Year … so you have some peace and solitude to dig into each game-changing exercises. I hope you do because these have been transformational for me!

I am so excited to see you soar to new heights in the year ahead – and live the life of your dreams.

Women. Innovating. Networking. Growing. Scaling. That’s WINGS.

I’m Melinda Wittstock. Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones.