Turning Challenge into Triumph
July 10, 2008
Lisa Nichols is a dynamic motivational speaker, and she’s also the founder and CEO of Motivating the Teen Spirit LLC. Although her English teacher would consider her a terrible writer, Lisa has managed to land two book deals with the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series. She was also featured in Rhonda Byrne’s “The Secret”.
Motivating the Teen Spirit has changed the lives of at least 60,000 teens and their parents. The organization has prevented over 1,800 suicides, and it has encouraged nearly 1,000 high school dropouts to return to school. Teens everywhere have been reunited with their parents.
Lisa Nichols has had a passion for helping people since she was a teen herself. She remembers praying as a child that God would get her through her tough times and show her how to later help others as well. Because Lisa was emotionally illiterate in her teens, she has decided to put most of her focus on teens today. She was an outgoing, social person, but she knew her emotions weren’t what they should be.
Greatness isn’t born. It’s not something that comes from “magic fairy dust.” Lisa believes greatness is a product. It’s something to which one must work, and it’s something that comes from each good and bad experience in life. Let each challenge be an opportunity to learn and thrive rather than knock down.
Lisa today was similar to Moses in the Bible. She believed God was calling her to be a public speaker, but how could she speak? She got a “D” in her speech class. She dwelled on the “I can’t” attitude for five years before finally giving into her passion. She had always wanted to speak, and now she believed God was guiding her closer to that direction.
Many people today struggle with passions as well. It doesn’t have to be a passion for speaking. It could be anything. Lisa would often feel as if God were calling her, but she would say, “Can you call back later?” She had a great job making a six-figure income. She had benefits, and she had a small child to consider.
You have to face your fears without letting your security get in the way. Think about how happy you’d be doing what you really want to do. Think what needs to be done to change your life. It doesn’t have to happen overnight, but change doesn’t happen by itself.
Lisa decided to overcome her fears by studying speech, facilitation, and entrepreneurship. Before her confidence and credibility would allow her to start charging a fee, she worked with teens for free. She’s happier than she ever thought possible, and her fears of speaking and security are gone. Get out there and face your fears, too. You’ll be happy you did!
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