Lisa Nichols delivers a powerful motivational speech on how she found purpose by confronting her fear and failing at her job.
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00 I struggled all through school, all through school.
00:03 The last time I took an English class, I got a fail.
00:07 And my English teacher said,
00:09 "Lisa, you have to be the weakest writer that I've ever met in my entire life.
00:13 I recommend you get a desk job,
00:15 and you never speak in public."
00:17 I look at my life,
00:18 and for 18 years, I wouldn't touch a microphone,
00:21 I wouldn't do anything near speaking.
00:23 As much as I loved speaking,
00:25 I was afraid -- say "afraid" --
00:27 I was afraid of being judged.
00:29 And this conversation today is about confronting your fear.
00:34 Confronting your fear.
00:36 And I remember for years, I wouldn't speak.
00:38 People would say, "God, you should be a speaker."
00:40 I said, "No, no, no, no. My teacher told me.
00:42 My teacher said I shouldn't speak in public."
00:45 And he's a speech teacher.
00:46 He knows better.
00:48 And so I got a job in accounting.
00:50 (Laughter)
00:51 I was horrible at it.
00:54 I was in collections.
00:57 I want to be liked too much to be in collections.
01:01 Like, my ultimate goal is that people love me.
01:04 So I'm in collections.
01:05 I'm calling people, telling them they have to pay.
01:07 They're telling me that they can't pay.
01:09 My child is in college, I can't pay.
01:11 And I go, "Oh, OK. Well, you know what?
01:13 Since you can't pay, and I know you can't pay,
01:15 because I believe that story is a good story,
01:17 I'm going to do you a favor.
01:19 I'm not only going to zero your balance out,
01:22 I'm going to take you off the list."
01:24 (Laughter)
01:25 So my supervisor calls me into the office,
01:28 and she said, "Lisa, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
01:30 I was about 23.
01:32 I said -- I thought it was a test of my commitment to the company.
01:35 I said, "I want to be the best accounts receivable manager ever."
01:39 And I swear I saw her cringe.
01:40 (Laughter)
01:42 And she said, "I don't know."
01:44 She says, "I give you a list of 120 people to call,
01:47 and when I get it back, there's like 89.
01:50 I don't know what's happening."
01:52 I said, "Oh, don't worry, I'm doing you a favor.
01:54 I'm going to take off everyone who can't pay."
01:56 She says, "People are asking for you when they call."
02:00 (Laughter)
02:02 I said, "I aim to please, yes, yes?"
02:05 (Laughter)
02:06 She said, "This is a collection company, they shouldn't be asking for you."
02:10 (Laughter)
02:12 She said, "I have to release you to find your dream."
02:18 I said, "Release me to find my dream.
02:21 Do I clock in tomorrow and look forward here?"
02:25 She said, "No."
02:27 And so I got fired.
02:29 Twenty-two years later,
02:31 I walk out on stage in front of 3,300 women.
02:35 And this woman, when my sizzle roll was playing,
02:37 me on Oprah, Larry King,
02:38 this woman's in the front row, and she's crying.
02:41 And all while I'm speaking, all while I'm speaking, she's crying.
02:45 And I go, "You know, I can bring up a few tears,
02:47 but I haven't even gotten started yet."
02:50 (Laughter)
02:51 And she's crying.
02:52 I don't know.
02:53 So then afterwards, I'm signing autographs,
02:55 about 280 people in line, I'm signing autographs,
02:58 and she's crying the entire time.
03:00 And after about 70 autographs, I go over to her and I said,
03:03 "Excuse me, ma'am, you've been crying for like two and a half hours.
03:06 (Laughter)
03:07 Why are you crying?"
03:08 She said, "Because 22 years ago,
03:13 I released you to find your dream,
03:15 and you found it."
03:17 That was the same woman who fired me.
03:19 (Applause)
03:20 Yes, yes?
03:21 (Audience) Yes, yes!
03:22 Let me tell you something.
03:24 Some of your fears come out of something someone said about you.
03:27 Some of your best motivation came wrapped in sandpaper.
03:30 Some of your best motivation didn't come wrapped in love
03:33 and came with warm cookies and milk.
03:35 It came wrapped in sandpaper.
03:36 It came wrapped in thorns.
03:37 It came wrapped in that divorce.
03:39 It came wrapped in a loss of a loved one.
03:41 It came wrapped in something that didn't work.
03:43 Some of your best motivation that you needed,
03:45 some of the best lessons that you need to learn
03:48 came wrapped in sandpaper.
03:49 Yes, yes?
03:50 (Audience) Yes!
03:51 Your job is to take the information,
03:53 to take the lesson and to take the opportunity
03:55 and use it to fuel you, not make you afraid.
03:57 In climbing over my fears,
03:59 in climbing over my discouragement,
04:02 in climbing over my issues,
04:04 in that, I'm perfect for you.
04:06 And so, there's not one thing you can be afraid of
04:09 that doesn't make you perfect for us.
04:12 Not one thing.
04:13 Not one thing you can go through.
04:14 Not one thing you can come through.
04:16 Not one thing you can be on your way to
04:18 that doesn't make you perfect.
04:20 Say perfect.
04:21 (Audience) Perfect.
04:22 To do that thing that you've been designed to do.
04:25 To say that thing you've been designed to say.
04:27 To bring that experience that you've been called to bring.
04:30 You are perfect. Say perfect.
04:31 (Audience) Perfect.
04:32 In your imperfection. Say imperfection.
04:34 When you become perfect, really,
04:36 we no longer can relate to you.
04:38 So, are you willing to go to the edge
04:41 and hold fear in one hand
04:44 and passion in the other
04:46 and leap?
04:48 I want you to repeat after me, but I want you to understand
04:51 that these are not my words, these are your words.
04:53 I was just asked to bring them to you
04:55 so you can say them to yourself.
04:57 I stand here.
04:59 (Audience) I stand here.
05:00 In my greatness.
05:02 (Audience) In my greatness.
05:03 I own my light.
05:05 (Audience) I own my light.
05:06 I own my brilliance.
05:08 (Audience) I own my brilliance.
05:09 I am bold.
05:10 (Audience) I am bold.
05:11 I am courageous.
05:12 (Audience) I am courageous.
05:13 I'm perfect.
05:14 (Audience) I'm perfect.
05:15 In my imperfection.
05:17 (Audience) In my imperfection.
05:18 This is my time.
05:20 (Audience) This is my time.
05:21 This is my time.
05:23 (Audience) This is my time.
05:24 I'm bright enough.
05:25 (Audience) I'm bright enough.
05:26 I'm old enough.
05:27 (Audience) I'm old enough.
05:28 I'm young enough.
05:29 (Audience) I'm young enough.
05:30 I've experienced enough.
05:32 (Audience) I've experienced enough.
05:33 I'm wise enough.
05:34 (Audience) I'm wise enough.
05:35 I understand.
05:36 (Audience) I understand.
05:37 That I
05:38 (Audience) That I
05:39 am
05:40 enough.
05:41 (Audience) enough.
05:42 [Music]