“Courage is being afraid, but showing up anyways” – Rachel Hollis

On May 2nd, I was fortunate enough to attend a Rise-X-Live conference hosted by the Hollis Company – aka, my spiritual human, Rachel Hollis. If you aren’t familiar with her name or mission, she wrote Girl Wash Your Face and Girl Stop Apologizing, she is also known for her “5 to Thrive” and the 90 Day Challenge. She spreads the idea of becoming your best self by taking care of your body, your mind, and your business.

As a recent college graduate from UW – Stevens Point, you guys – I NEEDED this. With uncertainties ranging from moving, to finding a full-time position, to leaving this community of people I’ve grown so attached to in the past four years. If any of you are struggling with uncertainty, or finding yourself during this COVID-19 pandemic, or just in general, I have some incredible notes from the conference I attended – free of charge!

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear” – Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Everyone could use some courage in their life; this was the theme for Rise-X-Live. In order to find courage, you must first evaluate your perspective and mindset.

• Perspective is how you see things.
• Mindset is what you think about what you are seeing.

You don’t see life as it is, you see life as YOU are. Your past experiences, memories, and traumas are affecting how you see your present life. So I challenge you to dig in deep… What in your past is affecting how you are looking at your current situation? What is limiting you from reaching your full potential? Is it that time you peed your pants on stage as a kid, and now you feel anxiety about speaking in front of a group? Did you experience a childhood trauma that has affected how you treat others or yourself today? What is the calling on your heart?

There are two types of mindsets; a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. Think of this as the infamous “What if” question.

A fixed mindset is the belief that you are born with it, or you aren’t. These are the people who believe they weren’t “wired” a certain way, so they will never be “this”, or couldn’t ever do “that” because they weren’t born that way.

• A fixed mindset uses “What if” as a place of fear. Anxiety strikes as made up scenarios of things that could go wrong.

A growth mindset follows the “where there is a will, there is a way” idea. Rachel described this as throwing clay. As long as you continue to mold and shape (your mindset), you can change its shape.

• A growth mindset uses “What if” as a way to dream, something to strive for.

So, what is keeping you from the mindset that you want? Write down your biggest, overarching fear right now, and follow that with your plan if that horrible thing were to happen. Here was my example:

My biggest fear – That I will move to Florida and not find a job in my field that I enjoy, therefore; working at a job I hate and/or not finding a job at all, hence – no happiness or money. (I know, it seems unrealistic and like a stretch, but this is my fear as a recent graduate).

My plan if that happens – If I can’t find a full-time position in marketing, I will take a job in my field that will offer me experience in customer service, office management, and leadership to further my skills, using this job as a stepping stone. If I need to get a part-time job, I will work as a barista – basking in the ambiance of coffee and making other people smile. Saving money as I go and cutting expenses where I can! When you write things out and make a plan to stay optimistic and persevere, your fears don’t seem so scary!

The next step is to work on your self confidence. Self confidence starts with keeping the promises you make to yourself, big or small. There is a simple two-step process to this:

1. Make small promises to yourself and keep them. Give yourself credit when you follow through! (I do this by awkwardly shouting “whoop whoop, drank half of my body in water” EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.).
2. Complete the “one more” theory. If you tell yourself you are going to do 25 minutes on a treadmill, do 26. If you are going to drink 8 cups of water a day, drink 9. If you aim to eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies, eat 6, etc. Always do one more, just to prove to yourself that you are capable. (Apparently this doesn’t apply to drinking wine – I’ll take this up with Rachel at a later date).

After doing some soul searching and finding some confidence (as if those are super simple tasks to complete – not!), work on being consistent. Think of some healthy things you can look forward to everyday and stick to them! I follow Rachels “5 to Thrive” and add my own flare to it.

Rachel’s 5 to Thrive:

1. Drink half of your body weight in water
2. Give up 1 category of food you know you shouldn’t be eating (for me, it is soda)
3. Start each day with gratitude (I actually do it at the end of each day)
4. Move your body for 30 minutes a day (walk, run, kickbox – you name it)
5. Wake up one hour earlier and take time for yourself (even if it’s just to drink coffee on the couch)

Ari’s two-to-do:

1. Wash your face (twice a day)
2. Create a daily “To-Do” list  – cross things off as you go.

If you haven’t already guessed, I am a devoted Hollis Co. fan with lots of love for Mrs. Rachel Hollis. Reading her books, listening to her podcasts, joining her 90 Day Challenge, and attending this Rise-X-Live Conference have made me a better person. I am more conscious of my mood and my choices (mentally and physically), I am eating and exercising more regularly (without all the frustration and lack of motivation that I usually have), and I’ve opened my eyes to this idea that I am enough. I am smart enough, I am strong enough, and darn it, I am made for more!

submitted by Arianna, Portage County Business Council Intern