My amazing friend and biz-partner Joanna recently entered a lottery to go visit Oprah and Tony Robbins live at lifeclass.  …And she got the tickets!!  Not only did she get the tickets, but she scored us second row seats!  So you know just how close we were, second row meant we were about 10 feet away from Oprah and Tony all night.  10 feet.  I was speechless.

There are experiences in life you can choose to take in as a game changer.  This was one of the those experiences.

Oprah – In case you were wondering, Oprah was more amazing than I anticipated. She's real, gracious, and quite funny. 

Gayle + Sage – We also met Gayle King and Tony Robbins' wife, Sage.  Sage was stunning and didn't even flinch when Joanna said she was hoping Tony would take off his shirt on stage (see the full story about this one in the comments below :)). 

Tony Robbins – The class instructor was Tony Robbins.  For those of you that don't know him, he is a leading motivational speaker and coach.  He works with celebrities, politicians, and leads large conferences around the world to help people achieve and succeed beyond their wildest imagination. 

From the minute he was on stage, it was obvious why he was such a success – he's smokin' hot.  …I kid, I kid. 

Honestly, his energy was off the hook!  Before lifeclass even started, he had changed all of us in Radio City Hall.  There was a noticeable shift in energy in the room.

Stories + Fear

This time around, lifeclass is all about the stories we tell ourselves that hold us back.  Good, bad, or indifferent. 

For example, for the longest time, I told myself I was too young and inexperienced to start a business.  Must get more experience.  When I turn 30 I'll be ready.  Well, then I turned 30 and my story instantly switched.  I was now too old to start a business.  I was behind the curve and slacking. 

At the root of all of this was fear. Fear of failure. Fear the my family and friend wouldn't think I was good enough or that my ideas were silly. 

Tony's class focused on pushing through that fear by staying in motion.  Tony believes that motion breeds emotion.  More specifically, this means that your movement and staying in action can help you overcome fear to be your best you and increase your levels of happiness, success, and keep you growing further into your greatness. 

I'm not going to go over everything that they said in lifeclass here; after all you can watch it yourself anytime at oprah.com and you can read more debriefs about it here. 

Instead, I'm going to get real and give you some actionable strategies to put in place in your life today to help you push through your comfort zone and put your fear in its place. 

1. Get Naked with Your Fear  

I co-founded a boudoir photography company so I'm all about getting naked!  But you don't have to literally get naked to reap the benefits of this one.  Do something that freaks you out.  In fact, the thing you think you can't do is the thing you absolutely must do. 

2. Nudge Yourself Beyond the Comfort Zone Just a Little, Everyday 

If your not ready to get naked with your fears just yet, nudge yourself a little bit beyond the everyday comfort zone by taking a different route to work, taking a cold shower, or trying a new diet.  Changing your routines will shake up your thinking and help you see things in a new way. 

3. Stay in Action  

If nothing else, it is important that you simply say in action as you move toward your dream, your big kahuna.  Keep doing the little things that move you forward and don't stop.  Eventually all of these things add up to the grand prize.

I am all about practicing what preach…. Yes, I've done the boudoir shoot, so I can speak from experience, and say it is life changing and confident boosting beyond belief.  I also constantly do little things to push me outside of my comfort zone – like wearing the bright peach daiquiri nail polish I have on right now instead of the soft neutrals I usually wear on my finger nails.  And today I am practicing stay in action. 

Introducing Play Bigger 2012

For years I've been dreaming and scheming about a program I will offer to help fabulous women play bigger.  For the last three months, I've been staying in action and pushing through every fear-bone in my body to go beyond dreams and to actually make it happen. 

Today, I invite you to join my on an 8 week adventure to play bigger.  Step beyond your fear and start to live your gorgeous truth.  In this coaching program that is unlike any group coaching program you've ever attended, you'll identify your purpose, learn strategies to put it in action, and develop a plan to make it happen once and for all.  No more excuses.  When you operate in line with your purpose doors open and things begin to almost magically fall into place.

Even though it is online, it will be an interactive program that engages you (i.e., you won't be sitting on the other end of a phone with one ear in and one ear out).  We group sessions will be done via video – yeah! 

If you have a hunch that there is more out there for you or ever wake up wondering “how the *%$#” did I get here, this program is for you. You can find out more about it here. 

If any of this article resonates with you, I'd be honored if you'd share it.

And I always love to hear from you in the comments or by email. 

xo,

Amber