Not what have you read?
Or what have you been told?
Or what have you ASSUMED to be true?
Or what does everyone SAY is true…
But what do you KNOW to be true?
Knowledge is power.
I’ll never forget the first time I was interrogated by the police. Apparently, the year I went to Virginia Tech, the area saw a huge increase in cocaine traffic. A multi-department “task force” had — falsely and with NO evidence — zeroed in on me as a primary person of interest.
The first time they “detained” me for questioning, their colleagues were simultaneously searching my room. Emptying drawers, cutting open my pillows, making a total mess of everything.
I was 17.
And a nervous wreck. My voice was shaky and my hands were trembling. I was PISSED at their demeanor, but also… also, just full of adrenaline… trying to wrap my head around the situation. My dorm mates were all around, and I was embarrassed, and everything was happening so fast.
So, I decided to slow it all down..
to focus first on my breathing… slow, slow, slow.
And then, to bring myself back into REALITY by focusing on what I KNEW to be true:
I wasn’t dealing cocaine.
They wouldn’t find ANYTHING — no drugs, no cigarettes, no alcohol — in my dorm room.
I was safe.
Based on the questions they were so confidently asking,
they had NO CLUE about the drugs that WERE on campus, where they could be found, or who was bringing them in.
Breath by breath,
I breathed in the inherent POWER of knowledge and truth.
My trembling stopped, and my voice grew not only calm, but strong. My words more assertive… And my silence more powerful. I was back to ME.
Fully empowered.
Anchored.
Confident.
Defiant.
Sarcastic.
Determined.
What I KNEW to be true had immense power.
EVEN in that super chaotic moment.
I’ll tell you about the SECOND time they interrogated me in a minute… because it’s a really funny story… but this same “knowledge is power” approach has helped me over and over again in business.
When I feel like things are moving too fast,
when I’m not sure which direction to take,
when I’m overwhelmed and adrenaline is coursing through my veins,
when I’m anxious about a particular outcome,
when my back is against a wall,
I can ALWAYS “right my own ship” with what I know to be true… about SUCCESS… or about ME.
Knowledge is ALWAYS power.
Because TRUTH is an ANCHOR.
When you CLEAVE to ABSOLUTE TRUTH,
you cannot be shaken.
So, what do you KNOW
that you KNOW
that you KNOW
to be true
about success?
or about yOU?
For example… here’s an excerpt from one of my recent journaling sessions about success…
I KNOW that when I am determined, my goals ALWAYS happen. I KNOW that I live in a world of total abundance. I KNOW that my God is bigger than ANY mountain I may face. I KNOW that success requires work and that diligent work ALWAYS leads to profit. I KNOW that I am able. I KNOW that success comes through wisdom and discernment coupled with daily action.
When you go back to what you KNOW,
the world slows down,
the obstacles become easier to tackle,
the nay sayers lose their voice,
the opportunities become clear,
and you….
are FULLY empowered
to be YOU…
So, I encourage you to do EXACTLY that… whenever you need to be FULLY empowered. Journal on what YOU know to be absolutely true, and tell me if it doesn’t IMMEDIATELY calm your nerves, enlighten your vision, embolden your actions.
So, unfortunately, the “task force” didn’t just forget about me and go on their merry way. They came back. Again. Removing me from my own room, searching it top to bottom, cutting open my pillows (which they NEVER paid to have replaced, by the way) while “roughly” interrogating me in another room.
This time, I wasn’t nervous. I was infuriated.
And this is something I’ve never told a soul.
I made the split second decision to respond to their questions ONLY in song lyrics.
LARGELY because I had nothing to say to them,
and my silence was making them furious,
but also — I admit —
to amuse myself.
It took them a SURPRISINGLY long time to figure it out. I mean, these were DETECTIVES. Finally, the younger one said, “I think she’s repeating song lyrics.”
MY response?
“Whooomp there it is.”
lol….
The interview ended shortly thereafter.
Dejected, the searching team came back AGAIN empty handed.
They promised to return.
Which they continued to do
until I stopped playing their game
and demanded a search warrant,
which they could not secure.
AND therein lies the FULL extent of my sordid history with the po-po. =) I was innocent. But it’s still a funny story to tell.
P.S. Are you TELLING yourself that NOW is the time? That you’re DONE playing small? That you’re REALLY going all in this time? GREAT. Because I have this “little thing” going on over here. it’s called Women Who WOW. Maybe you’ve heard of it? We are the PLACE women entrepreneurs go to create WILD success on their own terms.
No excuses.
No B.S.
No compromise.
Join us. Message me for details.
