405: Find your hidden opportunities

Life itself is giving us enough practice. Except we are rejecting the practice that we need in order to get to the next level because it's too painful or it doesn't feel good or we're afraid. Welcome to the Earn your happy podcast. I'm Lori Harder, founder of The Bliss Project, 3 Time Fitness World champion, fitness expert and cover model, turned self love junkie, lifestyle entrepreneur and author. Each week I'll bring you a guest or a thought that will help you bust through your fears, connect to your soul and get focused and clear so you can elevate your life, business and relationships. We don't wait until we're ready for someone to tell us we're good enough. We take what we want and we anoint ourselves. Get ready to earn own and unapologetically rock your happiness every single day. Are you with me? Here we go.

Foreign.

Welcome back to the Earn your happy podcast and it's time for another quickie because there's always time to fit in inspiration. It's so vital you guys, because what you are listening to, who you are around, what you are reading is what you are living. So thank you guys so much for coming back here. I always hope that I can either be that voice and of a reminder voice of a reminder of your own wisdom, a voice of that push, a voice of that swift kick in the ass. And I'm feeling like we need a good firm ass whooping today in the best way. So nod your head yes if you are feeling like you need the most motivational kick in the hiney because I don't know what it is right now, but something energetically shifted for me and I'm gonna tell you that I have been waiting for two years to feel this way again. So I hope that wherever you're at, it is being received. And if there is, if you're in a place where maybe this isn't exactly what you need right now, definitely go to some other podcasts that I have because there even, even just last year I was definitely in a place where I needed a bit more of a loving voice. So if that's where you' definitely go back to some of the older podcasts. But if you are ready for an up leveling right now, if, if that is the time, if this is the time for you, then today is your day. A couple weeks ago is your day. Last week was your day for these quickies on this podcast because there's some new energy coming through for me and I'm absolutely loving it. And it's exactly what I needed to go to my next level. So I'm bringing you all with me. This is where you are. If not, please don't freak out. Don't be like, oh my God, I'm not there yet. She's there. You guys. This took me two years to get here, so chill. You might need to just be a little more patient with your winter season that you're in and accepting of where you're at, because sometimes you're just there, you can't get out and you're going through it and you're in it and it's doing a lot of stuff that you don't even realize that it is doing. So, you guys, real quick, I want to remind you that Chris and I are going to be closing out our round two of Fast foundation coming up soon. So you don't have a lot of time if you want to join these next five months with these incredible entrepreneurs. If you're in the beginning phases of your journey, beginning phases of your business, it's Anyone who's made zero to $500,000 in their business, $500,000 and above, is Chris's elite mastermind. But Fast Foundations is the mastermind that Chris and I do together. And I can say that the results are out of this world and we would love to work with you in and on your business. We spend two in person events together, three days each of really getting into the strategy, the structure of your business. And not just that. With this Fast Foundations mastermind, we go into personal development at a very high end because we know that in order to transform your business and go to the next level in your business, there's typically a lot of fears or old stories that we are working through too. So we simultaneously mix them together. So our speakers not only talk about business, but they talk about how in order to get to where they were, they or they are, that they absolutely had to uplevel themselves and change some different things in their life. So we really take a holistic approach to this mastermind. And I can say that that is what sets us apart from a lot of masterminds is we are not just strategy in your business, we are life strategy. Because why in the hell are we doing this if we can't enjoy the process and do it together? So I would love to do that with you. And these humans are absolutely awesome. If you want to hear from some of the people in Fast Foundations, we did a podcast with them. It is entitled Entrepreneurs Real Tips for Fast Growth. And it was just a couple weeks ago, so go Check that out. It's one of my favorite episodes. All right, so today there are a couple things that are on my heart. And as I'm talking to you, as I told you I was, I'm experiencing some new energy. Please understand that this is coaching for me. This is a voice that's coming through me, to me. Hopefully, it can also help you in where you want to go. So what I've been experiencing is realizing that my life is giving me everything that I need right now in order to get to the next level. And it's up to me to observe and partake and to take notice and to put myself in the situations and accountability in order to make these next things happen in business and in starting this company that I'm starting. So with that said, I am speaking to the former me. And also I'm speaking to a lot of people who are messaging me right now, talking about how they are really afraid to take action. They're afraid of what people will think. They're acting like they don't know what they're supposed to be doing when I know that they have Google. And I don't mean to laugh, but it's just the truth. Like, if we would just all message each other the truth, it would look more like this. Hey, I kind of know that I can figure out my own first steps, but here's what I'm actually afraid of. Judgment, comparison, criticism, and my family's not supporting me. All right? So if we really get down to it, there's all the things that we need to take care of before we can really even get into the strategy of, like, what are the steps I should actually be taking? Because they're all out there. They're online. We could research. We can ask somebody who has been there before. We can do a lunch meeting. We could say, hey, if you were in my position and you were just starting out and you knew nothing about X, Y and Z, about starting this online business or about starting a yoga studio or about doing an event, what would you tell me my first steps of action would be over the next couple months, right? Over the next three months, what would you tell me I should be focusing on or doing? You guys write that question down. It is so incredibly important. If you get really specific, most people will answer that in their inbox, right? You could actually DM a bunch of people that message and someone will answer. Now, a lot of people won't because they are busy. So I just want you to remember when you're messaging busy people, when you get Busy. You need to remember that you need to have massive compassion and understanding for who gets back to you and who. Who doesn't, because they might be completely buried. And it doesn't mean that you quit. It means you keep going until you get an answer. And a lot of times it might be better done if you take them out to lunch or you go to their corporate office or you offer them something amazing in order to do that. Right? So Chris and I have done this recently, and I know that a lot of you are not in this position to do this, but some of you are. I want to be talking to different people who have done what I want to do before, AKA starting companies. So something we're doing is offering some money to their charity in order to take them to lunch to be able to ask them some questions and then asking what value? You know, how can I add more value to your life? Or going ahead and researching what they think is valuable right now and doing that. So, you know, maybe it's shouting out their event, maybe it's buying their products and sharing them. Maybe it's buying a ton of their books and distributing it out to your audience. Like, you have to remember, you have to add value to people because thousands and thousands of people are taking from their energy. So how can you add value or keep showing up in a way that could actually help you move forward as well? And if it's strategic, is there somebody in the future that you want, you know, potential advice or connection with, then you should be getting on their radar now and adding value somehow, quite often, whether that's constantly commenting or sharing. I know that we've talked about this a lot before, but what's happening is life itself is giving us enough practice, except we are rejecting the practice that we need in order to get to the next level because it's too painful or it doesn't feel good or we're afraid. So what do I mean? All right, so every day it's like we get this opportunity to get in the batting cage and hit one of the balls, right? Except we've never picked up a bat before, right? Like, let's just say how it is. Like, I was just in a batting cage for one of the first times since I was a little, little kid that I can even remember. I don't even know if I hit any balls. And it was out in Boston, and I was like, oh, my. I don't even know how I should be swinging or what this looks like. And we had 20 opportunities, right? We had 20 balls that we were able to hit, and I didn't even understand what bat I should use. I didn't know what I should be doing. I was super scared of these balls flying at my face. You can make as many ball jokes right now as you like. So I just thought, well, you're not going to learn if you don't get in there and try to start hitting something. So instead of being afraid. Well, not instead of being afraid. So I took my fear in with me and I was like, okay, here's the deal. You have your protective gear on. You have your helmet on. I just asked what I should be doing and got great advice on how to not get hit by the ball or how to hurt myself. So I had all of these things ready, but you can't. I wasn't ready. Like, just because they told me what to do and because I had protective gear on, I didn't feel ready. So I just started swinging away. You guys, I only hit like three, and it was the worst hits ever. But what happened is I started to understand that as long as I put myself in there and say yes and make sure that I do everything that I can, like, as much as I can do, you're going to start connecting, meaning that ball will eventually hit the bat. And the more times that you put yourself in there and make sure that you're protected as much as you can, you're probably going to do okay. Now, did I think that by asking those questions, going in with the helmet and whatever else I had, that I would be totally safe? That a ball couldn't hit me?

No.

There is that variable, and that's what I'm risking, right? That's what you're risking every day. So every day you're walking into the batting cage, but here's what you're missing. You're doing the things that you can do to protect yourself as much as possible. So every single day, if you're doing something new and you're scary, you also can make sure that you have a group of friends that you can use as kind of a safety net or a protective barrier. What do I mean? A protective barrier from the outside world of people who don't know you. So if you have a total shit day or people are awful to you, or you get awful DMs, you message a friend and say, hey, can I jump on the phone quick? I'm feeling kind of crappy. I'm feeling kind of bad, right? So they're like your helmet between the balls flying at your head, and it's basically like the outside world. So, yeah, that ball can hit your helmet, but the helmet's gonna protect your head for the most part. You're gonna be okay. So your friends are like the protective helmet, like, it doesn't stop the ball from kind of like giving you a zinger in the head and scaring you. But you're gonna be just fine when you make sure that you have your safety nets. So you've got your groups of your tribe or your friends or your masterminds or your coaches and those all lined up for when you start taking these leaps of faith and these steps. But the thing that I'm trying to tell you is that literally life is the picture. It's constantly pitching you opportunities in every single moment. I don't care if you're like, wow, I would love to be more brave, but I just don't think I'm a courageous person. Are you taking courageous opportunities? Are you even getting inside of the batting cage? Are you even swinging at all of those things that are coming at. Are you using your actual voice box to ask questions? I don't mean to sound like a dick, but I'm being super serious right now. Like, are you using your voice box to ask questions? What answer do you want? What answers are you looking for? Are you asking the right questions? Are you asking specific, pointed questions? Or are you afraid that you are too confrontational or up front or afraid that someone could say no or afraid you might be viewed as rude or afraid that you might be viewed as too straight to the point or getting what you, you know, taking what you need or trying to get what you need. Do it. Do it. You're going to sit in doubt. You're going to sit wondering. You're going to sit in the same spot you're sitting in. You're going to wake up next year and be in the same spot. It doesn't matter what people think of you. If you have a vision that is from up above or wherever you believe all around you, it's from. It is your gift and it is your purpose. And you have just let small minds into your life and take over. And you are playing out their story that you've adopted. You have to let it go. You have to let it go. You have to let it go. And if you're like, I don't know how to let it go, you just say, God, universe, energy. I am willing to feel what this would feel like if I let this go. I am willing to try on the idea of letting this go. What Would that feel like soften your solar plexus, soften your jaw, Soften your body, soften your muscles. I'm willing to let this go. I am willing to forgive them. I'm willing to move on from this story. I am willing to take this story and use it as my fuel in this instead of what stops me. I am willing to believe I could do this because this other person did it. I am willing to believe I'm good enough because I'm choosing it. I am willing to do the work. Just see what that feels like. Like, what would it feel like if you were just willing? Because every single good story did not start out with oh yeah, it was super easy for me and I had all the money to do it. Like, that's not even why people do what they want to do. Every great story and every great thing that I know that has ever begun has started because someone's back was up against the wall or because they needed to get over a story or because they were determined to change their family tree and their family legacy or no one had ever done it in their family before. Like, that is fuel. Oh my God. Use some fuel for the fire. Like you are walking propane, you just need to be ignited. You are unstoppable. Your story makes you completely unstoppable. Especially if you are the underdog. So you guys, I'm sending you so much love today. I want you to start looking around at every single opportunity in your life that is coming your way. If there is a person that walks by you, they are an opportunity. Whether it's to be nicer, to have more compassion or to ask them a pointed business question or life question. It doesn't matter what people think of you. It doesn't matter what people think of you.

With the holidays and the new year coming, you probably are looking around your house thinking that you would love to upgrade and freshen up your environment and there is no easier way to get do that then with your window treatments. Nobody covers windows better than Blinds.com. blinds.com brings your space to life in your way. They have free design help. Other retailers may claim to have experts, but blinds.com has spent nearly 30 years building an award winning team of over a hundred design consultants that are ready to help you create your dream space. Always convenient, always tailored to you. Three ways to shop 1. Perfect fit Whether you want a DIY, have it all done for you or you're somewhere in between, choose what works for you and rest easy knowing the fit is guaranteed. So the holidays come fast you guys. And you can freshen up your window treatments fast as well. And unlike some competitors, the price you see is the price you pay. No hidden fees and there's zero pressure. From blackout in motorized options to classic shutters, blinds.com has window treatments for every room, style and budget, even shades for your outdoor space. The Black Friday deals@blinds.com are going strong all month long, so don't miss your chance to save big. And as always, our listeners still get 50 off when you spend 500 or more. Just use code earn at checkout limited time offer rules and restrictions apply. See blinds.com for details. 2026 is the year that you launch your business. It's the year that you've become the boss. You become the leader. That idea that you have that has been and eating at you forever that just will not leave you alone is going to come to life. Maybe it's something that someone tells you you should always sell or a store you've already designed in your head. And with Shopify 2026 is when you finally make it happen. Shopify gives you everything you need to sell online and in person. Millions of entrepreneurs have already made this leap from household name to first time business owners. Just getting started you guys. I use Shopify for glossy and I remember when they sent me my little shopping bag celebrating my 10,000 sales and I literally cried because I was so scared to take the leap. And I'm so glad that I did and that I use Shopify. It gives you all the tools to easily build your dream store. You can choose from hundreds of beautiful templates that you can customize to match your brand. Set up as fast with Shopify's built in AI tools that write product descriptions and headlines and help you edit photos so marketing is built into you can create email and social campaigns that reach customers wherever they scroll. So as you grow, Shopify grows with you. You can handle more orders, expand to new markets and do it all from the Same dashboard in 2026. Stop waiting and start selling with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com happy go to shopify.com happy that's Shopify. Shopify.com happy hear your first cha thing this new year with Shopify by your side.

You are born unassailable. Like you are a child of God of you are made up of the same thing the universe is made up of. If that does not resonate with you energy whatever, you are made up of the most powerful stuff on earth. I'M going to remind you every single time you're acting like you're not, no person or thing or online bullying or family member can take you you down. Keep moving forward. If your intentions are to move forward and they're for the highest good and they're to serve your purpose, nothing can take you down permanently. Except you're believing that it can and it can not. It cannot. Will it be painful? Yes. Will you be better on the other side? Yes. One million percent. It's not the things that you'll regret that you did. It's the things that you did not regret. Do you are born for something bigger and you know it. That's why you tune into this podcast every week. Don't just listen to it and get fired up and put this away. Listen to it and put something down to take action. And when I say that to people, they're like, what should I take action on? I don't know. Write it down. Your first step is to ask yourself, what is it that I want to do? Or what is it that is interesting and you need an actionable thing, like tomorrow. So if you're like, I'm gonna sit and think about what's interesting. I can't figure out what's interesting. I don't even know what I like. That's when you have to actually take action and start seeing what you like. But it will not come to fruition unless you have an appointment that says, I'm not sure. Maybe I should go to coffee with someone who's doing something I think I like and I could ask them what that looks like, or I could get started, or I could ask them if I could shadow them for a day or if it would be weird if I could just come and sit and see what operations look like in this business or whatever that is like massive action, knocking down doors. It's more than you think. Like, if you think you're taking action right now and nothing's moving, it's because you're not taking enough action. And that's it, end of story. It's because you're not taking enough action. So if you're getting discouraged and something's not working, it might mean you need to tweak it a bit, but it probably means you need even more action. Let me tell you, when I was in network marketing, marketing, whenever people were like, yeah, I'm not sure. I'm not making any money, and they would tell me what they were doing, I was like, I am doing 500% more than that. So I can tell you right now that it was. The reason why we were so successful in network marketing is because I just would not quit every single night after working all day at my gym. I would make sure I set up calls or inbox people or did something that moved the needle forward. Research and thinking is not a needle moving action. It's vital, but it's not an actual thing that moves the needle forward. What is is connection asking meetings and appointments. The hard stuff. The stuff that you don't want to do and you don't feel ready to do and you don't feel smart enough to do. I'm going to say that again. The stuff that you don't want to do, you don't feel ready to do, and you sure as hell don't feel smart enough to do. And that you won't be taken serious. You know who's taken serious? People who take action. And that is it. End of story. Doesn't matter. All right, you guys, I am, like, again, coaching myself. So if that feels like a a kick in the rear, it's because I am just lovingly telling myself to move. My soul is like fire right now. I am excited. I am on purpose. I'm moving forward. I am actionable. I have appointments. So right after this, I'm setting even more appointments and I'm super excited and I'm sending you lots of love. And please let me know what you took from this and if you got any different points that you needed to actually put something in your calendar. All right, guys, until next time, earn your happy. Bye, everyone. Thank you guys so much for spending this time with me on the earn your happy podcast. I am so glad that you stopped by. If you could take one second to share this episode with someone you think would love it, that would be absolutely amazing and we would be forever grateful. Also, please leave us a review if you feel so moved by going to itunes and leaving us an honest thought, an honest comment. Tell us what you think, tell us what you want to hear more of. It would really help help us out on our journey to helping thousands and thousands of people. Until then, don't forget to earn your happy. Thanks again, guys. Bye. Bye.