In this short motivational monologue recorded on July 1st, the speaker greets viewers and frames the segment as a “Moment of Yes” for the start of the July 4th weekend. He reflects on the human tendency to want to fit in with the crowd and the paradox that, after conforming, many feel a pull to stand out and express their authentic self. Using examples from his own children and a recent conference, he introduces the phrase “get niche‑slapped,” explaining that identifying and embracing one’s niche—whether it’s being the improv guy, the “yes‑and” person, or any other label—helps people stay true to themselves while still feeling safe within the group. He argues that authenticity, not merely being different, acts like a lighthouse that attracts others, and that standing up to be authentic can be scary but ultimately rewarding. The talk concludes with a call to embrace one’s niche as a path to authenticity and a positive weekend.
Chapters
Good morning everyone, here is your Moment of Yes. Happy July! It is Friday, July 1st. It is 4th of July weekend here in the US. Probably a lot of you are traveling, doing different things, so please be safe and have a good time. So, your Moment of Yes for today, beginning of a holiday weekend. So, it's interesting, sort of the human experience is interesting when you think about it. We can spend so much time when we feel different, wanting to be like everybody else. I know even my own kids have struggled with that, not being in school. They just wanted to be like other kids. I think that's pretty normal, that's kind of that pack mentality. When you feel like you're different, most of us just want to fit in. Then the longer you fit in, you realize that you want to be different. You want to stand out. You want to— well, what's interesting about me? What's unique about me? What's authentic about me? And then sort of why do kids misbehave? Because they want that attention, they want to stand out. Some kids are achievers so they stand out. The kids that don't achieve become problem makers so that they can stand out. It's when you're sort of stuck in the middle, which when you're like, oh, it's safe in here, but then you start asking the questions, well, who am I? If I'm just the normal mass, well then who am I? And it's really easy to kind of get sucked into Playing this game of, I just want to be like everyone else, safety, and then I feel unfulfilled, so I want to stand out. And as we stand out, scary, and then we want to come back into the middle. So it's this kind of life balance. And for me, I heard this great term last weekend at the conference in Sacramento. Nick Cavado, who is a high-level executive coach, says for each of us, like, We just need to get niche slapped. Niche, again, as a niche, what is your niche? I've been called the improv guy, I've been called the yes and guy, I've been called the Christian Science guy, I've been called whatever. Sometimes it doesn't feel good but I'm like, okay. When you have something that identifies you, it's kind of like you have your niche, right? Your niche. And for each of us, does our niche kind of represent our authenticity? And so like in all those different ways that I've been labeled, I'm like, yeah, that's kind of different qualities that make me sort of authentically me. So to lean into that niche, to allow yourself to get niche slapped. And so for me, when you are sort of— when you understand what your niche is, what makes you authentic, what makes you sort of unique, It allows you to, when you just want to be normal, it allows the safety of being in the pack without feeling like you're sort of getting lost in the pack. And it's also recognizing that even when we're in the pack, we can appreciate and recognize everyone else's unique authentic qualities without feeling that we need to step out of that per se to be solitary and on our own, and then the scariness that comes with that. Again, I often tell kids all the time, if you want to stand out, you've got to be willing to stand up. Standing up is scary because when you stand up and stand out, you can feel like you're on your own. But if it's not just about you and your ego, but if it's about you being your authentic self, you will then actually attract other people to you because you will be that Lighthouse, shining light that people also want to be their authentic selves. It's not about being different, it's about being authentic. And what I just realized here, 4 minutes into the video, that that's what I'm really trying to say. Being niche-lapped is about not trying to be different, but about being authentic. That's your moment of yes for today. Have an awesome weekend, everybody.
