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summary
Have you ever felt like you were spending a lot of time doing LOTS of things, but not really getting much done? This has been my story lately.
It wasn’t until the incredible Brendon Burchard articulated two life-changing gems that I realized I needed a solid gut check on my ambition and to take back my personal power.
Are you living big enough? Are you living in line with your personal truth? Are you living in alignment or moving towards where you want to be at this stage in your life? Gut check time.
Are you owning what it is that is happening in your life right now? If not, why not, and how can you start owning your life? Personal power.
Read/listen on my friends, then let me know how you’re gut checking your ambition and taking back your personal power!
full transcript + more information
the below is transcribed from video, with the addition of a few edits/links
Whitney here!
I did a series of Instagram stories a few days ago and I’ve been having such great conversations with a lot of you about the topic, so I wanted to jump on and have a more in depth conversation about it.
These topics really resonated with me. It sounds like they really resonated with a lot of you, too. I would love connect with more of you about these two particular topics!
As most you probably know, Chris and I are involved in Brendon Burchard’s Mastermind group. It has been a game changer for us in terms of our personal relationship, in terms of our business and business relationships, and just in general, in terms of our personal development and growth.
As part of this mastermind group, we have the privilege of getting to meet our fellow masterminders in person twice a year.

This meeting is an opportunity for us to network; an opportunity to get to learn from each other; and an opportunity to get coached from high performance coaches like Brendon Burchard (this particular event was also facilitated by Ethan Willis and Dean Graziosi – such an inspiring few days)!
It was also in Sundance, Utah — an incredible event with an even more incredible backdrop!

This particular mastermind event brought up two amazing things on the first day. These two things really spoke to me. They really hit home for me. And based on my discussions with many of you, I understand they are really hitting home for you, too.
ambition
The first thing: it is time to gut check your ambition! I know I really needed to gut check my ambition, so I challenge you to pause right now, press pause here, and ask yourself honestly:
Am I living big enough?
We often have the tendency in our day to day lives, especially if you’re a goal centered person, to get caught up in our to-do lists. If you’re not careful, a to-do list can disguise itself as ambition.
I know for me, checking those things off my to-do list, and the items that actually make it on my to-do list, are often not moving me towards those big, hairy, scary goals that I have. They aren’t moving me towards my dreams of where I want to be in my life at this stage in my life. They are really just distractions. They are things that make me feel productive, but aren’t moving the needle.
Don’t let your ambition take you in a million different directions: ensure you’re tying your ambition to that BIG thing that you really want to be doing at this stage in your life; ensure its tied to that big hairy scary goal that you might think is out of reach, but that you really want to be doing; ensure those to-do lists are actually moving you toward your dreams instead of just keeping you distracted and busy.

Are you guilty of the being too busy? I know I am!
When someone asks how I am doing, I often find myself answering “SO BUSY.” But what am I too busy doing? Stop saying you’re so busy! Start tying your busy-ness to actual movement and progress forward; tie your ambition to your goals instead of your to-do list. Stop saying you’re so busy, and start chasing your big life goals!
personal power + self reliance
The second point, and this is the point that I seem to be talking with a lot of you about, is about personal power and self reliance.
We all have our “plate of life.” On that plate is piled all the things you have to do in your life. I think a lot of people, myself included, have the misconception that they have limited, or no, control over what is on their plate; tasks, family obligations and events, social activities, work things.
When it comes to personal power, you have to understand that you, and only you, control what goes on your plate. If you have a bunch of shit on your plate that you don’t want to be there, only YOU have the power and ability to remove those things.
In line with that, in terms of self reliance, if you put things on your plate, you need to own that. Acknowledge and take ownership of the fact that anything that is on your plate, YOU allowed to be there. If you don’t want that thing, or those things on your plate, that you need to own clearing it for yourself. YOU have the power over your plate, and only YOU get to decide what is on it.

Make sure that your plate includes your BIG ambition or is clear enough for your big ambition.
Pause and evaluate: gut check your ambition. Are you living big enough? Are you living in line with your personal truth? Are you living in alignment or moving towards where you want to be at this stage in your life?
Pause and evaluate: personal power and self reliance. Are you owning what it is that is happening in your life right now? If not, why not, and how can you start owning it now?
Connect with me – I LOVE chatting about this stuff. Have an incredible day!