Achieve Your Breakthrough and Become Unstoppable! Author and Life Coach Cynthia Kersey
Shows Us How...
A
Keeping Family First Exclusive Interview
by Anita
S. Lane
Click "Play" to listen to part one of this interview... Scroll down for a link to part two of the audio interview...
Cynthia Kersey has dedicated her life to helping women and men achieve their breakthrough goals and become unstoppable. Today, she shares her wisdom and experience with the Keeping Family First family.
KFF: Cynthia Kersey, thank you so much for joining us today.
Cynthia: Well, you’re welcome Anita. I’m happy to be here.
KFF: I was so intrigued by the title of your book when I first heard about it— Unstoppable. What does it mean to be unstoppable?
Cynthia: Well, I think initially people’s impression of an unstoppable person is this superhuman who barrels through any challenge that comes their way—something like the Terminator image we see on the movie screen. But what I’ve found is that unstoppable people really are like you and me. They experience difficulties; they have set backs they get discouraged. They have disappointments and they even feel like quitting sometimes. But they don’t. And I’ve identified very specific characteristics that enable a person to develop this unstoppable mindset.
What I think the best definition is having the courage to dream, or to pursue a goal for yourself or your family and then not letting your own fear, your own self-doubt or your circumstances stop you. And every time you take a step forward, you’ve created an unstoppable moment. To live an unstoppable life we just have to do a series of unstoppable moments.
KFF: That’s so awesome. Now your first book was a collection of 45 stories of unstoppable achievers who possess these seven success characteristics. Can you highlight these seven success characteristics for us?
Cynthia: First, Unstoppable people are driven by a purpose. They not only know what they want but why. They know their unique calling in life and what gives them great meaning.
Second is unstoppable passion. You take your purpose or mission and you find a vehicle to express that in your world—which is passion.
Third is unstoppable belief—developing the belief system that enables you to achieve your goal.
Fourth is unstoppable preparation. That’s gaining the knowledge, resources or skills that you need to make that goal happen.
Fifth is building an unstoppable team.
Sixth is unstoppable creativity. Things don’t work out exactly as planned so we have to be creative if we want to stay in action.
The final one is unstoppable perseverance. Absolutely refusing to quit until you ultimately achieve your goal.
KFF: That’s so wonderful. I’m already inspired. You went on write a second book entitled, Unstoppable Women. Why did you decide to write this book specifically for women?
Cynthia: I’d been coaching people for almost ten years and what I’d found was that people will figure out their purpose and find a vehicle they are passionate about. But when taking the first step, people feel overwhelmed. It’s kind of like if you’ve ever read a book or gone to a conference and you come home with a list of ten things that you want to change about your life or improve…Then Monday morning comes and you wake up to a life.
So the idea is, how do you put one more thing on your to do list? It’s really difficult. What I found is that people have a hard time getting into action. Research proves that the most effective way to achieve a goal or to create a change in your life is by focusing on one thing and then taking a consistent step.
So that’s really what Unstoppable Women and the Unstoppable Challenge is all about—helping people get into action on that one thing that would really invigorate their life. Whether it’s organizing their office or losing weight or starting on a book proposal—maybe they want to write a book or getting into better physical health—something that would really excite them.
KFF: Now in this book, Unstoppable Women, you offer the Unstoppable Women Challenge which challenges us and helps empower us to achieve any breakthrough goal in 30 days. Tell us, what is a breakthrough goal?
Cynthia: It’s something that really invigorates you. In the beginning of the book you do a reality check. You look at eight different areas of your life. And you rate it 1-5 on levels of satisfaction. The area that you have the greatest area for improvement you look at—what would be the best area that if I improve this it would just jumpstart my life. So for many people that I coach it starts with getting organized—creating a structure in their lives getting their office, their garage or their house organized. Then for a lot of other people it would be health—getting in control of their eating or their exercising and feeling really good about that. Another area that is very common with people that I work with is moving forward in their career.
So maybe if you’re in sales or running your own business, it’s that consistent action every single day, towards your business. I mean literally I’ve had people who’ve had the most productive or best thirty days of their life by going through this program.
That’s really the power of looking at one area of your life and making a commitment that you’re going to take a single consistent step every day in the completion of that goal.
KFF: You talk about one step at a time. What is the first step to achieving a breakthrough goal?
Cynthia: You’re the one who decides it. The firs thing you have to look at is “what do you want.” There’s actually a little structure that I go through. What it is that you want, and why do you want it? Our emotions drive our behavior. So let’s say for example, because it’s such a common goal—let’s say that you want to get into better physical condition.
KFF: Yeah that’s me…
Cynthia: Yeah, most of the people I speak with—I mean, what woman do you know who doesn’t want to lose a few pounds?
Let’s say the goal is to lose ten pounds as a specific and measurable goal. Then the second step would be looking at why is it important. Really getting into the heart of what it costs you by not being as healthy as you want to be.
When you can get down to the core—something that brings a tear to the eye you know you’ve touched something on the real, deep why. I remember talking with a woman who said she wanted to lose 10 pounds and I asked her why and she said, “Oh, because I’d look better in my clothes.”
“And why is that important?” I asked.
”Oh I just think I’d probably feel better. I couldn’t get anything that was really deep for her. It felt very nonchalant to me and at the end I was saying, “You know what, you’re not ready to make that commitment. You don’t have a strong enough why.” They say that in making any change in your life, 20% is knowing how to do it but 80% is knowing why you’re doing it.
So if you can get in touch with “why” it’s so important for you to make that change—let’s face it. We all know how to eat better and how to move and exercise but it’s getting outside everyday and consistently taking that action is where people fall short. My brother for example was over 100 pounds overweight. He struggled with his weight for years. And one of his sons who was 12 or 13 at the time started really getting serious about health and my brother, it just clicked for him, he thought, “I’m such a poor model for my children.”
All of his kids were overweight except for the one son who was getting into healthy pursuits. It was the idea the he wanted to be around for his kids and be a model that shifted him and he started running, he started eating better…he actually ended up doing a marathon a year and a half later.
That’s the power of a why. So whenever you want to make a change in your life, what do you want specifically—and you need to make it specifically measurable—and step two is why is it so important?
Click "Play" to listen to part two of this interview...
KFF: Can you share one of the many unstoppable stories that exemplify the change one person can make if he or she is committed?
The third step in this process of creating a breakthrough in your life in thirty days is that you have to believe it’s possible. That’s critical. If we want to make a change in our life we have to change our belief about what’s possible. If you believe that something is inside of you or outside of you is holding you back, that will be your reality. Our circumstances do not dictate what our reality can be.
One great example of an unstoppable belief is Michelle Hoskins. Michelle Hoskins was a small manufacturer in Chicago and she made her grandmother’s honey cream syrup. That’s what she did for a living. She distributed it locally to a few restaurants and stores. And she had this dream where she saw her grandmother’s syrup on every table at Denny’s restaurants nationwide. Now Denny’s had 1700 restaurants. So Michelle Hoskins wasn’t remotely prepared to distribute, much less manufacture this honey cream syrup to that many locations. But she believed that once she got the contract that she could do it.
So Michelle started every Monday morning at 10:30 a.m. She would call Denny’s corporate office and she would talk to everyone and anyone who would talk to her. She talked to receptionists and secretaries and the procurement department, manufacturing and they all said, “Yeah, Michelle…sounds great. Send us some of your grandma’s syrup and we’ll get back with you.” Like so many people who tell us that, they never called her back. But Michelle didn’t stop and literally, she called every Monday morning for two years.
In two years Denny’s restructured and they had a new CEO who heard about Michelle Hoskins…just like everybody else who’d heard about her, and he said, “Why aren’t we giving this woman an opportunity?”
So she bid for that contract and won a three million dollar contract doing exactly what she believed she would do.
KFF: That’s phenomenal.
Cynthia: Isn’t it amazing? What’s really powerful about that story is the fact that she said she believed that Denny’s needed her as much as she needed Denny’s. How many people—especially people in sales—will make five phone (at best). They may make one or two and if somebody says, “No” or “They’re not available,” or if they have to keep calling back, they make it mean, “Oh…they’re not interested. Statistics show that five years ago the average sales call only required five attempts to get through. Now it’s eight. People are inundated with information and with sales people, so if you want to be unstoppable in getting people to buy your product or into your projects, you have to be willing to work through some rejection. And your belief system is really the key to what will enable you to stay in action.
KFF: I want to talk about your personal “unstoppable” story for a moment. You began your career as a secretary and rose to sales executive. Was this journey for you the impetus for seeking out other unstoppable stories?
Cynthia: Absolutely, I started a secretary and was horrible. I was fired from my first job and demoted from my second job. Then I got into telemarketing for Sprint Communications. Most people would probably think that was going from bad to worse—from a secretary to calling people at dinner time what long distance carrier they are using… To most people that would be horrible but I actually loved it. I couldn’t believe they paid me money to talk on the phone. It was a perfect fit for me. Within six years I rose to the top level of my company—as a sales national account manager. And I sold the Kinko’s account and I’m getting recognition at the top levels of my organization and I’m making a lot of money, and yet I wasn’t passionate about my life.
The first book, Unstoppable is really a result of my own journey of finding out what my purpose is. What my passion is. Literally, all of the steps in the exercises that I share was what I went through to determine what I really wanted to do. And going through this process of finding out my purpose I realized that I love encouraging people. That excites me.
I thought, “Okay, I’ll be a professional encourager.” How do you do that? I’ve always loved stories of unstoppable people. I remember reading the story of Walt Disney. He was on the verge of bankruptcy every 18 months for thirty years. Those stories inspire me.
So twelve years ago I quit my job, cashed in my entire life savings and downsized my life to be able to write my book. When you’re an unpublished author you’re the lowest of the low in the publishing industry. Nobody takes you seriously. So I was rejected…I got to live being unstoppable. I was rejected by publishers. I was rejected by agents. I was rejected by people I wanted to interview for the book.
KFF: What was your biggest hurdle to you achieving your dream?
Cynthia: There’s never one hurdle. Literally, getting the book written, first was a hurdle. Getting it published was a hurdle. And then really…living your purpose. When you know you can make money doing something else, and yet you really want to make a difference in your life.
It takes courage to go from being a sales person to speaking. That’s takes courage because you have to learn. You’re not perfect in the beginning. That’s a challenge I think a lot of people have is that they have to be okay with not being perfect. And it can be painful.
Each time you challenge yourself to the next level you experience all of that—self doubt, insecurity, wondering if you really have what it takes…So it’s that constant willingness to move forward because of your “why.”
For me, this business is a ministry. It’s not just a business. There are a lot of ways that I can make money. I feel like I am of service. That is a huge motivator for me.
KFF: That’s what helps give you the courage to keep going.
Cynthia: Yes, absolutely.
KFF: You mentioned that your unstoppable women challenge is also for men?
Cynthia: I have an unstoppable women challenge and an unstoppable challenge. I have an audio program for men and women and the book is just for women. If you want to go online you can get a free jumpstart kit that helps people get clear on what that one thing would be they’d want to change and what would their first step be. They can get that at http://unstoppablewomen.com. All you have to do is sign a roster that says that you’re going to be unstoppable for one day. You’ll take one step to make a difference in your life and in the life of somebody else do the same.
KFF: Is there a difference between what you’re teaching for women and for men?
Cynthia: No, it’s the same concept. I think the difference in coaching women, and I can only speak for myself, is that I appreciate a coach that’s more supportive and nurturing verses a drill sergeant. The drill sergeant is more a masculine approach and I’m more supportive. I definitely hold people accountable but I can be my own worst enemy, so I don’t need somebody beating me up. So I really come from the feminine approach with that. So that would be the distinction.
KFF: As we close, I know there are a lot of individuals reading or listening to this interview who truly desire a breakthrough in some area of their lives. Can you just offer a few last encouraging words?
Cynthia: Take the time to get clear on what excites you. What gives your life meaning. In that jumpstart kit and clearly in my book and audio program…you can go to http://unstoppable.net and you can get a lot of information that can support you on really getting clear on gives your life meaning. What excites you? And then you break it down to that one step. Anybody has the time to take a single step. And understanding that when you commit, you are going to persevere and not make an excuse that could stop you but say, “This is too important to me.” A good example is Maxey Filer. He’s in my first book and Maxey at the age of 38 decided that he wanted to become and attorney. And the reason was because he saw what attorneys were doing in his neighborhood to make a difference with laws that were being passed.
He had two little kids in grade school and he went to night school. He went to law school, graduated, took the bar exam and like many people who take it the first time, he failed. So Maxey continues to take the bar after his kids had graduated from high school. He continued to take and fail that bar exam after his kids graduated from law school and started their own law practice. He continued to take that bar exam, failing it while working as a clerk in his kids’ law office.
After twenty-five yeas and forty-seven attempts, Maxey Filer passed the bar at the age of 62.
KFF: Wow.
Cynthia: It’s interesting to think someone would persevere that long. But he said, “I’m doing exactly what I love to do.”
So when you have something that’s meaningful to you and you feel like it’s something that you’re called to do, don’t let your circumstances stop you. In Unstoppable and Unstoppable Women, it gives you specific strategies on “how can you create that mindset?” It gives you stories on people like Michele Hoskins. When you read about her you go, “Oh…all I have to do is be consistent with making one phone call every week.” You see what I mean; it shows you how to do it. And if you’ll pursue your dreams and take one consistent step, and you believe that you can do it and you persevere—absolutely, you’ll breakthrough any obstacle that comes your way and ultimately you will be unstoppable.
KFF: What’s next for Cynthia Kersey?
Cynthia: I’m doing a lot of coaching. I just finished two more audio programs and I have an audio program that goes for 90 days. So if anybody is interested in being a part of a team I have a very small team of people that I work with—because we all need support. You know what to do but to be held accountable… And in our team we create this amazing structure and accountability and the curriculum is so powerful. So if anybody is interested about how to be a part of one of my coaching teams, all you have to do is email me at Cynthia@unstoppable.net and we would be happy to give you some information about it to see if that would be a fit for you.
KFF: That’s great. Thank you so much for joining us. I wish you God’s best!
Cynthia: You’re welcome Anita. Thank you and continued success in your wonderful work.
