This is a guest post by Merilee Kern, MBA

For entrepreneur, professional speaker and success coach Sheryl Grant, transformational leadership through personal development and community building is the name of the game. A Ms. Olympia at over the age of 50, Grant clearly knows what it takes to realize over-and-above achievement both in life and in business. Today, through her eponymous company Sheryl Grant Enterprises, this powerhouse is helping CEOs, executives and other entrepreneurs master key areas of their careers and lives overall.

Her secret sauce? Grant taps into a trifecta of neuro-training, physical fitness and increased productivity to unlock personal ambition, revenue potential and self-confidence. Grant urges that success-minded individuals must aspire to be F.I.T., heavily leaning on “Faith, Intuition and Tenacity” to reach their goals.

“F.I.T. cultivates your inner ability to push through any of life’s perceived obstacles, break through barriers and manifest your heart’s dreams and desires,” Grant said. “Whether you seek a job promotion, new business endeavor or a healthier body, F.I.T. helps establish a mindset and emotional framework that will nurture, uplift and inspire these and other areas of your life.”

A key aspect of Grant’s various F.I.T. presentations and webinars is a focus on developing mental strength through neuro-training, whereby she offers a variety of tactical techniques related thereto. With this having piqued my curiosity, I recently connected with Grant for insight on some of her mind-bolstering methodologies that, as she explains, can help us cultivate a greater awareness of who we are, develop a road map of where we need and want to go, and conceptualize how we intend to get there:

1. Start a Dialogue with Yourself

Begin by asking yourself some basic questions: Who are you? What are you good at? What do people you care about see in you? When have you felt the most alive? What can you learn from others who have a strong purpose and who are inspirational to you? Ultimately, living with purpose means focusing on what matters most to you. And following the money and following your heart don’t have to be mutually exclusive. There’s not much mystery as to why most people work: to earn money. However, there are a lot of ways to pay the bills. The “why” refers to the underlying, personal reasons you are choosing a particular business and what you are trying to accomplish. Knowing where you are going and, as importantly, why it will inform and strengthen both your personal and career identities and help you reach your goals quicker. Such self-awareness also fosters drive, confidence and self-esteem that can transform you into an unstoppable force—giving you the strength to persist … even through failure and adversity. You’ll likely be happier, too, and an inspiration to those around you.

2. Identify ALL of Your Inner Strengths

When people are living in their “sweet spot,” they are more productive and naturally add value to the world around them. Accordingly, this “mode” is when people also tend to make more money! What are the things you’ve always been good at? What motivates and inspires you? Perhaps it’s things that come naturally to you, to the point that you wonder why others struggle in the same area? While passion can also certainly blossom from areas in which you aren’t naturally talented, Grant’s personal and professional experiences have shown that we rarely aspire toward ambitions for which we have no natural talent to achieve. As civil rights leader Howard Thurman once wrote, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive, then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Indeed they do.

3. Know Where You Add Value

Doing work that you’re good at, but which holds no passion for you, is not a pathway to fulfillment. When we know our greatest strengths and where we as individuals can add the most value, we can better focus on the opportunities, roles and career paths in areas where success will likely occur. These are usually the same avenues where a person finds the greatest sense of accomplishment and contribution. All too often we undervalue our strengths, skills and the expertise that we naturally acquire over time. A great way to discover this for ourselves is to discern what we’re equipped to help solve in the workplace, career, organization or industry. Also, uncovering what problems we enjoy solving, and what problems we feel passionate about attempting to solve. The answers to these questions can help people focus and develop a much clearer series of intentions that are based on natural strengths, and those tasks one innately excels at, rather than trying to bolster or eliminate weaknesses.

Through overcoming personal challenges in multiple areas in her life spearheaded by employing the strategies above, Grant says she quickly learned that her biggest difficulty was not the obstacles in front of her, but rather the lack of belief and trust in herself. By shifting her focus from fear and limitations to a focus on empowerment fueled by faith, intuition and tenacity (F.I.T.), she reached greater heights than ever before … and continues to do so.

In summarizing the above, Grant also conveyed her belief that, ultimately, unlocking one’s inner presence makes leaders the best business people and human beings that they can be. Grant suffered in her own life until she established, and wholeheartedly practiced, her F.I.T. philosophy. In doing so, she not only realized extreme changes, but also actually enjoyed the process … and the people around her enjoyed her more as well. I, for one, will certainly relish my own journey striving to get F.I.T.


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ABOUT THE GUEST POST AUTHOR:
Forbes Business Council, Newsweek Expert Forum and Rolling Stone Culture Council Member Merilee Kern, MBA is an internationally-regarded brand strategist and analyst who reports on noteworthy industry change makers, movers, shakers and innovators across all B2B and B2C categories. This includes field experts and thought leaders, brands, products, services, destinations and events. Merilee is Founder, Executive Editor and Producer of “The Luxe List” as well as Host of both the “Savvy Living” lifestyle and travel and “Savvy Ventures” business TV shows. As a prolific business and consumer trends, lifestyle and leisure industry voice of authority and tastemaker, she keeps her finger on the pulse of the marketplace in search of new and innovative must-haves and exemplary experiences at all price points, from the affordable to the extreme—also delving into the minds behind the brands. Her work reaches multi-millions worldwide via broadcast TV (her own shows and copious others on which she appears) as well as a myriad of print and online publications. Connect with her at www.TheLuxeList.com and www.SavvyLiving.tv / Instagram www.Instagram.com/LuxeListReports / Twitter www.Twitter.com/LuxeListReports / Facebook www.Facebook.com/LuxeListReports / LinkedIN www.LinkedIn.com/in/MerileeKern.