Passionate – Bold – Real
Lack of confidence is an epidemic in today’s society, and I have made it my mission “To Inspire Millions of people to Believe in themselves”. From my own experience, I know that believing in oneself is not an easy task. I know what it is like to feel lost and consumed by self-doubt. It wreaks havoc in one’s life just as devastatingly as any physical illness does. From my darkest experiences springs my passion to inspire positive change in those around me.
I come from a family of 3 boys and grew up in a small village in Ireland. While my mother always tenderly described me as “different”, I was also different in a way that made life as a young boy very difficult. I was dyslexic, and due to the times I grew up in, my dyslexia went undiagnosed for many years. On top of that – and possibly to my own detriment – I was brilliant at hiding this wrongly perceived disability from everyone around me.
I can clearly remember sitting in school for what felt like forever, day after day, year on year, my eyes always toward the floor, as I endured the intense weight of nausea in the pit of my stomach. I waited every day in total fear; fear of being asked to join my class and read out loud. Many of my teachers, my supposed educators, made it clear that I was – and would always be – a complete failure.
As my mother often reminds me, I set up my first grass cutting business at the age of 4, going into business with my older brothers. It did not take long for this partnership to dissolve, and I still maintain that it was due to a disagreement in pay, or lack thereof. But I imagine my brothers would say different (I hope they don’t read this). I learned from the experience, and shortly after ventured out on my own. I opened a highly illegal candy shop, operating from my school locker, and enjoyed a hard-earned sense of independence.
University was not an option for me, so I jumped straight into a career in sales. The years passed by as I worked and excelled in both the wine industry, and then the family coffee business. One day, feeling stuck, stagnant, and probably depressed, I resigned from the family business, knowing only that it was not for me. I knew I had something else to give. I could feel it lurking beneath, but I had not yet found the belief in myself that I needed for my true passion to surface.
A couple of experiences as best man (first at my brother’s wedding, and then at a friend’s) turned out to be defining moments. At my brother’s wedding I was required to give a speech. I had no public speaking experience and given the fear I lived every day as a child, much anxiety arose from the thought of it. Standing up to speak with a microphone in my hand scared the crap out of me, but to my total amazement, I received a standing ovation!
As Best Man at my friend’s wedding, I received the same response. Although my vision was not yet clear, that experience helped me grab hold of my passion and pull it to the surface. I felt it gasp for air as though it had been holding its breath my entire life! It was not until the second best man speech (after a stranger approached me with tears streaming down his face and asking me to be his own best man) that I realized I have a gift I could not ignore. Something very powerful in me had awakened.
Today, as well as being the author of two best-selling real estate books “Firesale” and “South Of 49”, I speak around the world about the importance of living your passion, overcoming personal obstacles, gaining clarity, and cultivating the confidence to believe in you! I have dedicated the rest of my life’s work to supporting and inspiring positive change in people through my no bullshit mentoring programs and retreats. I have dedicated my life to living what I teach, maintaining balance, authenticity, and being truly there for what is most important; my beautiful wife and two wonderful children.
Philip McKernan
Believe In You!
