Inspiring people don’t come in better packages than Lisa Messenger. The entrepreneur and author has built several businesses over the last 20 years, is generous with her knowledge and happy to share it.
She’s also strikingly humble. Over the course of our recent 25 minute interview, she said thank you about 6 or 7 times and I mean that as a compliment – a rare quality in someone this successful.
Thinking big seems to come naturally to Lisa.
“You make it look so easy,” I said to her during our interview.
“It’s a process,” Lisa told me. “I am a big believer in getting uncomfortable. I think it’s a great place to be. The thinking big piece for me comes from pushing myself. And I make it my mission to get uncomfortable about something everyday. Often when I announce something big (on Instagram), I often have no idea how I’ll do it. I just think – I am just going to announce this and learn. It’s all about mindset.”
The recent bushfire crisis that swept our country into chaos is a recent example of Lisa’s big thinking powers in action.
“On the first of January I got engaged and I had every reason to go into holiday mode. And like so many of us by 3rd January I was watching another burning bushfire and another terrible koala photo and I noticed that no-one was taking much action – there was just a lot of noise and blame. And it’s that point, (when you are angry and frustrated and pissed off) that is actually the perfect point to mobilise.”
Taking to Google, Lisa looked for organisations that needed help. While she didn’t know anything about bushfire relief she knew she had to take action. A proactive approach that she says applies to everything in life, including building your business.
“I found FoodBank and I messaged them and asked, ‘How can I help?’ The next day I was on a call with the FoodBank CEO and asked her what she needed and she gave me a list… Then I jumped on an IGTV and I think I was pretty much in my pyjamas and a baseball cap and no make up and I thought, ‘Right I don’t know how I am going to do this but I am doing it. That video got watched by 36, 000 people and went viral. And so that was the accountability piece.”
Lisa’s efforts were rewarded. Within the first day of her IGTV calls for action, she had helicopters mobilised, fleets of cars arrive at the Victorian FoodBank office and several refrigerated trucks ready to roll.
When I congratulate her on this enormous success, she says it’s an example we can all make work for us.
Start by asking yourself these 4 questions:
- What can I use?
- What is my skill set?
- What do I have access to?
- Who do I know in my circle that can help?
“The lesson here is this, if you allow yourself to step up and allow yourself to be a leader and you allow yourself to think big and you tap into that energy – anything is possible. And what happened as a result was phenomenal.”
For daily inspiration follow Lisa Messenger on Instagram. And check out her latest book, Daily Mantras To Ignite Your Purpose.
