And we are the dreamers of the dreams.
I hadn’t planned to write about my recent “heartventure.” I’m just grateful to be here, I should focus on what I do: championing interesting voices, turning truth into authority. But if I didn’t learn anything from this experience, what kind of expert would I be??
During more than a week in the hospital to figure out why, on October 9, my heart rate suddenly dropped to 20 BPM, I heard this quite a bit:
“You’re an exception to the rule.”
“Except in your case.”
“You’re special.”
Most of it was in regard to quirks in my physiology, in some cases my electrophysiology.
As the paramedics were transporting me from my home to the ambulance, they commented on how unusual it was that I hadn’t lost consciousness, that I was alert and (while feeling very tired, dizzy, and strange) I was able to describe the events of the morning, ask questions, crack jokes, etc.
The short story is that I have a very healthy heart that doesn’t work properly without the electrical stimulus of a pacemaker.
Does that make sense? Is it a contradiction in terms? Kind of. And so am I. Some things I do strictly by the book. Other times, take the road less traveled. In other cases, I combine adherence with rebellion.
I cry in agony when I stub my toe. But I carry on normal conversation in the throes of bradycardia.
But I knew that already. What I learned is this:
I am special. I am unique. There is no one like me. And that is why I’m able to do what I do, which is to recognize the uniqueness in everyone, and to help them find their “INCOMPARABLE voice.”
This matters, because until that moment, I struggled with what many of my clients struggle with: “It’sNotAboutMe Syndrome.” I mean, we know our worth. We’ve earned our “wealth-respect,” as I call it. But we tend to think it’s about what makes someone or something else (like our mission) special. And that hurts our Authority. It takes away from it.
As a result, we fail to step fully into our Personal Brand Voice, and by relinquishing that power, we allow others to set the pace for us, where WE should be setting it.
Nearly 40 years ago, the famed undergrad philosopher Jeremy Kalef said: “You are the sole engineer of your own train of thought.” And he was right.
The Authority Lab was in the works before this heart business interrupted my flow. But I’m now in flow on a different level, so I have even more to offer. Because – with a little help – I’m actually setting the pace for the way in which I help people turn up the volume on their voice and turn truth into authority.
This interview I recently recorded with my buddy Phil Pelucha about a week before my “heartventure” really offers some prescient insight, so I let him turn it into a promotional video: https://lnkd.in/grGTqJBf
And if you wanna cut to the chase – depending on your pace – you can learn specifically about The Authority Lab here.
Hersh Rephun is a brand transformer who uses AI to keep his heart rate at 70 BPM.
