Sha Nacino STORY
A couple of weeks ago, I visited my two-year-old Godson Lewis.
I, his parents, coach, grandparents, and aunts were there.
He is only two years old and he can already swim in a 5-feet deep pool without any floater devices! Wow!
He is so brave he inspires me to be brave in the water as well.
As I was watching him, I remembered a funny story.
At the height of the pandemic, I and my friends traveled to Boracay.
That was June 2021.
Since people were afraid to travel then, there were very few people on the beach.
It almost felt like we had the entire beach to ourselves.
Imagine being on one of the world’s most beautiful beaches!
The only barrier was that I didn’t know how to swim and I was so afraid of being in water.
I was comfortable only if the water is below knee level.
The paddleboard man asked me if I wanted to paddle. That was unimaginable for me at that time! I was too scared!
This was me, playing with the waves.
I may have looked so funny and to be honest, foolish! Hahaha!
That’s when a beautiful idea came to mind.
“What if I create music videos?”
Two days later, I was out on the beach with a team of professional videographers complete with their cameras and drone. That was my first time doing music videos.
Did I know what I was doing? Nope.
I just knew what excellence, creativity, fun, collaboration, adventure, and self-love looked like. That was more than enough.
Fast forward to today, I and my teams of videographers, video editors, and musicians were able to produce 30 world-class music videos. *wink You can find our playlist on YouTube here.
I’m very comfortable creating excellent music videos at a fast pace!
I’ve worked with three teams of videographers — Boracay, Bohol, and Amsterdam.
When I asked them how many music videos they can shoot in one day, they said, “One.”
I smiled and asked,
“Can we do three in half a day?
Can we do five in one day?”
They replied,
“Yes, let’s try.”
That was a good enough answer for me.
All of them were surprised end of the day when we were able to shoot the number of music videos we wanted to shoot. The best part was we all had FUN! 🙂
Last year, I also shot five music videos by myself in one day. I was the videographer, lighting director, performer, and creative director all rolled into one. It was so much fun!!!
Lately, I am enjoying performing LIVE at parties as well. Hehe!
My friend Tita Remy invited me to two parties — her 70th birthday party and her husband’s 75th birthday party.
Their daughter, my joker friend and party host, delighted in teasing me and coaxing me into impromptu singing performances at both parties. I was game, of course! Tita Remy and I sang our hearts out. We both love singing! 🙂
Let’s go back to the point of the story.
My barrier while I was in Boracay was that I didn’t know how to swim.
That barrier gave birth to my beautiful breakthrough in creating music videos which I’ve shown to audiences during my in-person speaking engagements in the Philippines, France, and the Maldives. Showcasing one of my music videos to emphasize my message is now one of my unique strengths as a speaker. Whether I give talks to millennials, HR professionals, global speakers, or top corporate executives, they loved to have fun and unleash their inner child thru music.
I can think about all my other barriers in the past which led to my beautiful breakthroughs.
I was not a writer.
I was too shy and introverted.
I was once buried in credit card debts.
I was tone-deaf and couldn’t carry a tune.
Now, I’m the author of 15 books, a professional speaker, a music video artist/singer/director/producer, and my finances are in order. In fact, my financial mess gave birth to my love for personal development, which led me to zero out my debts. This, in turn, inspired me to write my first book on money management, ultimately paving the way for me to become a professional speaker. My barriers gave birth to my breakthroughs.
And there’s more.
My barriers are also helping me help others have their breakthroughs.
I’ve coached over 200 first-time authors to write, publish, and launch their books.
I’ve helped introverts and shy people speak with confidence and competence.
I’m also helping CEOs, C-suite leaders, and entrepreneurs speak well through my speaking program at the Asian Institute of Management.
The barriers I once had gave birth not only to my breakthroughs but to the breakthroughs of the people I interact(ed) with and work(ed) with.
HIGHLIGHT (Lesson)
Your barriers can give birth to your beautiful breakthroughs.
Sometimes our default is to see our barriers as excuses.
We think we can’t succeed because of our barriers.
We think the barriers are the obstacles.
What if we shift our mindset?
What if those barriers are your ingredients to what makes you unique and different?
What if your barriers are your blessings?
How we think affects how we feel, which then affects how we act, and therefore affects our results.
It’s all about perspective.
The good news is, we can control how we think, so we can eventually get the results we want.
Call to ACTION
This now leads us to you.
What are the barriers you’re facing right now?
Maybe you feel you’re too young to do something.
Maybe you feel you’re too old to start a passion project.
Maybe you say, “I’m in my 60s or 70s, I’ve already retired. It’s too late to start anything.”
Maybe you’ll say, “I can’t get promoted to that position because I didn’t finish my master’s or Ph.D.”
Maybe you’re experiencing so much hurt and pain dealing with some family issues.
Maybe you got dumped by someone you love.
Maybe you were betrayed by someone you trusted.
Maybe your colleagues are spreading ugly rumors about you.
Maybe as a corporate leader, you feel demotivated because it seems like your team members do not respect you and they feel entitled.
Maybe you’re into sales and you’ve never met your quota yet.
Maybe as a financial advisor, you want to be part of MDRT but you feel you’re too far behind.
Whatever barriers you’re facing right now, be kind to yourself and feel your emotions without judging yourself for having those emotions.
Then ask yourself this question:
“What beautiful breakthrough is this barrier unlocking in me?”
Your barrier is your blessing.
What were your barriers in the past that became your breakthroughs? I’d love to hear from you. Simply hit reply.
I wish you fearless possibilities!
Sha Nacino
Keynote Speaker l Author l Adjunct Faculty, Asian Institute of Management
P.S.1 I interviewed Srijata Bhatnagar for the Fearless Possibilities Podcast and she shared about a major setback she experienced that almost made her take her own life. A conversation with her Dad saved her life. Today, she’s an author, speaker, and Setback Leadership Champion. Her setback was the source of her success. You can listen to my interview with Srijata here.
P.S.2 If this TuesDate resonated with you, I only have one favor. Please forward it to a friend, colleague or family member who may need to hear this. Thank you so much!
P.S.3 If this email was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here
Sha Recommends
The Power of Being Seen (3-minute video snippet)
This video is about building a culture of care, a culture where people feel they matter. But why is it important to build s culture of care and appreciation?
THE GREAT RESIGNATION — In a study done by Zety in 2021, 65% quit because they didn’t feel valued by their managers.
ENGAGEMENT & PRODUCTIVITY — When employees feel unseen, their engagement drops. Low engagement leads to low productivity. The disengaged employees can even negatively influence the more engaged ones.
If you’re a corporate leader, HR officer, employee, department head, or sales head, watch this video.
How much is employee disengagement costing you and your company? Maybe it’s time for your breakthrough. I’m here to help. Visit https://www.shanacino.com/ or book a free call with me at https://shanacino.com/call.
