The Thing That's Been Holding You Back.

The Word at the Table

I'm Neal Reyes, The Entrepreneurs' Pastor, and I'm glad you're at the table. Pull up a chair, because this week I want to have a real conversation with you. Not about the obvious stuff. Not the things you already know are holding you back. I want to talk about the quiet thing. The one that does not make noise. The one that has been sitting in the background of your life, silently costing you more than you probably realize. That is where we are going today, and I believe by the time you finish reading this, something is going to shift for you.

This Week's Word: The Thing That's Been Holding You Back

I want to tell you a story. And I want you to stay with me on this one, because it is the kind of story that does not just inspire you. It challenges you. It holds up a mirror. And if you let it, it will move you to do something about the thing you have been sitting on.

A few years ago I was at a GrowthDay event put on by Brendon Burchard, one of my personal mentors and someone I have a tremendous amount of respect for. I had only heard of him about a month before I went to that event for the first time, but I knew in my spirit I was supposed to be in that room. And I am so glad I showed up, because that day changed something in me.

He had a guest speaker. Her name is Jamie Kern Lima.

Now, I want you to picture this. Jamie was a news anchor. She had a skin condition that she had to cover with makeup every single day just to show up on camera. And the problem was, she could not find a product that actually worked for her. The makeup would not last. And the people around her in television, which is not always the kindest environment, would let her know about it.

So one day Jamie made a decision. She walked away from that career and she went after the dream that had been living in her heart. She wanted to create her own makeup line. Something that could help her and every other woman who had ever felt unseen or uncovered.

Now, here is where the story gets real.

She applied to QVC. And they told her no. So she applied again. And they told her no again. She kept applying and kept hearing no over and over and over again. We are not talking about a handful of rejections. We are talking about more than two hundred times she reached out before they finally gave her a yes.

Let me sit there for just a second. More than two hundred nos. Most people do not survive the first one. Most people hear no once and they start to wonder if the dream was real. They hear it twice and they start to reconsider. By the third or fourth time, the apprehension has already won and they quietly walk away and go back to what is safe and familiar.

Jamie kept going.

When QVC finally said yes, they told her she would have ten minutes on air to sell her product. She and her husband pulled together every resource they had. They were close to bankruptcy. Everything was on the line. They secured $250,000 worth of product on consignment just to make it happen, knowing that if it did not work, they were done.

Then, right before she went live on air, someone came and pulled her aside.

They told her she did not have ten minutes. She had one minute. One minute, because QVC monitored their analytics in real time. If a product was not moving immediately, they would cut it off and switch to something else. She had one minute to prove that everything she had fought for was worth it.

I want you to sit in that moment with her for just a second. Two hundred rejections. Nearly broke. Everything riding on this. And now, one minute.

She stepped out anyway. They tried to force her to use a script that was not hers. It was like she was wearing someone else's skin. It wasn't her, and it wasn't authentic. So she did something no one does on QVC. She broke script and simply shared her story. She shared her heart.

The result. She lasted the entire ten minute slot and sold out every single unit. QVC was so impressed, they gave her a contract and she became their number one makeup brand of all time. Years later, when a major company acquired her business, Jamie Kern Lima became a billionaire. Imagine that. From years of embarrassment and over 200 no's to the number one all-time selling makeup brand on QVC and a deal that made her a billionaire.

And here is what I want you to take from that story. At every single point in that journey, apprehension could have won. Fear of failure. Fear of judgment. The comfort zone that whispers, maybe this is not worth it. Maybe I am not ready. Maybe I should just wait a little longer. And the thing is, waiting always feels reasonable in the moment. It never feels like giving up. It just feels like being smart. Being patient. Being realistic.

But I want to ask you something, and I want you to really sit with it.

Here is the truth I need you to hear on the other side of this. Sometimes we're so focused on external success that we stop focusing on internal success. It's as though we overlook the things that are closest to us that matter the most. The success of our character and the success of the relationships closest to us. Sometimes the thing holding you back has nothing to do with a dream or a business or a calling. Sometimes it is a relationship. Sometimes it is two words you have been too proud to say.

I'm sorry.

You can be completely right in your position and completely wrong in your posture. I have been there as a husband and as a father. Right in what I was saying but wrong in how I was delivering it. And the damage that wrong posture does to the people you love most is real.

Saying sorry does not mean you were wrong. It means you care more about getting it right than being right. And I am going to tell you that good relationships are worth contending for. Good friendships are worth fighting for. And sometimes the most courageous thing a leader can do is go first.

James 4:6 tells us that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. That grace is what carries you when you say sorry and you do not know if the other person is going to receive it. You do it anyway. Because getting it right matters more than being right.

Whether it is the dream you have been sitting on or the relationship you have been avoiding, the hurdle of apprehension is the same. And the way through it is the same. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is movement in spite of it.

Stop waiting until you feel ready. You will never feel ready. Step forward anyway. Pick up the phone. Send the message. Say the words. Take the first step. Because clarity does not come before movement. It comes through it.

Take This With You

This week I want you to identify the one thing apprehension has been silently keeping you from, whether it is a dream, a decision, or a conversation you have been avoiding. Write it down. Then write down what it will cost you in five years if you still have not done it. Let that answer be the thing that moves you. Champions don't wait for fear to leave. They move in spite of it. Now go.

From the Table Last Week

On Champion's Walk, my faith show that teaches Real Help For Real Hope, I brought you The Power of Saying I'm Sorry. I taught on why two of the most powerful words in any relationship are also two of the hardest for people to say, and why saying sorry has nothing to do with admitting defeat. We dug into James 4:6, Matthew 5:21-25, the difference between being right in your position and right in your posture, and why good relationships are always worth contending for. If there is someone in your life you have been meaning to get right with, this one is going to speak directly to you. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxXzO_GZY6Y&list=PLMPDSgKkGZNvHLzeBuhqHvZhuCSMEQEgV

On The Executive Perspective, my leadership and business show that delivers Real Help For Real Success, I introduced the Hurdle of Apprehension and the Breaking Through the Wall framework. I broke down the five most common types of apprehension that silently keep high performers stuck, walked through the hidden cost of inaction, and gave you a practical four part framework for breaking free and moving forward. If you have been sitting on something you know you are supposed to do, this episode will challenge you to stop waiting and start moving. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62vJrIoQTb4&list=PLMPDSgKkGZNuJ-dNFVFCWc3lb7BmJ07mM

Until Next Time

The thing that has been silently holding you back does not get to win this week. You are a Champion. Champions move in spite of fear, lead with humility, and do the thing even when it is hard. That is who you are. Now go live like it.

This Wednesday on Champion's Walk, I'm bringing you a fresh word that I believe is going to meet you exactly where you are. Don't miss it.

Then Saturday on The Executive Perspective, I'm dropping something for the leaders and entrepreneurs who are ready to operate at their next level. This one is going to challenge you to think bigger, lead better, and push past where you are right now. Be there.

I'll see you at the table next Tuesday.

Neal Reyes The Entrepreneurs' Pastor