You Are The Sh*t with Monti Washington – 026

The Think Alpha Project - Empowering Minority Millennials to Break Barriers

In today’s episode, Monti Washington discusses what it really takes to overcome adversity and find success, despite a tough upbringing. He personally found his way out of negative situations and now is on a mission to share what he has learned through his experiences. When you believe in YOU, anything is possible. Monti teaches us how to take that one step forward to a better life and set achievable goals. If you connect with his story, you can even learn more with his book, From The Streets To The Stage: 20 Ways Make It From The Streets Of Your Fears To The Stage Of Your Dreams.

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Monti is a motivational speaker, author, actor and an award winning poet. Known as “America’s Adversity Coach”, because of his ability to show students how to turn any adversity into real life success, Monti has positively impacted the lives of thousands of students nationwide. He strives to provide students with learning experiences that can truly help in real life situations. In his own life, Monti overcame adversity and obtained two college degrees, become a state basketball champion, award winning poet and much more.

Key Topics

Greater Than Your Story

• Monti had a rough background – his mother was a crack addict, he never met his father, he bounced around in foster homes where he was physically and mentally abused, slept in parks for months and more.
• Growing up, he was told that he was stupid and started to believe the negative names he was called.
• He even tried to commit suicide twice.
• In his last foster home, he finally found a positive male role model and started his journey to healing.
• He went from being in special ed classes to being on the honor roll every year in high school.
• He worked hard, graduated, went on to college where he graduated with two degrees and then wrote his book.

You Are The Shit!

• To move forward in life, we have to stop saying things like “try” and “wish” – you have to do something about it and do more to get more.
• While in therapy, Monti’s therapist helped him see that we can’t change what has happened to us, but we can change our perspective.
• With that mentality, he developed the I’m the Shit Activity. Before speaking, he does a I’m the shit activity.
• You have to find the confidence within yourself and BELIEVE that what you are doing is the shit.
• If you don’t believe in your dreams or talents, you can’t achieve whatever it is – but we aren’t born with confidence, it takes practice – so remember this and say it to yourself often: “I’m the shit.”

The Steps Forward

• To move forward in life, we have to get rid of the haters and takers in our lives.
• A great way to remove yourself from these people is to limit your exposure to social media.
• It’s okay to be alone if you haven’t built a positive support system – just because you’re alone doesn’t mean you’re lonely – it may actually help you to reach your goals.
• Write down your yearly goals and break them down into quarterly goals, then monthly, then weekly goals and always track your progress!
• Your actions always reveal your true character so be good to yourself and to others along your journey.
• Take care of yourself physically, mentally and spiritually and forgive often – when you hold onto things, it affects everything else in your life.

Key Quotes

There’s nothing you can experience that would validate you taking your own life and depriving the world of your greatness and whatever gifts you have. ([12:14])

Nobody ever starts out on top, it’s that journey. ([14:16])

When you stop making excuses and you stop blaming other people for your inadequacies and your issues in life – things change. ([14:45])

Our past does not determine our potential for the future. It prepares us for it. ([15:43])

If you want more you’ve gotta do more. ([28:10])

There’s a big misconception with confidence. They think confidence comes from what you accomplish. No, it comes from what you overcome. ([40:48])

You need to consciously take steps to build yourself up. Consciously, love yourself. ([52:55])

Connect With Monti On

Instagram | YouTube | Website

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